the enormous steel ball you see in the photos (and the incredible video below) is the world’s largest ‘tuned mass damper’ and sits near the top of the world’s largest completed skyscraper on earth, taipei 101 in taiwan. the idea behind a tuned mass damper is quite simple: as a building sways (resulting from high winds, earthquakes etc), its tuned mass damper, essentially a finely tuned and ridiculously heavy pendulum, will move in opposition to the structure’s oscillations and minimise any movement. if that makes no sense, watch the crude gif below.

due to both the immense size of taipei 101 and the fact that it sits just over 600ft from a major fault line, engineers had no choice but to install one of this size at a cost of $4m. too heavy to be lifted by crane, the damper was assembled on site and hangs through 4 floors of the skyscraper. it can reduce the building’s movement by up to 40%.

image sources: 1, 2, 3

image source: wikipedia

now for an incredible video. on may 12th, as the horrendous earthquake occurred in china’s sichuan province, tremors were felt for miles, including in taipei 101. youtube user phuaalvin was in the building at the time and said that as the building started to shake, dozens of people ran to the damper to watch it in action. here’s the video he took…

sources: 1, 2

firstly, the fact that they exist at all was news to me. i naively assumed that avalanches of any substance were pretty much uncontrollable on our part (unless explosives are used), especially when the relatively miniscule and fragile community you’re attempting to defend sits at the base of the mountain in question. so the thought of humans battling angry mountains the world over using fences and angled walls was always going to be a winner for me. secondly, they look great. i’m a sucker for enormous man-made structures anyway and these beasts are fairly huge, the dams especially as they sometimes span the width of entire villages.

so, here a 3 different types of structure actively being used in various regions in the defense against rapid walls of snow. i’m not even going to pretend to be knowledgeable about the subject so if you want any more depth i suggest you follow the links after these photos.

the deflecting dam

deflecting dams exist with one objective in mind: to divert the flow of an oncoming avalanche away from the populated area beneath the shifting snow. this is done using angled walls and one of the most successful examples can be found at flateyri in iceland (see above) where a triangular deflecting dam can be clearly seen above the village. the dam was built following a fatal avalanche in 1995 and since its construction the dam has successfully diverted at least 2 more large avalanches.

the catching dam

in areas where a diversion isn’t possible you will often find a catching dam, a structure built purely to stop an avalanche in its tracks, hopefully preventing any major movement beyond that point. the main part of a catching dam is the long, curved wall immediately above the community. further up you’ll sometimes find a series of huge earth mounds, strategically placed in order to suck some energy from the flow before it hits the main wall and renders it useless. the photos above show the catching dam protecting drangagil, also in iceland.

below is video of a simulation of the taconnaz catching dam in action, the yellow areas being the part of the flow with highest energy…

supporting structures

steel supporting structures are the most common type of avalanche control system and can be found at the top of avalanche-prone mountains. huge horizontal lines of (usually) steel angled supports are built into the side of avalanche starting zones for a number of reasons: 1. to give support to the snow, therefore reducing the likelihood of an avalanche in the first place, 2. to remove the momentum of any small avalanches, 3. to prevent ’slab formation’ by divding the snow into sections.

for more info, check out the source links below. you can also go here to read parts of the extremely interesting and useful (if you live or holiday amongst unstable mountains) ‘avalanche handbook’ - not all of it is readable through google books but it can be bought through amazon here.

sources: 1, 2, 3 (pdf), 4

1. joint european torus, oxfordshire, uk

(above) ’split image showing interior view of the jet vacuum vessel with a superimposed image of an actual jet plasma, taken with a simple industrial tv camera in the visible spectrum’.

the joint european torus (jet) is the largest nuclear fusion experimental reactor on earth and is also a unique facility for researching fusion technology. jet is an example of a ‘tokamak’, a machine which produces an extremely strong, doughnut shaped magnetic field in order to confine a plasma. in jet’s case these plasmas can reach temperatures in excess of 100 million degrees centigrade. for more photos go here.

