Welcome to my explorations of the natural world, all through the lens of physics. How are broccoli and image analysis connected, or pollination and electric shocks? Read on!
Recent posts:
This is Why … Falling on the Ice May Have Saved My Life
On an icy cold morning at the end of February, I tentatively headed down the slope behind our house, on my way out for some daily exercise. As I stepped off a retaining wall down to the walkway below, my foot went right out from under me and I crashed down, hard. The small of my back came down on the edge of the six-inch high concrete step as the rest of me landed on the lower level − I experienced the most intense pain I have ever felt. And that includes the drug-free labour and delivery of our first child.
This Is Why … Rainbows Have Nothing to Hide
A few weeks ago during dinner there was a sudden burst of sunlight in the midst of a rain shower. Knowing that these were ideal rainbow-making conditions, we jumped up from the table and ran out to investigate. Sacrificing our meal was entirely worth it: this photo was taken just a few hundred metres downContinue reading “This Is Why … Rainbows Have Nothing to Hide”
A Funny Thing Happened on My Way to the Lecture Hall…
As I strode across campus to meet my second-year physics students in our Electricity and Magnetism class a few years ago, it suddenly struck me that I had the makings of a fantastic opportunity tucked under my arm. My teaching assistant had returned their last assignment of the semester to me, so I quickly formulatedContinue reading “A Funny Thing Happened on My Way to the Lecture Hall…”
This is Why … Campfire Smoke Follows You Around
They said someday you’ll find All who love are blind When your heart’s on fire You must realize Smoke gets in your eyes Jerome Kern and Otto Harbach, 1933 (“Watching the Campfire” by Mr Moss is licensed under CC BY 2.0) Despite legions of campers swearing to the contrary, campfire smoke does NOT actually follow you around like yourContinue reading “This is Why … Campfire Smoke Follows You Around”
This is Why … The Snowflake is “Six-Cornered”
Image: https://www.shutterstock.com/g/Bobkov+Evgeniy Back in 1611, Johannes Kepler, court mathematician to the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II, found himself flat broke in the lead-up to the holiday season. (Apparently Rudolf didn’t pay his court all that regularly.) As he wandered across the Charles Bridge in Prague, he noticed a delicate snowflake attached to the lapel ofContinue reading “This is Why … The Snowflake is “Six-Cornered””
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About the author:
I’m Joanne O’Meara, a professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Guelph. I’ve been teaching university-level physics for more than 20 years and doing public outreach for even longer! My passion for teaching and learning has been recognized with many awards, including the Canadian Association of Physicists Medal for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching (2011) and a 3M National Teaching Fellowship award (2019). I’m always looking for ways to share the amazing world of physics – you can also follow me on Twitter (@NeutronJo). Thanks for visiting!
Proudly part of the vibrant Canada-wide community of science writers and communicators known as Science Borealis!
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