iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

All Things Physics @allthingsphysics.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Not a math professor, but I supply *some* formulas, but only those that I wouldn’t have expected them to know.

All Things Physics @allthingsphysics.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Very cool. We should talk…I’d love to do a video about this!

All Things Physics @allthingsphysics.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

My stock answer to a question like this is, Well, you can define anything you want, but unless it’s useful it’s not going to be remembered (or taught). The dot product and the cross product are incredibly useful; the Hadamard product, not quite so much. Keep in mind, I’m a physicist.

All Things Physics @allthingsphysics.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

As an ice breaker activity at the start of the semester, I asked my students to stack identical blocks to see how far they could make it lean without falling over. In theory, there is no bound, but in practice it is much more challenging. Here was my attempt.

A stack of blocks extends two full block lengths beyond the lowest block.

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All Things Physics @allthingsphysics.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Just over seven years ago, I drove home in this, and it cost me extra to get it in red. That may be why you see so many in white. More expensive up front, but much cheaper to own, especially when you can charge for free at work!

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All Things Physics @allthingsphysics.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

We use video analysis. Just brainstorming…what about a small sand box?

All Things Physics @allthingsphysics.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

And if you haven't seen my video yet, what are you waiting for! 😉 www.youtube.com/watch?v=tthv...

youtube.com

How to hear light!

All Things Physics @allthingsphysics.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

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The SoME5 (Summer of Math Exposition 5) results were just announced, and I'm excited to have finally placed in the top 5 videos (finished at #2). This is a good place to find some excellent math/science content! some.3b1b.co

some.3b1b.co

SoME — Create and discover new math content

The Summer of Math Exposition is an annual competition to foster the creation of excellent math content online.

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All Things Physics @allthingsphysics.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Wait, what? Angine de Poitrine? No way…I’m jealous! Enjoy!

All Things Physics @allthingsphysics.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Oh my goodness, these are brilliant!!

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All Things Physics @allthingsphysics.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

It’s certainly possible that Dan is right (though I hope not), but I’ve been fortunate to work at an institution and with people who care deeply about student learning and student motivation , so my view may very well not reflect the norm.

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All Things Physics @allthingsphysics.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Agreed. And they aren’t truly a captive audience, in the sense that they actually signed up for a physics course. Yes, this course might be required, but it’s still different from getting on a flight and hearing someone preach at you.

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All Things Physics @allthingsphysics.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

If anyone has experience with microphones that can handle both audible and ultrasonic frequencies, please contact me.

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All Things Physics @allthingsphysics.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

I’ll second that, and suggest that it’s *always* advisable to do a linear stability analysis!

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All Things Physics @allthingsphysics.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

If you're curious as to why I would go to so much effort, check out my latest video that demonstrates how to hear light! youtu.be/tthvO8ecPks

youtu.be

How to hear light!

All Things Physics @allthingsphysics.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

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Ever see a light-bulb filament up close? Here is an extreme zoom that shows a light bulb filament up close and personal!

All Things Physics @allthingsphysics.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

I’ll be there! I’m in Seattle visiting relatives at the moment.

All Things Physics @allthingsphysics.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

If you want to modulate the light and use a solar panel, probably anything will work. But if you want to modulate the light and hear it in a glass jar, then that's more challenging. The solar panel can pick up fairly weak signals, whereas the glass jar requires a fairly large intensity difference.

All Things Physics @allthingsphysics.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

I didn’t try too many other sources, but I would think so. The light does need to be fairly bright, so the LED is nice for not accidentally causing burns. Did you have something specific in mind?

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All Things Physics @allthingsphysics.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Wow! I love it! I’ll definitely have to give that a try!

All Things Physics @allthingsphysics.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

To be honest, I'm not sure how a changing electromagnetic field, by itself, could make a noise. But I did a lot of experiments with jars and various materials inside and I can verify that a clear jar did not produce a sound (at least not one that I was able to detect).

All Things Physics @allthingsphysics.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Have you ever wondered if it's possible to hear light? And when I say "hear light" I mean "shine-a-light-in-your-ear-and-hear-music" hear light. The answer might surprise you. Watch my latest video to learn more! How to hear light! youtu.be/tthvO8ecPks

youtu.be

How to hear light!

All Things Physics @allthingsphysics.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

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@divbyzero.bsky.social beat me to it, but I'll send out my own announcement momentarily!

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All Things Physics @allthingsphysics.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

I'm hoping to post a new video later today. In the meantime, here is a teaser that makes clear what this image is.

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All Things Physics @allthingsphysics.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

Bingo! I’ll post an extreme zoom scene in a short while.

All Things Physics @allthingsphysics.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

I don’t see why not. Given the number of followers I have, I’m sure they’ve all seen the post by now. 😂

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All Things Physics @allthingsphysics.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

Been working feverishly to finish up a new video. I'm truly surprised by what was accomplished in this one! Here's a visual teaser. Any guesses as to what this is?

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All Things Physics @allthingsphysics.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

I’ve heard parabolic being used more and more in everyday language, even in regards to stocks.. Not sure if there’s some “newness” phenomenon going on that has people preferring it to exponential or what. Personally, when it some to stocks, I prefer exponential! 😉

All Things Physics @allthingsphysics.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

Really nice article here. Well done, Joe!

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All Things Physics @allthingsphysics.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

When I was young and idealistic (I’m still somewhat idealistic), I became a life member of AAPT and APS. I’m so glad I made that decision; for one thing, I never have to deal with the hassle of updating my memberships!

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All Things Physics @allthingsphysics.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

The problem with criticizing someone’s past beliefs is that we will all be judged fools at some point in the future.

All Things Physics @allthingsphysics.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

‪P.S. If there’s anyone out there who doesn’t think women are cut out for physics, you haven’t met these two. One is relatively quiet and unassuming, the other is a real fireball; both are sharp as a tack!‬

All Things Physics @allthingsphysics.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

Two physics majors (both double-majors), who I had the pleasure of teaching, were selected for the top two academic prizes at Dickinson College's graduation yesterday! Congratulations to Carys Chase-Mayoral and and Ella Piergrossi!

All Things Physics @allthingsphysics.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

I spent quite a bit of time in the library with the Science Citation Index. It was invaluable at the time!

All Things Physics @allthingsphysics.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

I’m a big fan of making clear that forces are interactions between two objects. It’s so easy to just say “gravity.” I also try hard to carry this though when defining potential energy, which is an interaction energy between two objects.

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All Things Physics @allthingsphysics.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

I’m the first talk in my session as well, and was surprised to see that it was also the session description. 😂

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All Things Physics @allthingsphysics.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

In today's class we discussed the Maxwell velocity distribution (MVD). Then I showed a VPython simulation of a gas in which all the particles start with the same speed. After a little while the speed distribution matches the MVD really well (which I always find amazing)!

An image of a 3D gas simulation and the speed distribution of the particles, which matches the Maxwell velocity distribution.

All Things Physics @allthingsphysics.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

Yep. I’ve been struggling to make clear vapor pressure and boiling point and thought this would help lead to a good discussion.