Physics and Stuff

One of the many ways to get a plane airborne is to blow fast moving air along the wings, generating lift. The above clipping is the scenario in action during a violent storm.

And surprisingly this method of moving the medium of traverse ( air ) instead of the object itself is the principle of operation of Wind Tunnels.

What is a wind tunnel ?

They are tube shaped facilities where powerful fans move air through the tube. The object is placed ( bolstered ) in a test section and the speeds of the air blown are controlled by fans 

By moving air around an object, the wind tunnel simulates the conditions during operation.

The object can be a smaller-scale model of a vehicle, one piece of a vehicle, a full-size aircraft or spacecraft, or even a common object like a tennis ball.

              NASA Tests Boeing Aircraft Tail in World’s Largest Wind Tunnel  

Usually, the object carries special instruments to measure the forces produced by the air on the object.

Engineers also study how the air moves around the object by injecting smoke or dye into the tunnel and photographing its motion around the object. Improving the flow of air around an object can increase its lift and decrease its drag.

It saves a lot of time and money required for the testing and analysis of designs, and prototypes.

I leave you guys with this clipping from a wind tunnel testing facility at NASA:

The Flappy Plane : This phenomenon is known as Flutter in Aerodynamics. It is an unstable oscillation that can lead to destruction

Have a Great Day!

This cartoon is pinned on the wall of the theory common room at CERN

I was feeling inspired last night, so I decided to make this purely for fun.

To the moon and back: Cold, dark nights clutching thermos flasks of hot coffee. Machinery whirring as telescopes trace a star across the sky. Intricate, geometric drawings of the celestial sphere. A messy bun and a NASA t-shirt. Filling in the logbook while punk rock blares in the background to keep you energised and awake. Pictures of nebulae and galaxies everywhere, because pretty space pictures is half the fun. Annoyed huffs every time someone mentions their star sign.

Natural Philosopher: Long, intellectual debates in coffee shops about mathematics, physics, philosophy. Chalkboards covered with equations and calculations in a precise, curving handwriting. That Eureka moment while deep in thought, expressed only with a small smile and a scribbled proof on the back of a serviette. Chaotic desks in front of bookshelves groaning with old textbooks. Antique lab equipment as functional decor.

“Trust Me, I’m a Scientist”: Large computer screens running freshly-typed code. Neat lab books and PDFs of journal articles. The smell of whiteboard markers. Polished new equipment in a tangle of cables, hooked up to a digital oscilloscope. Exact amounts of chemicals in rows in metal shelves. Resting your feet up on the bench after a long day in the lab. The satisfying hum of your colleagues as they work on their experiments around you.   

Science Expedition: Dirt under your nails and a loosely-bound collection of field notes. Plant clippings carefully taken to be analysed back in the lab. Soft fur on tough, wild animals. The bitter smoke from eco-friendly firewood while you roast marshmallows and listen to a supervisor’s witty stories. Free-handing diagrams while looking through a microscope. Sketching flowers and that gorgeous ocean view from your last field trip. Reading Darwin on the bus home but falling asleep on your lab partner’s shoulder out of sheer exhaustion after the first three pages.

Life is a Science: Scrolling past an anti-vax facebook post and resisting the urge to burn down the internet. Shiny dissection kits and the sharp smell of formaldehyde. Making time to work out and pack a healthy lunch because your mind is sharpest when your body is well. Debunking the latest superfood fad with peer-reviewed journal articles. Making friends with some of the nicer med school kids in anatomy class. Colour-coded, neatly labelled diagrams and a thousand different terms memorised. Getting a double-helix DNA sculpture for your desk.      

Biology

Masterposts:

Great masterpost with links and tips from @highschoolering​

Guide with a-level info from @areistotle​

AP biology masterpost from @ellielearnsthings​

Biology resource page from @studygene​

Resources for biology from @studentcombeferre

Bio help from @humanlties​

IB biology from @etudiaire​

Studyblr biology from @joolshallie​

More biology resources from @study-well​

Resources:

Crash Course biology 

Biology study guides

AP biology flashcard decks

Bio courses online

National Science Foundation’s bio resources

Biology teaching & learning tools

The Biology Corner

Khan Academy biology

Biology Q&As

Physics

Masterposts

Physics links from @outcastmagazine

Tips for physics success from @hexaneandheels

Physics masterpost from @physicsnerd

More physics from @areistotle

Physics with Professor Feynman from @thefictiontree

Topics in AP Physics 1 from @mondaysnights

AP Physics tips from @noarasseo

How to succeed in physics from @motivatedhealthysuccess

Resources

How to study physics

Physics.org

AP Physics study guides

Learn AP physics

Another physics study guide

Last study guide, I promise

SparkNotes physics

KhanAcademy physics

The Physics Classsroom

Physics at BHS

Physics C ref sheet

Chemistry

Masterposts:

Fantastic AP Chemistry guide from @etudiance

Chemistry note-taking from @somestudy

Studying for chemistry from @caffeinatedcraziness

Chemistry resources from @study-well

IB Chemistry from @rewritign

Chemistry masterpost from @intellectus

Resources for chemistry from @digitalstudy

Functional groups in organic chemistry from @compoundchem

Notes on chemistry topics from @sciencescribbles

How to study for chemistry from @he1975

Resources:

AP Chemistry notes

Royal Society of Chemistry’s periodic table

Chemical equation balancer

Crash Course chemistry

ChemCollective

KhanAcademy chemistry

General chemistry resources page

Chemtutor

Chemistry lecture notes

Chemhelper

More

Subjects:

APES flashcards

Computer science/engineering masterpost from @algorhythmn

Computer science masterpost from @productiveravenclaw

Space + the universe from @areistotle

Other:

Follow all the science blogs

Free science books

Science resources from @highschoolering

Ultimate science masterpost

Science galleries

How I study for science from @hideandstudy

This periodic table of elements showcases the beauty of the spectra of each element.