Articles by

Rhett Allain

Why Can’t You Switch Seats in an Empty Airplane?

It's the last flight of the day and the plane is pretty empty. So you’re thinking, maaaybe...

The Physics of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloons

Have you ever seen a child with a balloon? It’s fun to watch. Kids pay attention to...

Why Is It So Tricky to Show the Sun, Earth, and Moon in a Diagram?

Earth, sun, moon: three objects in space whose interactions have a pretty big impact on our lives....

How to Design a Real-Life Hot Wheels Loop

Hot Wheels was one of those all-time classic toys. The original cars were tiny versions of real...

The Physics Trick That Makes These New Super Cars So Insanely Fast

People with fast street cars like to put them through their paces at the quarter-mile track. One...

Why Hurricane Milton Turned the Sky Purple

Just before Hurricane Milton slammed into Florida as a Category 3 storm on Wednesday, many people reported...

Solar Sails and Comet Tails: How Sunlight Pushes Stuff Around

During the Age of Sail, ships circled the globe on voyages of discovery and trade. That era...

Unlock the Secret of a Gravity-Defying Parkour Stunt—With Physics!

This looks like something out of a video game, but it's for real. Some parkour masters can...