A new database could pave the way for a more fair and consistent way to score slam dunks, a self-described ‘dunk scientist’ says.
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Articles on Physics
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The game of curling is centuries old, but exactly what makes the stones curl as they slide over the ice is still a mystery.
Have you wondered why cats are so nimble and seem to fit perfectly in cups, boxes, and other small places? Or how cats communicate with humans? A physicist and a psychologist explain.
In Beijing’s climate, you could coat a Sydney apartment in a few inches of snow with the same energy the air conditioning would use in an hour.
Ski jumpers do everything they can to counteract the effects of gravity and fly as far as they can down hills.
Snowmaking machines can produce enough snow to cover a run, but artificial snow is very different from natural flakes that fall from the sky.
It may look like athletes in bobsled, luge and skeleton simply grab a sled and hang on until the bottom, but high-speed physics and tiny motions mean the difference between gold and a crash.
It’s often said that the aurora, or the northern lights, is caused by ‘particles from the Sun’. But in reality things are more complicated.
Physicists know a lot about the most fundamental properties of the universe, but they certainly don’t know everything. 2021 was a big year for physics – what was learned and what’s coming next?
The quantum nature of light can be harnessed for a variety of purposes.
There is a lot to consider when buying a new pair of headphones. A professional musician and acoustics researcher explains how the science of sound and quirks of human hearing make for a great listening experience.
Did humans invent mathematics or does it exist independently?
The fastest things ever made by humans are spacecraft, and the fastest spacecraft reached 330,000 mph – only 0.05% the speed of light. But there are ways to go faster.
Energy isn’t really made of anything else. It’s a kind of capacity to do things
A new result from the MicroBooNE neutrino experiment has dashed hopes for a neat resolution to several puzzles for physicists.
The sky on other planets doesn’t look the same as the sky on Earth does. And that’s because of the different gases in Earth’s atmosphere.
Modern climate and weather models can predict what the weather will be next week and what the climate may be in 100 years. They would not exist without Syukuro Manabe, Klaus Hasselmann and Giorgio Parisi.
The work of Italian physicist Giorgio Parisi has helped predict the unpredictable, from changes in the climate to the movements of flocks of starlings.
The largest orbital telescope ever made will allow astronomers to study the atmospheres of alien planets, learn about how stars form in the Milky Way and peer into the farthest reaches of the universe.
Preprints are scientific papers made available before being published in a peer-reviewed journal. The Australian Research Council has banned researchers from citing them in grant applications.
Top contributors
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Associate Professor, Philosophy of Science, The University of Melbourne
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Post Doctoral Research Associate, Centre for the Subatomic Structure of Matter, University of Adelaide
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University Distinguished Professor of Astronomy, University of Arizona
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Emeritus Professor, ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery, OzGrav, The University of Western Australia
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Physicien, Professeur des Universités, Université Paris-Saclay
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Professor of Astrophysics, University of Sydney
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Professor of Nuclear Physics, Michigan State University
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Professor of Physics, University of Lynchburg
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Senior Lecturer in Physics, University of New England
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Professor & Head, School of Science & Mathematics, Mauritius Institute of Education
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Lecturer, Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology
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Professor of Quantum Physics and Quantum Technology, University of Sydney
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Professor, University of Sydney
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Lecturer, The University of Queensland
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Honorary senior lecturer, Australian National University
