Physics
Explainer: How the Doppler effect shapes waves in motion
The Doppler effect describes how waves are compressed or stretched when their source — or receiver — is moving.
By Trisha Muro
Physics
More Stories in Physics
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PhysicsScientists Say: Proton
These positively charged particles are important building blocks in atoms.
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PhysicsScientists used lasers to make ‘smoke rings’ of light
Physicists had a bright idea: Make light into swirling, ring-shaped vortices, similar to smoke rings or bubble rings.
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TechYou might someday ‘wallpaper’ your bedroom with this loudspeaker
This thin, flexible and lightweight loudspeaker could reduce noise in loud spaces. It also might enable listeners to experience sound in new ways.
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PhysicsWhen dominoes fall, how fast the row topples depends on friction
Two types of friction help determine how quickly a line of dominoes collapses, computer modeling shows.
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PlanetsNoises sound totally different on Mars than on Earth. Here’s why
The Perseverance rover recorded the sound of laser pulses on Mars. Scientists used those recordings to determine the Martian speeds of sound.
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Materials ScienceLet’s learn about diamond
Diamond is born under extreme heat and pressure inside Earth and elsewhere in the universe.
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PhysicsScientists Say: Inertia
Inertia is the tendency of objects to resist changes in their motion.
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PhysicsA new clock shows how gravity warps time — even over tiny distances
This clock measured how gravity changes the passage of time in different places — even spots just one millimeter apart.
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Materials ScienceScientists Say: Silicone
Silicone is a generic term for a whole slew of humanmade polymers with many different forms and applications.