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Physics Feature Writer: Paul A. Heckert

Physicists are the perpetual three year olds of science. They always ask: Why? Physics is about observing nature, from elementary particles to the entire universe, and wondering why and how it works.

While enjoying the beauty of natural phenomena such as rainbows or dark star filled skies, physicists continue trying to understand how they work. Achieving this understanding enhances nature's beauty. The best physicists keep their childlike wonder while unraveling nature's mysteries.

As Whitman's Learned Astronomer, they show "the charts and the diagrams, to add, divide and measure them" while continuing to wander off "in the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time [look] up in perfect silence at the stars"

Read articles, join a discussion or Email me. Don't forget to ask why.


Feature Writer Articles in Physics

Law of Angular Momentum Conservation in Physics
The law of conservation of angular momentum gives physicists a powerful problem solving tool to predict the effects of changing moment of inertia on angular velocity.
Figure Skating & Angular Momentum Conservation
Figure skaters use the physics law of conservation of angular momentum to control their spins. Adjusting the arms changes the moment of inertia and angular velocity.
Optics & Physics of Metamaterials & Invisibility
Physicists doing research in optics and metamaterials may someday move invisibility cloaking from the realm of fantasy and magic to the realm of science and technology.
Physicists Get High Paying Jobs in Recessions
Despite the very bad recession and high unemployment rates, 2009 college graduates with physics bachelors degrees found high paying jobs with among the highest salaries.
CERN Large Hadron Collider to Restart Late 2009
Damage to CERN's Large Hadron Collider from the mishap shortly after it opened in September, 2008 required extensive repairs. The LHC will restart in late 2009.


Contributing Articles in Physics

Einstein Publishes General Theory of Relativity
He was one of the greatest scientists in world history, and was universally recognized for his playful sense of humor, commitment to world peace, and his genius.
Sci-Fi Doomsday Movies Thrive on Pseudo-Science
Some basic science goes a long way in science fiction movies, but science has to run amok to provide a decent doomsday scenario.
A Quantum Leap in Understanding
Does quantum information lie at the the heart of things? Prof Vlatko Vedral probes the nature of existence.
How Might The Universe Have Begun?
Prof Frank Close of the University of Oxford continues his journey into the world of particle physics.
Antimatter Does Exist but Not as Shown in Movies
Does antimatter exist - and can it be harnessed by both physicists and novelists?