Let’s kick off this article with a riddle – you ready? A vehicle is speeding away from a light pole. Yet it’s always at the same distance from the light pole. How is this possible? Take a few moments and think about this. Motion in everyday life It’s easy to guess the answer given that […] The post Understanding Rotational Motion appeared first on Probing the Universe ..read more

Galileo and Aristotle agreed on the same thing: what goes up must come down. What they didn’t agree on is the why. Why do objects fall back down? Their two perspectives, the Galilean and Aristotelian respectively, fiercely clashed in the late 1500s and early 1600s. It is one of the most popular and documented ‘feuds’ […] The post Galileo versus Aristotle on free fall motion appeared first on Probing the Universe ..read more

logic will take you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere. The post Title: Step by step example guide to perform a thought experiment appeared first on Probing the Universe ..read more

When we hear of a “thought experiment” today, we usually think of Albert Einstein. But there is an unsung hero of this skill that is rarely talked about, Galileo Galilei. Now, you may be thinking that I am talking of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Galileo’s most famous experiment. But no, this is purely a […] The post Galileo’s thought experiment on falling bodies appeared first on Probing the Universe ..read more

I will answer this question, “Can an average person become a self-taught physicist?” in two ways: the short and the long answer. The short answer is YES. With enough passion, hard work, and determination you CAN challenge yourself to become a self-taught physicist. In fact, there are household names in physics with relatively minimal formal […] The post Can an average person become a self-taught physicist? appeared first on Probing the Universe ..read more

Are you a high school or an undergrad physics student on a look for YouTube channels to supplement your classes? Well, I’ll give you my personal favorites that have generally been of great help to me and hopefully, they’ll be of great help to you! This list of physics channels is meant to feel like […] The post 10 Best YouTube channels for high school and undergrad physics students appeared first on Probing the Universe ..read more

The best way to understand the fundamental differences between inertia and friction is with an example. So, we’ll lead with that. Let’s say you are riding the bus home after a long day at work. The bus is crowded. You are standing, supporting yourself with the overhead rails. Suddenly, the driver slams on the brakes. […] The post 5 fundamental differences between inertia and friction appeared first on Probing the Universe ..read more

If this article was a movie, it would probably be titled Friction: Origin Story and it would portray how a good guy developed into a notorious villain. In many ways, the force of friction feels like a villain of some kind in the study of mechanics. When every other force seems to be doing some […] The post Where does the force of friction come from? appeared first on Probing the Universe ..read more

It seems like it would save us all a lot of trouble if the force of friction simply disappears. The post Why does the force of friction exist? appeared first on Probing the Universe ..read more

Force laws and laws of motion are a kind of two-sides-of-the-same-coin when it comes to classical physics. Reminds me of a common paradox which I’ll explore below in the form of a narrative. It’s a wonderful Monday morning at Townsville Middle School. You are sitting next to your best friend Amy. She is telling you […] The post Force laws and Laws of motion appeared first on Probing the Universe ..read more