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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / What are Quarks and Gluons?

« on: 16/01/2008 21:12:58 »

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Model

For putting all of this into perspective I recommend an overview of the Standard Model of Particle Physics.  It explains most of the stuff that needs to be put together for a full understanding- and that don't get explained well in a web forum such as this.

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Question of the Week / QotW - 08.01.06 - Why do wires tangle?

« on: 16/01/2008 20:54:46 »

Leave it to physicist's to actually investigate this daily annoyance.  Dorian Raymer and Douglas Smith discuss the creation of knots in strings in an article entitled "Spontaneous Knotting of an Agitated String" in the October 16th Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences. http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/104/42/16432 has the abstract available.

I actually thought I first heard about this on the Naked Scientist, although the popular press took hold of it too, such as this article in the New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/09/magazine/09knotphysics.htm