• Science

    Flying Cars Made Easy

    By Adam Weiner Posted on 3.13.2009 2 Comments

    Not only is this a beautiful demonstration of how much thrust can be generated by a fire hose, it also gives us a glimpse into what firemen might be doing while waiting around at the station when no one's looking. It's also a beautiful demonstration of the principles of rocket propulsion, Newton's third law, and the law of conservation of momentum. First, let's calculate the approximate thrust generated by each fire hose. Because the hoses are able to accelerate the compact car off of the ground, the combined maximum thrust of the ten hoses must be somewhat greater than the weight of the car. Assuming that the car is on the lighter side -- say 2,000 pounds or so -- then each hose produces a thrust of at least 200 pounds. No wonder firemen have to brace themselves solidly in place when operating one of these babies.

    3.16.2009 at 11:22am - Comment by eROKv

    if i remember right, mythbusters concluded that that car had to have been stripped down almost entirely (no engine, etc) because they couldnt do it with an intact car.

  • Science

    Sail Like An Egyptian

    By Posted on 3.10.2009 1 Comments

    An archaeologist who examined remnants of the oldest-known seafaring ships has now put ancient Egyptian technology to the test. She teamed up with a naval architect, modern shipwrights and an on-site Egyptian archaeologist to build a replica 3,800-year-old ship for a Red Sea trial run this past December. The voyage was meant to retrace an ancient voyage that the female pharaoh Hatsheput sponsored to a place which ancient Egyptians called God's land, or Punt. Ship planks and oar blades discovered in 2006 at the caves of Wadi Gawasis provided a basis for the ship reconstruction.

    3.9.2009 at 03:55pm - Comment by eROKv

    BLOODY PIRATES!!! always messing everything up...

  • Science

    Atlantis on Google Earth

    By Laurie J. Schmidt Posted on 2.24.2009 17 Comments

    There's no denying that Google Earth has changed the way we view our planet's landscape. With a click of your mouse, you can "fly" around your own neighborhood, zooming in from space to street level. Curious about volcanoes? Dart over to the east coast of the Big Island of Hawaii and at times you can actually see the steam where lava enters the ocean. You can even explore the whitewater rapids on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. But it was Google Earth's "Ocean" layer that recently caused quite a stir among 3D geeks.

    2.25.2009 at 12:54pm - Comment by eROKv

    i dont really buy the excuse given by the scientists - if the tracks were made by the boats, then wouldn't you see them throughout the map? (you dont). also, i highly doubt the boats make perfect right angle turns while they are making thier sweeps...

  • Science

    Invisible Bullet-Tagging Technology Could Deter Criminals

    By Posted on 8.4.2008 3 Comments

    Gun-slinging evil-doers beware. Scientific justice is just around the corner thanks to a new nanotechnology system that not only better captures DNA on guns, but attaches hard-to-remove, microscopic tags to the hands and clothing of criminals who fire their weapons. Developed in the U.K., the tags are a unique blend of naturally-occurring pollen, known for its extraordinary adhesive properties, and nanotechnology particles.

    8.5.2008 at 10:42am - Comment by eROKv

    its extemely easy to load your own ammo. this is a stupid idea. what idiot would use this ammo if they planned to commit a crime? and it would do nothing for the shooting spree types who dont plan to get away in the first place.



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