Articles by

Rhett Allain

School of Rock: The Physics of Waves on Guitar Strings

Perhaps the most iconic instrument in modern rock is the guitar. It's really just a bunch of...

How to Measure the Impact From a Collision

A batter hits a baseball, NASCAR has a 21-car crash, or maybe Thor punches the Hulk. When...

Could a Cockroach Survive a Fall From Space?

I saw this post on Reddit: Would a cockroach survive a fall from the stratosphere? Oh, what...

How to Measure the Calories in a Candy Bar—With Physics!

This Halloween, when you grab a candy bar, pay attention to the wrapper. In the United States,...

The Physics of Faraday Cages

The world relies on electromagnetic waves for communications: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 5G, even radio waves. But suppose you...

Which Spider-Man Is Stronger: Tobey Maguire or Tom Holland?

Although Spider-Man started as a comic book character, he has made his way to live-action video several...

Can You Really Pump Water Without Any Electricity?

I'm surprised at the number of YouTube and TikTok videos showing novel ways to pump water, but...

Pi Is Hiding Everywhere

When someone wishes you a "Happy Pi Day," you probably immediately think of circles—and not only pies....