The Hyperfine Physics Podcast
Physics puzzles and deep dives into physics topics.
Episodes
Zak and Derek discuss acoustic levitaiton with Dr. David Jackson, Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Dickinson College.
Their published paper at AAJP (requires subscription), "Acoustic levitation and the acoustic radiation force":
https://aapt.scitation.org/doi/10.1119/10.0002764
You can contact Dr. Jackson to request a copy:
https://www.dickinson.edu/site/custom_scripts/dc_faculty_profile_index.php?fac=jacksond
M...
Zak and Derek discuss the "controversial" value of Newton's gravitational constant G. They cover the history of its measurement and how the value (and confidence in that value) has changed over time.
Gravitational G wiki page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravitational_constant
Relative uncertainty of phsyical constants: https://codata.org/blog/2015/08/04/codata-recommended-values-of-the-fundamental-physical-constant...
Zak and Derek discuss the big question: why is the future different than the past? Why do we remember the past but not the future?
Much the discussion comes from Sean Carroll’s book, “From Eternity to Here: The Quest for the Ultimate Theory of Time“
The podcast lives at https://www.thehyperfine.com/
Join our listener community on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/TheHyperfine/
Follow the show on Instagram @thehyperfine: https://...
Zak and Derek chat with special guest, Grant Ciffone! Grant joins us as a non-physicist who asks “Is anything truly random in the universe?”
Interested in being a guest on the show? Come ask us a question! Email us at hbar@thehyperfine.com
The podcast lives at https://www.thehyperfine.com/
Join our listener community on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/TheHyperfine/
Follow the show on Instagram @thehyperfine: https://www.ins...
Zak and Derek discuss a mystery in a hospital, where an MRI machine seems to have taken out only iPhones; Android was unharmed. This leads to a conversation on how watches work, fundamentally.
The podcast lives at https://www.thehyperfine.com/
Join our listener community on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/TheHyperfine/
Follow the show on Instagram @thehyperfine: https://www.instagram.com/thehyperfine/
Zak and Derek discuss the statistical origins of entropy and how it connects from there into thermodynamics. They also encourage using flashcards 🙂
The podcast lives at https://www.thehyperfine.com/
Join our listener community on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/TheHyperfine/
Follow the show on Instagram @thehyperfine: https://www.instagram.com/thehyperfine/
Derek on Instagram (and Twitter) @liketortilla: https://www...
Zak and Derek discuss the basics of thermodynamics, including the so-called thermodynamic potentials.
Topics: energy, temperature, entropy, pressure, volume, enthalpy, Helmholtz free energy, Gibbs free enthalpy.
Modern Thermodynamics: http://www.av8n.com/physics/thermo/
Legendre transformation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legendre_transformation
The podcast lives at https://www.thehyperfine.com/
Zak and Derek discuss Benford’s Law, including the strange places it pops up, and some fundamental origins of the law.
Some of the references discussed:
The Mathematics of Benford’s Law – A Primer
Arno Berger and Theodore P. Hill
April 22, 2020
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benford%27s_law
The podcast lives at https://www.the...
Zak and Derek discuss Max Planck’s work in the foundations of what would turn into quantum mechanics, and Albert Einstein’s role in its promulgation. How did Max Planck fix the blackbody radiation problem with the ultraviolet catastrophe, or is that actually what happened?
References discussed:
Black-Body Theory and the Quantum Discontinuity by Thomas Kuhn (Amazon book)
Einstein and the Quantum: The Quest of the Valiant Swabian by ...
Zak and Derek discuss the physics of hurricanes, including the energy involved, and rotating reference frames, including Coriolis effects. Why do they rotate in different directions in the northern and southern hemispheres?
The podcast lives at https://www.thehyperfine.com/
Join our listener community on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/TheHyperfine/
Follow the show on Instagram @thehyperfine: https://www.instagram.com/thehyperf...
Zak and Derek discuss the composite systems of quarks in baryons and mesons, as well as the eightfold way and multiplet organization of quark particles. This is a follow up to the Standard Model episode.
Further reading:
“Introduction to Elementary Particles” by David Griffiths
Eightfold way (physics) on Wikipedia
The podcast lives at https://www.thehyperfine.com/
The podcast lives at https://www.thehyperfine.com/
Join our listener community on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/TheHyperfine/
Follow the show on Instagram @thehyperfine: https://www.instagram.com/thehyperfine/
Derek on Instagram (and Twitter) @liketortilla: https://www.instagram.com/liketortilla/
Zak on Twitter @phyzaks: https://twitter.com/phyzaks
The first of a multi-part series on the Standard Model of particle physics. This is an overview of the particles that make up the standard model.
Derek’s main reference book: The New Cosmic Onion
Zak’s main reference book: The Theory of Almost Everything
The Standard Model on Wikipedia
The podcast lives at https://www.thehyperfine.com/
Join our listener community on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/TheHyperfine/
Zak and Derek discuss toppling larger and larger dominos in a chain reaction. How does the potential energy work? What are the limits of the setup?
World Record Largest Toppling Dominos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODHofgWv2QM&feature=youtu.be&t=86
The gravity-powered LED light: https://deciwatt.global/
The podcast lives at https://www.thehyperfine.com/
Join our listener community on Reddit: https://www.reddi...
Zak and Derek follow up their Bell’s Theorm and EPR discussion with a survey of Bohmian mechanics, often called pilot wave theory, one of many interpretations of quantum mechanics.
Looking Glass Universe “Bohmian Mechanics- An Alternative to Quantum” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbRVnC92sMs
Looking Glass Universe “A problem with Bohmian Mechanics? Contextuality” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qz4CHI_W-TA
Zak and Derek discuss a drone flying in an accelerating car. Does it stay in place? Fly to the back, front, ceiling, or floor? (And does the plane take off?)
The original Reddit post. (The actual question has been removed, but the replies feed the discussion.) https://old.reddit.com/r/Physics/comments/8makbf/i_dont_know_if_this_is_the_right_place_to_ask_but/
Drone in a car YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjTj-tGP...
Zak and Derek discuss nothing less than the fundamental nature of reality. They start with the arguments made in the Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen paper from 1935, which were then tackled by John Bell in 1964 with Bell’s Theorem and Bell inequalities.
References:
The original Bell paper (1964): https://cds.cern.ch/record/111654/files/vol1p195-200_001.pdf
The original EPR paper (1935): http://www.drchinese.com/David/EPR.pdf
Zak and Derek try to tackle the “climbing magnets” puzzle from Veritasium’s Youtube channel. Both taking different approaches until watching the result together.
Video on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0oNkO2YI-w
The podcast lives at https://www.thehyperfine.com/
Join our listener community on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/TheHyperfine/
Follow the show on Instagram @thehyperfine: https://www.instagram.com/theh...
Zak and Derek first discuss what happens to a balloon which holds another balloon that pops while inside the first. Then they try to tackle the physics of sweet spots on bats.
The balloon gif: https://i.imgur.com/96ld4oz.gifv
Sweet spot discussion starts 18:50
The podcast lives at https://www.thehyperfine.com/
Join our listener community on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/TheHyperfine/
Zak and Derek discuss the physics of dropping in Fortnite and PUBG.
Derek’s Epic name: theHyperfine
How do you reach the ground the fastest? When should you jump? What do you do after you jump?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principle_of_least_action
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brachistochrone_curve
The podcast lives at https://www.thehyperfine.com/
Join our listener community on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/TheHyperfine/
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