moment of inertia

Simone Biles: Defying the laws of physics?

Simone Biles stunned audiences at the 2016 Olympics with a move that appeared to defy gravity. Did it really? Two sports scientists explain the physics of the Biles.

view

Walking the tightrope

Why does a long pole help balance?

view

The right spin: how to fly a broken space craft

On the 25th of May 1997 a dramatic collision tore a hole into the space station Mir and sent it hurtling through space. As NASA astronaut Michael Foale tells Plus, the fate of Mir and its crew hinged on a classical set of equations.

view

Unspinning the boomerang

In this article, we look at the physics behind the curved flight path of a returning boomerang, and explain that boomerangs are really a kind of gyroscope. We even show you how to bang up a boomerang yourself!

view

Subscribe to moment of inertia

Maths in a minute

Want facts and want them fast? Our Maths in a minute series explores key mathematical concepts in just a few words.

Climate change: How can maths help?

As COP28, the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference, kicks off we look at how maths can help understand the climate crisis.
The travelling salesman

How do you create dramatic film out of mathematics? We find out with writer and director Timothy Lanzone.
Disease modelling for beginners

Mathematics plays a central role in understanding how infectious diseases spread. This collection of articles looks at some basic concepts in epidemiology to help you understand this fascinating and important field, and set you up for further study.
Maths in a minute: Conditional probability

Find out why the formula we use to work out conditional probabilities is true!
A disappearing number

We talk about a play that explores the fascinating mathematical collaboration between the mathematicians GH Hardy and Srinivasa Ramanujan.

Tweets by plusmathsorg