Issues
Physics Update
Reference Frame
Letters
Search and Discovery
Researchers Put a New Spin on Bose–Einstein Condensates
A tiny vortex has been set spinning in a coherent collection of ultracold atoms. And there's a hint of frictionless flow. Such experiments should open the door to further studies of superfluid properties.
Gravitational Self‐Energy and the Equivalence Principle
A latter‐day Eötvös experiment preserves the sanctity of general relativity, at least for the moment.
Articles
Special Issue: Everyday Physics
The setting: A social gathering. People of diverse backgrounds. Many separate animated conversations. You, the scientist, milling about smartly, are introduced to someone new. Pleased to meet you. Likewise. Pleasantries ensue, including the inevitable, What do you do? I'm a (fill in the blank with your scientific specialty). Oh, how interesting.
How We Localize Sound
Relying on a variety of cues, including intensity, timing, and spectrum, our brains recreate a three‐dimensional image of the acoustic landscape from the sounds we hear.
The Virtual Cook: Modeling Heat Transfer in the Kitchen
With a second‐order differential equation and a computer, the gastro‐physicist can challenge much of the conventional wisdom about how to grill a steak to perfection.
Composite Materials—Reflections on the First Half Century
Advances made in understanding the properties and behavior of composite materials are now powering the exploitation of their immense potential.
Television Goes Digital
The new technology is bringing images of unprecedented clarity into our homes by exploiting the existing bandwidth and pushing signal‐to‐noise ratios almost to their theoretical limits.
On Stickiness
The behavior of tacky materials is difficult to quantify, involving as it does such dynamic phenomena as meniscus instability, cavitation and the formation of filaments.