Synthesizers and the Doppler Effect
September 29, 2006
When people are asked to describe THX's trademark "Deep Note," their initial response is usually either “loud” or “big.” However, the loudness is a bit of an illusion. Sound Designer Gary Rydstrom pointed out that “from a technical standpoint, 'Deep Note' just feels loud because it has a spectrum of frequencies that grows from small to large.” With that in mind, today we’ll try to reproduce that “big sound” with some basic physics and some cool electronics.
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Vibrating Gillette Razors
April 02, 2006
Recently, Gillette introduced a series of battery powered vibrating razors. Being a bit of a gadget man myself, I couldn't resist getting the M3Power, as well as its 5-bladed successor, the Fusion. Silly names aside, these razors actually did work, but how...and why? Since Joost prefers electric shavers to razors, I knew I would be alone on this one. After buying the Fusion, I didn't feel too bad smashing my M3. Here are the results.
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Centripedal Motion and Tires
You can't have a good car without good tires. Actually, you can, but the tires do help! Yes, when it comes to performance driving—or really, any kind of driving—it’s important to have proper tires. One fan asked us why tires are inflated. Well, inflation ensures not only an even footprint with the road, but also keeps the tire nice and snug against the rim. We set up a simulation of what happens when you don't do things right. Take a look
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How a CRT Display Works
March 11, 2006
We went to the local thrift store (on half price Monday!) and bought ourselves a fully-functioning CRT Television for $3.75. Needless to say, it doesn't work anymore. Check out our senseless destruction in the name of science.
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Black Powder
October 17, 2005
We had a spare canister of black powder in our lab (don’t ask), which we found to be the perfect opportunity to blow some stuff up. The camera suffered some burn marks, but the experiment still made for some good video clips.
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Alka-Seltzer Rockets
October 16, 2005
Alka-Seltzer is great for when that meal isn’t quite sitting right. It turns out that it's also great for when you're bored. While it’s not as impressive as the big bangs, this makes a great demo for kids and adults alike.
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Inside Hydroelectric Dams
August 28, 2005
After receiving a question about hydroelectric power, the Mad Physicists actually canoed into a Dam to take pictures and data. The dam is closed off to the public, so the mad men went on a 8 mile adventure.
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The Chemistry of Cookie Dough
June 06, 2005
We bought some tasty dough and covered it with silver nitrate! You may call it a waste; we call it science. This lab demonstrates how you can find the salt content in cookies by comparing it to the concentration of Cl (as found with a silver nitrate test).
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Bad Police Radar Jammers
May 31, 2005
There aren't too many good ways to block a police radar, but there sure are a whole lot of bad ways! After refuting one possible method, we decided to aim for the very worst. Here's our explosive attempt at beating the law!
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Triangle Brain Twister
May 23, 2005
How good are your logic and geometry skills? Here is a "basic" problem with shapes. Try it out and see how fast you can solve it... our current record is <30 seconds. But if you get frustrated, we have an answer guide!
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World Jump Day Debunked
February 27, 2005
There is a website that claims that if everyone jumps at a certain time, the earth will shift as a result. Logic would dictate that this cannot be done, but for the rest of you out there who demand a little more...we have the proof!
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