Final

final
A great group of students is currently taking this final exam. I imagine they will do well, as they have generally worked hard and performed on the previous exams and various tasks — a sharp and delightful group of physheads!
One student from Penn, needs a copy of the final to show the folks up [...]

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Sidewalk Power

During our discussion of AC power, we digressed a bit into alternate sources of energy to supply the work required to generate electrical power. One interesting idea is to gather the work-energy in urban areas as people walk along specially designed sidewalks.
A number of other creative ideas can be explored on the site from [...]

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Maxwell’s Equations

Our physics 54 class has now been introduced to all four of Maxwell’s equations. We do not have Maxwell’s correction to Ampere’s Law yet, but man we are close. Our current version of these really beautiful equations:
Gauss’s Law for Electricity

Gauss’s Law for Magnetism[experimentally -- no magnetic monopoles]

Ampere’s Law [not yet fixed]

Faraday’s Law [the negative [...]

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Project Idea – Electric Wind

Dr. Brown does a fantastic job of discussing [in depth] all sorts of relevant phenomena and “cool” physics related to our topic of study. I am always astounded at the breadth and depth of his “rabbit trail” discussions. He also encourages students to do some extra project of interest during the course. [...]

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Equipotential

Just had some lecture about electric potential and equipotential lines. This reminded me of linemen who work on high voltage lines [see video] and the great analogy or connection to physics 53 [mechanics] — that is contour maps, which show gravitational equipotential lines.

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Computer Model of Sunspots

I saw this and started thinking about preparations for Physics 54. Electricity and Magnetism, Optics, … Yes, understanding the sun is a relevant topic. Of course, one might also want to consider a bit of nuclear physics and quantum, … but here is a teaser article — something of interest to get DUML [...]

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Light-Scattering-Sensors-Aerosol Detection-Polarized Light

The title says it all, right? — Well, here’s details and an explanation from NASA:
Slowly but surely, real science will enter the “climate change wars”
New Observing Technique Turns Gray Skies Blue
March 12, 2009
Tiny, ubiquitous particles in the atmosphere may play a profound role in regulating global climate. But the scientists who study these [...]

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Rapid Battery Recharging – MIT News

Another example of cutting edge science pushing the frontiers of electrical energy delivery devices — I recently posted about an idea for an AC generator which harnesses tidal or current energy — here we see improved functionality for DC power (electrical power via chemical processes).  So there are two of the three primary means for [...]

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Turning the Tide to Energy: New Concept Could Harness the Power of Ocean Waves

Ok, perhaps this post is more related to physics 53 material [pressure, fluids and energy] rather than physics 54, but it is highly relevant to the Nicholas School of the Environment and Duke Marine Lab, and it deals with the physics 54 topic of AC-generators.  Besides, it is just cool “sustainable” energy technology.
NASA researchers who [...]

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More Faraday for Wendy

This is a “Dear Wendy” post …
An Indian professor (Indian Institute of Technology] provides another version of the derivation of Faraday’s law — from Coulomb and relativity arguments.   Full math treatment –> ’tis good exposure.  I know… the video is long [57 min], but you can sit down with a glass of your favorite [...]

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