Horizon Science Channel

This stream is an addendum to the streams that I did on nuclear energy. This is a short examination of the waste that comes from renewable sources of energy. The point here is primarily to show that all sources of energy produce waste, and to give examples of how to do these kinds of calculations. They are fairly straightforward and I encourage everyone to run the numbers on their own, for all sources of energy. Especially if you see a headline that makes fantastic claims.

A talk I gave at my university discussing the next generation of nuclear reactors and clean energy.

This episode is the first in a series where I discuss the fundamental aspects of the AP physics course. Rather than teaching the curriculum, I dig into the deep aspects of the material that is covered—hopefully providing interesting insights into what is otherwise taught in the class. 0:00 Introduction to the series 6:10 Units 36:05 Coordinate Systems 51:11 Accuracy and Precision 1:06:39 Q&A Covers roughly chapter 1 from the text below and is preliminary information from AP 1 and AP Mechanics. OpenStax textbook: https://openstax.org/details/books/college-physics-ap-courses

I cover the basics of breeder reactors—including thorium reactors in this video.

So, I had planned to go in a different direction at the start, but there was too much back story. This was the result. I talk about some of the interplay between dark matter, dark energy, gravity, and inflation. I think I will need to revisit this topic at some point in the future to do a better job. But it will need multiple segments... Oh well. Enjoy! Image is from the Fermilab Image Gallery. The sculpture is called "Broken Symmetry". It is located near the west entrance to the laboratory campus. It is orange when viewed from one side, black from the other. The three legs are offset when viewed from this angle, but are symmetrical when viewed from above.

Episode nineteen of our deep dive into the material that is covered in AP physics classes. This is quantum. Covers chapter 29 of the text below. It addresses topic 7 for the AP physics 2 course. OpenStax textbook: https://openstax.org/details/books/college-physics-ap-courses

This stream looks at the origin of nuclear waste from commercial reactors and explains what makes it dangerous and some of what can be done about it.

This is the first in a series of livestreams about nuclear energy. This episode covers primarily nuclear decay and some nuclear and particle physics fundamentals.

This is a brief overview of the Michelson-Morley experiment, which showed that there was no aether through which light waves would propagate. This experiment was instrumental in the development of modern physics—special relativity in particular. Thumbnail from Alain Le Rille—shown on wikipedia

This stream examines some of the applications of nuclear process heat. Industrial uses for energy often center on high temperature chemistry. Those high temperatures are often produced from fossil fuels. Generation IV reactors operate at temperatures sufficient to replace fossil fuels as the energy source.

We talk about the new measurement of the W, as well as some other odds and ends from recent science reporting.

This is a brief overview of the Ice Cube neutrino detector at the south pole. It is a cubic kilometer of detector volume to measure the highest energy neutrinos. Image from E. Jacobi/NSF

The sixth episode of our deep dive into the material that is covered in AP physics classes. We now consider rotations, angular momentum, and spin (including a bit on quantum spin). 0:00 Introduction and review 4:25 Angular momentum 17:20 Similarities between linear and angular physics 10:00 An alternative formulation (Lagrangians) 28:50 Spin 35:00 Quick overview of upcoming material 38:50 Back to spin, with animations! 53:45 Cool experiment with spin Covers chapter 10 of the text below and topic 7 for AP 1 and topic 5 for AP Mechanics. OpenStax textbook: https://openstax.org/details/books/college-physics-ap-courses

Episode twenty five of our deep dive into the material that is covered in AP physics classes. This is particle physics, focusing primarily on the weak force. Covers chapter 33 of the text below. It addresses topic 7 for the AP physics 2 course. OpenStax textbook: https://openstax.org/details/books/college-physics-ap-courses

Episode two about nuclear energy. This episode covers primarily nuclear fission and the essential elements to making a nuclear reactor.

Episode seventeen of our deep dive into the material that is covered in AP physics classes. This one is about wave optics with some quantum mechanics and interference stuff mixed in. Covers chapter 27 of the text below and topic 6 for AP 2. OpenStax textbook: https://openstax.org/details/books/college-physics-ap-courses

I cover the essential elements of Generation IV reactors, spending some time on liquid Thorium reactor design.

This video discusses the axion, the reasons behind the theory, and the early experiments from Brookhaven, Fermilab, Rochester, and Trieste. I also present my own experiment looking for similar particles. At some point, I'll do a video where we examine other constraints on the axion. Image from Fermilab Image Gallery.

Episode twenty of our deep dive into the material that is covered in AP physics classes. This is quantum. Covers chapter 30 of the text below. It addresses topic 7 for the AP physics 2 course. OpenStax textbook: https://openstax.org/details/books/college-physics-ap-courses

The fifth episode of our deep dive into the material that is covered in AP physics classes. Now, we look briefly at the nature of friction before exploring an alternative formulation of physics (Lagrangian mechanics). My apologies up front as it was the first time I've tried to present that material. I briefly cover momentum conservation. 0:00 Introduction 0:30 Catching up on energy conservation 6:10 Friction 10:00 An alternative formulation (Lagrangians) 26:18 Newton's second law derived from energy 30:48 Add rotation and Lorentz force 42:03 Momentum Covers chapters 4 and 7 of the text below and topics 4 and 5 for AP 1 and topic 3 for AP Mechanics. OpenStax textbook: https://openstax.org/details/books/college-physics-ap-courses

The fifteenth episode of our deep dive into the material that is covered in AP physics classes. This one is about magnetism, electroweak theory, and some circuits. Covers parts of chapters 22 and 24 of the text below and topic 10 for AP 5 for AP 2, and 4 and 5 for AP E&M. OpenStax textbook: https://openstax.org/details/books/college-physics-ap-courses

The final episode, twenty seven, of our deep dive into the material that is covered in AP physics classes. This is some of the final unanswered questions about our understanding of the universe and its workings. Covers chapter 34 of the text below. It addresses topic 7 for the AP physics 2 course. OpenStax textbook: https://openstax.org/details/books/college-physics-ap-courses

The fourth episode of our deep dive into the material that is covered in AP physics classes. Now, we add physics to the mathematical framework that we've built up in the previous two installments. We cover Newton's laws, the fundamentals of force, and get a preview of some of the conserved quantities that we will explore next time. 0:00 Introduction 1:05 Energy 11:55 Origin of "Force" 21:30 Macroscopic Forces 31:00 Conservation Laws 49:00 Power and Energy Transformation 58:03 Bad Math (1,000,000 Joules / 100 Megawatts) 58:33 Chemical Energy (Burning) 1:06:25 Q&A Basically chapter 7 of the text below and topic 4 for AP 1 and topic 3 for AP Mechanics. OpenStax textbook: https://openstax.org/details/books/college-physics-ap-courses

The eleventh episode of our deep dive into the material that is covered in AP physics classes. We start with a discussion of entropy, then move on to some statistical mechanics. The last half of the piece is looking at oscillations and simple harmonic motion. Covers chapters 15 and 16 of the text below and topic 6 for both AP 1 and Mechanics. OpenStax textbook: https://openstax.org/details/books/college-physics-ap-courses

Episode twenty four of our deep dive into the material that is covered in AP physics classes. This is particle physics, focusing primarily on the strong force and quarks. Covers chapter 33 of the text below. It addresses topic 7 for the AP physics 2 course. OpenStax textbook: https://openstax.org/details/books/college-physics-ap-courses