2. windshear rolling road wind tunnel, north carolina, usa

who knew aerodynamics research could look so cool? the windshear rolling road wind tunnel is the first of its kind in america and its 1mm thick steel belt can accelerate from 0-180mph in under a minute. unlike current wind tunnels, a machine like this allows engineers to study airflow to a greater degree due to the vehicle’s spinning wheels and resultant drag. some more facts…

- the air in this wind tunnel design flows from the fan to the vehicle, then is collected and returned to the fan in a closed circuit
- the main fan has a diameter of 22 feet, and is rated at 5,100 hp
- at maximum air speed, the fan produces an air flow volume of 2.85 million cubic feet per minute, and its total power consumption is 7 megawatts (one megawatt is equal to one million [106] watts)
- the belt will last up to 5,000 operational hours
- if a vehicle remained on the belt the entire time, it would “travel” approximately 300,000 to 400,000 kilometers
- the “thru-the-belt” measurement system measures the aerodynamic down force under each tire through the belt

3. solae, inazawa city, japan

this incredible looking building, built by the mitsubishi electric corporation, is the world’s tallest elevator shaft and was constructed specifically to enable engineers to research the next generation of high-speed elevators. solae is 173 metres tall and cost $45 million (usd) to complete but is an essential piece of kit when you consider the ever-increasing speeds and heights of elevator shafts: the world’s fastest elevator is currently at taipei 101 and travels at 37.66mph but this will soon be beaten by the elevators at the 800 metre high burj dubai which will reach ear-popping speeds of 42.36mph.

4. the shake table, san diego, usa

this $9 million machine, supporting a huge wind turbine in the photo, is the world’s only large-scale outdoor earthquake platform and, using hydraulics, is capable of shaking a 20 ton object horizontally at realistically high speeds. this kind of research could obviously prove invaluable as specialists will hopefully learn how to build quake-proof structures. it also looks like a massive amount of fun. check out the video from new scientist below or visit the official home of the machine here…

sources: 1, 2, 3, 4

i’m currently hooked on these structures so, hot on the heels of the first 5, here’s another bunch of amazing facilities and fascinating machines that have been created for research purposes. there are still plenty more so it probably won’t stop here. thanks for all the suggestions following the first 5.

1. large helical device, gifu, japan

the phenomenal photo above shows superconducting coils within the large helical device in japan, a machine which holds the title of ‘largest superconducting stellarator in the world’. these huge winding coils are used to generate magnetic fields strong enough to confine a plasma in the centre which needs to be heated to the point where a controlled nuclear fusion reaction will occur - 100 million degrees.

you can read more about the device here. a mammoth version of the photo is here.

2. odeillo solar furnace, odeillo, france

built in 1969, this brilliantly shiny oddity is the 8-storey high odeillo solar furnace in france: at present the largest on the planet. the 63 smaller mirrors on the hillside reflect the sun onto the huge parabolic reflector you see in the photos, this in turn reflecting the solar radiation very precisely onto a point just 18 metres in front of the parabola. using this method, temperatures can reach an unbelievably hot 3400°C. the incredible amount of heat generated by the furnace is used for research in many areas including high temperature solar engineering (advanced solar power systems, solar chemistry, etc.), photo-physics and chemistry applied physics. the official site is here.

3. atf fire research laboratory, maryland, usa

measuring a whopping 60ft x 60ft, this is the largest calorimetry hood on earth and is an essential part of the atf fire research laboratory. the hood needs to be this large in order to monitor and measure the heat output created by burning buildings underneath it. full scale houses have been specifically built, placed under the hood and destroyed in the name of research on a regular basis since the state-of-the-art facility was opened in 2003, and that’s just one of the 3 hoods in a lab which is so impressive that it’s visited by experts the world over.

official site is here.

