"Wisdom begins in wonder" – Socrates
Category: Fan request
Why Is Bronze Harder Than Stone?
02/24/20
“Why is bronze stronger than stone?”
The transition from stone to bronze marked humanity’s transition from the caves to civilization. This was brought by the ability to use this stronger material allowed for the creation of more complex machinery and structure. But what makes bronze stronger than stone? Well, it all comes down to the fact that it has a more compact molecular structure, giving it more strength! This is Why Bronze Is Harder Than Stone.
How Community Choice Aggregators Can Offer Cleaner Energy at Lower Rates
02/12/19
“How can community-sourced energy be cheaper and greener?”
There is a revolution brewing in the renewable energy world. While in the past residents and businesses were tied to one electric utility based on their geographic area, organizations known as Community Choice Aggregators are starting to sprout up and challenge this. Community choice aggregators or CCAs are non-profit organizations that procure power generation and deliver it to customers through a utility’s transmission lines. Since these do not operate for investors and only need to pay for energy and staff, they can give their customers better rates than traditional electricity service and focus on particular resources. To illustrate, just look at the CCA San Jose Clean Energy. Even though their energy portfolio is 45% Renewable Energy/80% carbon-free, they sell energy at rates 1% lower than the standard San Francisco Bay Area PG&E service which is 33% Renewable Energy/78% carbon-free. This is How Community Choice Aggregators Can Offer Cleaner Energy at Lower Rates!
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The physics of a football tackle
02/05/17
“How do the laws of physics affect football tackles?”
Because of the excitement for the super bowl stateside, a fan recently asked for an article about the science of football.
If you are from the United States, then you have probably seen or heard about a game called “football” where people divided onto two teams will fight each other for control of a prolate spheroid shaped ball using tackles. However, have you ever wondered about how one can make an optimal tackle? Well, it turns out that all you need is a rudimentary knowledge of physics to find out.
Every object in the universe has a property called a center of mass, or the location of the mean position of matter in a body. When a force is applied on an object which does not go through the center of mass, a torque will be induced, causing a rotation on said body. So now let’s put this theoretical framework into practice. The average human male has their center of mass located slightly above the navel. When one football player tackles another in this area, the player will simply be moved in the direction of the tackle. But if the player were to give a tackle below this zone, a torque would be induced that would completely throw off the player! Luckily, professional coaches have taken note of this, and use this scientific knowledge to advise linemen to stay close to ground while running, making it far more prohibitive for a disabling torque to be thrust upon them!
Science always shows up in the most marvelous ways in our everyday life, and it goes to show that a small bit of knowledge of it can go a long way.
Isaac's science blog 