Browse Physics

Small earthquakes may trigger more aftershocks than do larger quakes, according to an analysis of California’s seismic history.

A flickering light can improve a person’s visual perception in a way that they can act upon it. The result might lead to goggles that improve vision by adding “TV static” to the wearer’s view.

Sparks branch for the same reason that coral reefs and snowflakes do, according to computer simulations.

A new scheme suggests a way of reducing the deadly wake turbulence of aircraft.

A controversial experiment suggests that one laser can anticipate the chaotic fluctuations in a second laser.

The gentle shaking at the end of a quake comes from waves that scatter many times in the Earth’s crust before reaching the surface.

Internet viruses can spread more easily than those in the biological world.

Experiments with electronic circuits prove that adding a time delay between coupled oscillators leads to new and unexpected behaviors of the system.

A mathematical model explains how audiences synchronize their applause and why the synchronization can fade and re-form repeatedly.

Physicists have taken their highest resolution look at the supersonic shock wave that emerges from gas bubbles so hot that they might create nuclear fusion.

A sprial-shaped flame appears on a heated spinning disk, contrary to the expectation of a circular flame.

A pinch of polymer additive can dramatically reduce the friction between liquids– a new way to study the mysterious effect.

Physicists have developed the fastest known method of chaos control.

Physicists have observed interesting geometry in the pinch-off of drops from a dripping faucet.