4. ligo observatories, louisiana & washington, usa

the photo above shows ligo’s hanford observatory, one of 2 main facilities used by ligo to detect ‘ripples’ or gravitational waves in space-time. both of the observatories have an enormous l-shaped interferometer, each arm measuring 4km in length, with a mirror at each end. laser light enters the ‘arms’ from the corner of the l-shape and then bounces back and forth between each mirror a set number of times. the reason for this is better explained in the clip below.

for a simple explanation about both gravitational waves and ligo itself, watch the clip. to see the hanford observatory on google maps, click here. the ligo website is here.

5. arecibo observatory, arecibo, puerto rico

the arecibo observatory in puerto rico contains the largest curved focusing dish on earth and is used for 3 main research purposes: radio astronomy, aeronomy and radar astronomy observations of solar system objects. the dish has been set in a depression between some hills and, to compensate for its fixed position, the receiver can be repositioned as it sits 450ft above ground. the observatory’s incredible appearance resulted in a cameo in goldeneye’s final scene.

the official arecibo site can be found here. also, the gigantic structure can be seen clearly on google maps here.

sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

otherwordly structures, massive machines, surreal technology….

some incredible beasts have been constructed in the name of research and below are 5 of the most immediately intriguing. there are plenty more out there which will be highlighted in the near future as i’m making this a series of sorts. let me know if you have any in mind for the next collection.

on to the brilliance…

1. super kamiokande detector, kamioka observatory, japan

an old favourite on the intertubes, this 50′000 ton cylindrical ‘ring-imaging water cerenkov detector’ can be found at the kamioka mozumi mine in japan - 1′000m underground. clever people built the machine to detect neutrinos, proton decay and cosmic rays: this is done using the 12′000-ish photomultiplier tubes (extremely sensitive light detectors) visible on all walls of the ‘ultra-purified water-filled’ tank. to offer further explanation would reveal my scientific ineptitude. instead, go here for a nicely simplified explanation and here for some incredible hi-res photos large enough to incapacitate the average pc.

2. benefield anechoic facility, california, usa

first of all (in case you don’t know) an anechoic chamber is a room which has been filled with sound absorbing materials in order to minimise all reflections from internal surfaces, thus making the space echo-less. more commonly these rooms are used to test and research sound equipment due to the lack of any such interference affecting the equipment’s output. the benefield anechoic facility you see above is the largest anechoic chamber on earth and, rather than using acoustically absorbent materials, is filled with radiation absorbent materials in the form of 816′000 foam cones designed to minimise the reflection of radio frequency signals. to read more, look here.

3. the z machine, sandia national laboratory, new mexico, usa

the z machine is the largest x-ray generator on earth and is believed by many as the key to understanding controlled fusion.

‘the z machine uses a short burst of intense electricity - only a few 10 billionths of a second long - that forces an ionized gas to implode. the process is called a z-pinch because the pulse creates a magnetic field that squeezes particles in the vertical direction, which math books usually label as the “z-axis.” at the center of the z-pinch, in the space of a small soup can, gas particles race at each other at a million miles an hour. the collisions result in X-rays and extremely high temperatures.’

in 2006 the machine unexpectedly produced plasmas with temperatures in excess of 3.6 billion °f. that’s hotter than the core of our sun.

a very brief video tour…

4. very large array, new mexico, usa

arranged on an enormous y-shaped set of tracks on the plains of san augustin is the ‘very large array’, a collection of 27 radio antennas used primarily by astronomers around the world. each antenna weighs 230 tons and can be moved by way of the 3 13 mile long tracks, giving a total of 4 different configurations, the data from all 27 antenna can then be combined to give the resolution of an antenna whopping 22 miles across. the 2nd picture, from google maps, gives you some idea of the scale of the observatory.

the direct link to the vla on google maps is here. the vla website is here.

