Energy is the fundamental property of all objects in the universe. Energy can be transferred and transformed, but never created or destroyed.
Common forms of energy include: Kinetic energy of a moving object, the radiant energy carried by light, the potential energy stored by an object’s position in a force field (gravitational, electric or magnetic), elastic energy stored by stretching solid objects, chemical energy released when a fuel burns, and the thermal energy due to an object’s temperature.
Mass and energy are “equivalent” (mass-energy equivalence), but not exactly the same thing. Energy and mass can be converted into each other mathematically, and conserved as each other physically.
All things in the universe, especially living organisms and systems, require energy. A good example of how energy fuels the universe being that humans get energy from food (calories).
Fat can make you fat, but it isn’t the only thing that causes weight gain. Fat is high in calories and is easy to store as fat cells, but in general, it is storing more calories than you burn (from fat, carbs, or protein) that causes weight gain.
All waves (including sound waves, electromagnetic waves, and even water waves) transfer energy, and all energy is transferred in a wave-like motion.
All elementary particles exhibit wave-particle duality, acting as both a particle and a wave.
Visible light is a range of wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum visible to the human eye (wavelengths of about 390 to 700 nm).
Sound usually travels slower than light, but not always. Under normal conditions, light moves roughly a million times faster than sound, but under the right conditions sound can travel faster than light.
The Bohr model of the atom (1913), the one that looks like a solar system, has been replaced by the more accurate Quantum Model of the atom since 1927.
The Pauli Exclusion Principle says, two identical fermions (matter particles) can’t occupy the same quantum state. In simple terms, two identical things can’t occupy the same space.
The Black Hole Information Paradox suggests information can’t escape a black hole intact. While new theories show information may be able to escape, it hasn’t been proven as of 2016.
Human behavior can be random to some extent, but most behavior is based on prior input, and thus is “deterministic” (meaning not totally random).
The more time and energy you put into something, the more you value it. This Escalation of Commitment phenomenon (or commitment bias) relates to a number of other decision making biases.
Light is a particle (a photon), that acts like a wave (“both a particle and a wave”), which can be measured as an excited quantized state of the electromagnetic field.
Planck units, based on the reduced Planck constant (ℏ) and Planck constant (h), represent the smallest measurable units in the physical universe.
All known particles are either massless energy particles, or are composite particles with mass that are made from massless energy particles.
The standard model of particle physics shows how the elementary particles interact via the four forces to create the physical universe.
There are four fundamental forces (interactions) in the universe: gravitational, electromagnetic, strong nuclear, and weak nuclear.
The closer you get to zero percent body fat, the harder weight is to lose. The more body fat you have, the easier weight is to lose.
Body heat is lost through whatever part of the body is uncovered. We lose about the same amount of heat per square inch of exposed skin anywhere on the body.
No “thing” (including particles) can travel faster than light speed, but some “non-things” can. In both ways “nothing travels faster than the speed of light”.
The first light-emitting diode (LED) was created in 1927, but LED technology wasn’t mass-marketed or mass-produced until the 1990’s.
Einstein’s mass-energy equivalence equation (E=mc2) shows that mass and energy are equivalent (but not “exactly the same”) properties of a physical system.
Both animal-derived and plant-derived food production has consequences, but meat production is worse for the environment in most cases.
As Carl Sagan correctly stated, “we are made from star stuff”. The elements in our body, and everywhere else were transformed by nucleosynthesis in stars.
Calories on a label almost never equal calories stored exactly. This is part due to the labeling process, and part due to the different effects different macronutrients have on our bodies.
The old saying “feed a cold, starve a fever” has truth to it, but generally you should feed a cold and a fever and starve neither.
Exposure to light in moderation, especially natural sunlight, can have an uplifting effect on mood, while excessive darkness can have the opposite effect.
To quantize is to restrict something to a set of values. In digital music notes can be quantized to beats, in physics energy is quantized energy states.
Observing a phenomenon can affect its outcome (observer effect). In science, this refers to particles existing in a state of probability until measured.
The U.S. is connected by one power grid consisting of three interconnected grids: the Eastern Grid, the Western Grid, and the Texas (ERCOT) Grid.
The universe and everything in it, including humans, is mostly “empty space.” However, space is not actually “empty,” it’s filled with quantum fields and dark energy.
Energy can’t be created or destroyed and neither can mass. Although energy can change forms, all energy in a closed system must remain constant.
Things never touch because everything is made of atoms. Atoms contain electrons and electrons repel each other. This is basic physics.
Weight loss and weight gain are complex, but at its core weight is based on caloric balance; calories stored as fat vs. calories used.
There is no negative calorie food. Not even low calorie or fibrous fruits and vegetables burn more calories than they contain, but some drinks can.
We explain “light,” both as electromagnetic radiation within a visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, and as electromagnetic energy carried by photons.
There are two types of waves: mechanical waves like sound that must travel through a medium like air, and electromagnetic waves like light that don’t.
We explain the standard model of particle physics in simple terms for non-experts using videos, facts, and bullet points.
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