Awesome Physics

While the Newton’s Cradle is known for its nearly perpetual motion and clacky metal balls, we rather like this version, created by Yasutoki Kariya using light bulbs in place of steel orbs.

By dripping water in front of a speaker, brusspup creates the illusion that the water has frozen in mid-air. And by changing the frequency, he can make it look like the water is flowing backwards.

This video kicks off Smarter Every Day’s series of lessons about the helicopter physics, but it quickly turns into a lesson in R/C flying skills which seemingly defy physics and reason.

While we dream about the future of racing, the Japan Institute of Science and Technology build sweet tracks for Wipeout model vehicles and race them using quantum levitation.

Today’s Minute Physics lesson teaches us something we never really needed to know – no matter how hard you try, you can’t comb a hairy ball. Is this what we’re teaching kids in school these days?

Tel-Aviv U. demos the perplexing properties of quantum superconductors which will leave non-science types scratching their heads, and us wanting hoverboards made from this stuff.

Help Fido learn some new tricks by teaching him the math and physics behind chasing mailmen, squirrels, counter-surfing, playing fetch and even “strategic” pooping, whatever that means.

Ok, it’s not really an anti-gravity machine, but dropping a stack of neodymium magnets into a piece of copper tubing causes them to float through as if they were in zero-G. Damned physics.

If any of you bronies out there ever wondered if the physics in My Little Pony were possible, all your questions are finally answered by MLP geek Beatledude64. Grab the full Powerpoint deck here.

By taking a gigantic electromagnet and a bunch of pit balls loaded with their own electromagnets, Physalia Studio manages to create the greatest plaything ever. Or it could just be CGI. Still cool.

Despite the overly simplified ragdoll style of Toribash, it’s an incredibly deep fighting game, which lets you create your own insane martial arts moves on PC, Mac or Linux. Best part, it’s free.