5. large hadron collider, cern, switzerland/france

the large hadron collider, when completed very soon, will be the largest particle collider on earth, one of the intentions being to recreate the slightly hot conditions that occured immediately after the big bang, in turn resulting in the observation of the ‘god particle‘. the huge circle in the 1st photo is the location of the lhc tunnel, located approximately 100m below ground and measuring 27km in circumference. in the tunnel are 2 parallel tubes, each carrying protons in opposite directions at near the speed of light using the surrounding superconducting magnets. to carry on with this explanation could take days and a lot of mistakes so you should continue reading about this mammoth machine here.

sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

obviously, rainbows aren’t the only brilliant natural phenomena on earth.

below are some optical phenomena, atmospheric phenomena, electrical phenomena and natural optical illusions and they’re all incredible for one reason or another.

if you know of others worth a mention, let me know and i’ll add ‘em.

green flash

a green flash is a natural optical phenomenon and can be sometimes seen above the sun as it sets or rises. the reason for this event lies in refraction of light in the atmosphere (read more here).

i’m yet to see a decent video of a green flash so won’t even bother posting a shit one. instead, you should visit this website and learn using your mind.

crepuscular rays

crepuscular rays are shards of sunlight that shoot out from behind objects that cast a shadow, usually trees or clouds, causing columns of light to eerily light up the landscape.

check out the short clip below. a road never looked so attractive.

mirages

another of the more common optical phenomena, mirages are caused by refraction.

there are also 2 types of mirage: inferior and superior.

with an inferior mirage, the actual mirage is mirrored from above (e.g. seeing the sky on the road)

with a superior mirage, the mirage image appears above the true object. these are less common.

a more detailed eplanation can be digested here.

below: an example of an inferior mirage

sprites

sprites are relatively new discoveries and are still the subject of much scientific debate. along with blue jets and elves they form a group of occurences named transient luminous events and are electric discharges that occur high above active thunderstorms.

best of all they look like some kind of massive electrical jellyfish.

due to the fact that these events only last for milliseconds and aren’t exactly easily spotted, there are very few videos to watch. the youtube clip below was captured using an image intensified camera, bear in mind that the brightest parts of the effect are around 70km above land.

alternatively go here and watch an amazing clip in colour.

- more on this phenomenon here.

gravity wave

‘In a gravity wave, the upward moving region is the most favorable region for cloud development and the sinking region favorable for clear skies. That is why you may see rows of clouds and clear areas between the rows of clouds. A gravity wave is nothing more than a wave moving through a stable layer of the atmosphere. Thunderstorm updrafts will produce gravity waves as they try to punch into the tropopause. The tropopause represents a region of very stable air. This stable air combined with the upward momentum of a thunderstorm updraft (trigger mechanism) will generate gravity waves within the clouds trying to push into the tropopause.’ - from here.

that’s exactly what i was gonna say.

the photo above shows atmospheric gravity waves as seen from space. the amazing timelapse video below shows the phenomenon from ground level in iowa.

halo / sundog

the incredible halo in the photo above is a 22 degree sun halo and is one of the more common atmospheric phenomena, apparently caused by refraction in the hexagonal ice crystals in the air. sun dogs (aka parhelia) are the brighter parts of the halo, usually seen on each horizontal point.

there’s a more detailed explanation, with diagrams, here.

aurora borealis

mainly thanks to youtube this phenomenon has gained a huge amount of coverage in the last couple of years. even so, it’s not something you could ever grow tired of watching. if you’ve never seen it, watch the video below.

the explanation?

‘The sun gives off high-energy charged particles (also called ions) that travel out into space at speeds of 300 to 1200 kilometres per second. A cloud of such particles is called a plasma. The stream of plasma coming from the sun is known as the solar wind. As the solar wind interacts with the edge of the earth’s magnetic field, some of the particles are trapped by it and they follow the lines of magnetic force down into the ionosphere, the section of the earth’s atmosphere that extends from about 60 to 600 kilometres above the earth’s surface. When the particles collide with the gases in the ionosphere they start to glow, producing the spectacle that we know as the auroras, northern and southern.’ - from virtual finland

brocken spectre

see the halo in the photos above? the shadow in the middle is actually cast by the person taking the photograph at the top of the hill, the effect a rare one that goes by the name of brocken spectre. in order to create this effect you must be looking down into mist from the peak of a hill with a low sun behind you.

