Category: Forces of Nature
-
Looking Too Closely at Light Blew Newtonian Physics out of the Water
Newtonian physics works pretty darned well. It’s our common-sense experience of the world translated into the jargon of math and science. As I write in Why Stuff Falls Down: Newton’s groundbreaking ideas, developed using the principles of the Scientific Revolution, proved to be so trustworthy that they soon became accepted as full-blown Laws of Nature.…
-
What’s the Big Deal With Newton and an Apple?
Did Isaac Newton get conked on the head by an apple? Well, that’s not the way he told the story! I was taught in elementary school that Isaac Newton had solved the riddle of gravity, of how and why stuff falls down. And yes, Newton really did get inspired by watching an apple fall to…
-
Force That Takes No Energy
There are forces that we see every day that take no energy. How can you have a force that takes no energy? It all began with me musing as to how a magnet sticks to my refrigerator. A conversation with some physics folks on Discord helped me sort out my thoughts. I realized that most…