Marcus Wilson • Feb 13, 2015 •
In January I had a go at the 2014 Scholarship Physics Exam, as I've done for the last couple of years. Sam Hight from the PhysicsLounge came along to help (or was it laugh?) The idea of this collaboration is that I get filmed attempting to do the Scholarship paper for the first time. This … Read More
Marcus Wilson • Jul 15, 2014 •
A common technique in physics is 'modelling'. This is about constructing a description of a physical phenomenon in terms of physical principles. Often these can be encapsulated with mathematical equations. For example, it's common to model the suspension system of a car as two masses connected by springs to a much larger mass. Here, the large mass represents the … Read More
Marcus Wilson • Jun 13, 2014 •
I've just been at a great lecture by Peter Leijen as part of our schools-focused Osborne Physics and Engineering Day. He's an ex-student of ours, who did electronic engineering here at Waikato - and graduated just a couple of years ago. He now works in the automotive electronics industry. That's an incredibly quickly growing industry. So much of … Read More
Marcus Wilson • May 27, 2014 •
At afternoon tea yesterday we were discussing a problem regarding racing slot-cars (electric toy racing cars). A very practical problem indeed! Basically, what we want to know is how do we optimize the size of the electric motor and gear-ratio (it only has one gear) in order to achieve the best time over a given distance from a stationary … Read More
Marcus Wilson • Apr 01, 2014 •
A couple of weeks ago I had the misfortune to be on a bus which had an accident. I wasn't hurt, because I was safely seated, which is more than I can say for one unfortunate passenger who was still on his way to his seat at the time. It wasn't a high-speed event - I'd guess we were … Read More
Marcus Wilson • Feb 11, 2014 •
Wow! That was a real nailbiting finish to the first test. Well done to the New Zealand bowlers to hold their nerve as India's batsmen got close. There was some great bowling, and also some great batting at times. Maybe the difference between the teams was that New Zealand in that final innings made fewer tactical blunders. I'm … Read More
Marcus Wilson • Jan 24, 2014 •
Last year, Sam Hight and I made a collection of videos on tackling the 2012 Scholarship Physics exam. Well, to be precise, Sam did the videoing, editing, and distribution, and I just did the exam. The key thing, though, was that I did the exam 'live'. I was seeing the questions for the first time. I didn't … Read More
Marcus Wilson • Oct 23, 2013 •
On Saturday morning I held a session for school students preparing to sit the 2013 Scholarship Physics exam. My intention is to help them prepare for this. It's a tough exam, aimed at rewarding the best school students in the various subjects. I talked through the principles behind answering various types of question, e.g. 'estimate' questions, mathematical … Read More
Marcus Wilson • Oct 09, 2013 •
....Well, what do you think? No surprises this year. Francois Englert and Peter Higgs have been awarded this year's Nobel Prize in physics for the theoretical 'discovery' of the Higgs mechanism. The citation, however, I find very interesting: for the theoretical discovery of a mechanism that contributes to our understanding of the origin of mass of … Read More
Marcus Wilson • Aug 06, 2013 •
Yesterday afternoon I was engaged in a spot of DIY - putting up some shelves. Even for me, as someone who takes to DIY like a duck to mountaineering, it's a fairly simple task, and I'm pleased to say that I got there without the 'do' in DIY turning into 'destroy'. With the help of my trusty stud-finder (Karen - … Read More