simple stuff.

the guy in the video below managed to catch a rare glimpse of the effect on film. it occurs about half way through.

moonbow

moonbows are the darker, less frequent relative of our old favourite, the rainbow. the ingredients needed: a very bright moon, rain and some luck.

there’s a brief article from new scientist here and a grainy video clip below.

gravity hills / electric brae

a slightly different ‘phenomena’ from the rest, the electric brae in maybole, scotland is one of a number of locations throughout the world known as ‘gravity hills’. it’s a stretch of angled road where vehicles ‘mysteriously’ roll uphill, the real explanation owing to the fact that the surrounding landscape sits in such a way as to give the illusion that the road is sloping in the opposite direction.

i’ve personally been to the one in the clip below and it’s pretty fucking weird even if you know the reasons behind it.

at this wiki page there’s a list of all known gravity hills in the world.

ball lightning

ball lightning is an atmospheric phenomenon that is still disputed by many people, mainly due to the lack of quality footage and research, but also because of it’s behaviour. rather than striking quickly, ball lightning can apparently last for a much longer time. there’s a brilliant page dedicated to the phenomenon here.

the video below shows a mean looking storm, the ball lighting appears about 2 minutes in. it’s well worth a look.

circumhorizon arc/fire rainbow

‘The arc is a very large halo and is close to, and parallel to the horizon. Usually only fragments are visible where there happen to be cirrus clouds’.

nothing riles me more than having an enthralling movie ruined by a spot of bullshit-physics. you know the scene - a moment just so unbelievable you feel like throwing the director off a bridge to remind him that it’s actually impossible to spin round and grab onto the railing that quickly.

purely to vent some frustration here’s my top 7 6 worst movie physics moments. i’m sure you’ll disagree with my choices, feel free to offer your own favourites.

6. what the (bleep) do we know? - whole film

a film/documentary supposedly about quantum physics which has earned worldwide condemnation from physicists around the world due to the fact that it’s full of shit and is essentially pseudoscience. the first part of the whole film is below if you’re curious (later parts can be found here if you look hard enough) and there’s an interesting article about the film here.

5. speed - bridge jump

it’s a classic movie-physics moment and one i’ll always hold close.

fuck knows how the bus would go anywhere but down after leaving the edge. there’s no visible ramp or elevation on the tarmac yet the bus still manages to soar as if filled with helium. even at 200mph it’d have trouble making the gap.

4. the core - melting the golden gate bridge

this movie is full to the brim with scientific nonsense and to be honest i wasn’t sure which part to include.

here’s a clip of the golden gate bridge being melted by microwave radiation. read about the many other bullshit moments hither.

(by the way, if you want to experience every single shit-physics moment in the movie, bizarrely the whole film is on google video here)

3. die hard - firehose escape

yippee-ky-something.

i always had massive doubts about mclane leaping from the burning building, hose around the waist, magically managing to swing to safety. surely he’d fall straight down at immense speed and crush some internal organs?

yes, he would’ve. follow this link and you’ll see that someone has done the maths and proven mclane wrong.

2. independence day - virus transfer

remember when goldblum’s character helped to take down the aliens by installing a handmade virus onto the ufo’s computers with his laptop? holy fuck, that was more than genius. usb’s really are universal huh?

1. unknown movie - horse slide

please, if you know the name of this film let me know so i can find the director and shake his hand.

one of the funniest and least realistic chase scenes i’ve witnessed. first the horse falls over and visibly stops travelling, then we see a man on a fake horse sliding under a lorry after magically acquiring momentum from an unknown source. even a car manages to leap over the lorry shortly afterwards, good job it managed to catch that ramp at the right time.

also worth a look:

- hollywood science: car chases

- insultingly stupid movie physics, a brilliant and hilarious site

- bad astronomy, another brilliant site but focusing on shit astronomy in cinema rather than physics