Topic: experimental physics
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Feynman’s Sprinkler Solution Decodes “Silly Sprinklers” Too
Researchers at NYU's Courant Institute have solved the classic "reverse sprinkler problem" in fluid dynamics, using experiments with different sprinkler designs detailed in a new paper. The puzzle, famously explored by physicist Richard Feynman, originated from a thought experiment in Ernst Mach'...
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Physicists May Have Solved the Muon Mystery
A two-decade anomaly in the muon's magnetic properties, once hinting at a new fundamental force, has been resolved as a calculation error, reinforcing the Standard Model. The discrepancy between experimental and theoretical values for the muon's magnetic moment has been eliminated by a new calcul...
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How 'Ghost' Photons Shape Superconductivity
A recent experiment manipulated virtual photons, or 'ghost' particles, to alter a superconducting material's properties, using superconductivity as a sensitive quantum effects detector. Virtual photons are fleeting, undetectable force carriers from quantum fields that influence matter, distinct f...
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How Olympic Weightlifters Use the Barbell’s Whip
The barbell's "whip" (flexural bending) is a measurable physical property that elite weightlifters use to accelerate their lifts by feeling the bar's rebound and timing their movement accordingly. Researcher Joshua Langlois conducted a modal analysis on standard barbells by suspending them, addin...
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