Physics

Scientists uncover secret of Roberto Carlos goal

3 Sep 2010

Thirteen years after Roberto Carlos stunned onlookers with his amazing "banana" free kick that seemed to defy the law of physics, scientists finally have figured out just how he did it. In what many people regard as the best free kick in the history of the game, the Brazil defender struck the ball with the outside of his left foot from 35 yards away, bending it around the outside of...

The ABC's of AMO Physics [Uncertain Principles]

3 Sep 2010

Over at Confused at a Higher Level, Melissa offers an alphabetical list of essential supplies for a condensed matter experimentalist at a small college . This is a fun idea for back-to-school time, so I'll steal it, and offer the following alphabetical list of essentials for Atomic, Molecular, and Optical physics at a small college, kind of a condensed version of the three part series I did a ...

Friday Vanity Blogging: Physics Central Profile [Uncertain Principles]

3 Sep 2010

Earlier this summer, I talked about the blog and the book on the phone with somebody from the APS, providing material for a profile of me that was posted yesterday on Physics Central . It's pretty good, but it's still a little strange to see my name and picture on their profile index with some of the other names there-- I don't really think of myself as being in the same category as Margaret ...