magnetism

The Breakdown

Distortion on TV

The science behind a soon-to-be-obsolete trick

It's physics demo day, and here we have the old "television picture distorted by a magnetic field" trick. Many of you may have observed this phenomenon directly, or even perpetrated this electromagnetic prank yourself. However, let's use the experiment to clarify some basic electromagnetic principles that are fundamental to the universe in which we live, as well as excellent for small talk at cocktail parties.

[ Read Full Story ]



Download Our iPhone App

Stay up to date on the latest news of the future of science and technology from your iPhone with full articles, images and offline viewing



Follow Us On Twitter

Featuring every article from the magazine and website, plus links from around the Web. Also see our PopSci DIY feed



Become a Fan On Facebook

Share links with friends, comment on stories and more


December 2009: Best of What's New

In our December issue, Popular Science names the 100 best innovations of the year: bombproof wallpaper, self-parking cars, the fastest helicopter, and 97 more. Plus inventor profiles and videos.

Check out the best of what's new here.

Popular Science Photo Pool


Share your photos in the Pop Sci pool at www.flickr.com!
tags_sprite.png
POP_embeddedForm_cover_May09.jpg