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Archive for the ‘physics’ category: Page 227

Nov 6, 2019

Scientists reveal the physics of Jackson Pollock’s painting technique

Posted by in categories: media & arts, physics

The celebrated painter Jackson Pollock created his most iconic works not with a brush, but by pouring paint onto the canvas from above, weaving sinuous filaments of color into abstract masterpieces. A team of researchers analyzing the physics of Pollock’s technique has shown that the artist had a keen understanding of a classic phenomenon in fluid dynamics—whether he was aware of it or not.

In a paper published in the journal PLOS ONE, the researchers show that Pollock’s technique seems to intentionally avoid what’s known as coiling instability—the tendency of a viscous fluid to form curls and coils when poured on a surface.

“Like most painters, Jackson Pollock went through a long process of experimentation in order to perfect his technique,” said Roberto Zenit, a professor in Brown’s School of Engineering and senior author on the paper. “What we were trying to do with this research is figure out what conclusions Pollock reached in order to execute his paintings the way he wanted. Our main finding in this paper was that Pollock’s movements and the properties of his paints were such he avoided this coiling instability.”

Oct 31, 2019

Universe bombshell: There could be infinite versions of YOU, scientist claims

Posted by in category: physics

THERE could be an infinite amount of universes and each person on Earth could exist in all of them, making slightly different decisions, a leading physicist has sensationally claimed.

Oct 30, 2019

The Cosmological Conundrum of the Expansion Rate of the Universe

Posted by in categories: physics, space

Different measurements of the universe’s expansion yield different results. Are we getting something wrong, or do we need brand-new physics to figure it out?

Oct 30, 2019

LIGO’s Lasers Can See Gravitational Waves, Even Though The Waves Stretch The Light Itself

Posted by in category: physics

If you think about the way a gravitational wave detector works, you might encounter a paradox. Here’s the solution.

Oct 29, 2019

AI could solve baffling three-body problem that stumped Isaac Newton

Posted by in categories: mathematics, physics, robotics/AI

The three-body problem has vexed mathematicians and physicists for 300 years, but AI can find solutions far faster than any other method anyone has come up with.

Oct 29, 2019

Cosmic Triangles Open a Window to the Origin of Time

Posted by in category: physics

A close look at fundamental symmetries has exposed hidden patterns in the universe. Physicists think that those same symmetries may also reveal time’s original secret.

Oct 29, 2019

New Neural Network Could Solve The Three-Body Problem 100 Million Times Faster

Posted by in categories: mathematics, physics, robotics/AI, space

The three-body problem, one of the most notoriously complex calculations in physics, may have met its match in artificial intelligence: a new neural network promises to find solutions up to 100 million times faster than existing techniques.

First formulated by Sir Isaac Newton, the three-body problem involves calculating the movement of three gravitationally interacting bodies – such as the Earth, the Moon, and the Sun, for example – given their initial positions and velocities.

It might sound simple at first, but the ensuing chaotic movement has stumped mathematicians and physicists for hundreds of years, to the extent that all but the most dedicated humans have tried to avoid thinking about it as much as possible.

Oct 28, 2019

If There’s a Wormhole Hiding in Our Galaxy, Could We Really Find It?

Posted by in categories: cosmology, physics

Wormholes, passageways that connect one universe or time to another, are still only theoretical — but that doesn’t mean physicists aren’t looking for them. In a new study, researchers describe how to find wormholes in the folds of our galaxy.

These hypothetical passageways, created by folding a region of space like a piece of paper, are predicted by Einstein’s theory of general relativity. But they require extreme gravitational conditions, such as those around supermassive black holes.

In the new study, two researchers came up with a method to search for wormholes close to home, around the Milky Way’s central, supermassive black hole, called Sagittarius A*. If a wormhole were to exist around Sagittarius A*, the stars on one side of the passage would be influenced by the gravity of stars on the other side, the researchers said.

Oct 28, 2019

The Mysterious Cosmic Strings

Posted by in categories: physics, space

Our universe may be riddled with defects in space-time known as cosmic strings. Though we don’t have any evidence yet that they exist, they may still be out there, and I promise that you really don’t want to encounter one.

Oct 28, 2019

Rarely Seen Gravity Waves Captured Rippling in Earth’s Atmosphere

Posted by in categories: physics, satellites

The atmosphere is fluid. This means it’s subject to fluid dynamics, such as circulation, currents, and, yes, gravity waves. The atmosphere is always in motion, so these phenomena happen all the time; but actually seeing them is another matter.

Well, thanks to weather satellites, now you can take a mighty gawk at atmospheric gravity waves that rippled out over Western Australia last week.

Not to be confused with gravitational waves, which are disturbances in the curvature of spacetime created by massive acceleration, gravity waves, also known as buoyancy waves, are a physical phenomenon where waves are generated in any fluid medium, such as waves at the beach, or ripples in a glass of water.