thermodynamics

Why does time only ever move in one direction? We talk to philosophers of physics Jeremy Butterfield and David Wallace, as well as the eminent Roger Penrose about the puzzle time poses to physicists and what it has to do with the Big Bang and the second law of thermodynamics.

Everyone knows what time is. We can practically feel it ticking away, marching on in the same direction with horrifying regularity. Time has enslaved the Western world and become our most precious commodity. Turn it over to the physicists however, and it begins to morph, twist and even crumble away. So what is time exactly?

Tea gone cold? Don't worry, you can cheer yourself up with the theory of thermodynamics.

A new model of the formation of the Moon's crust finally explains the diversity and range of ages of rocks found on the lunar surface.

Bridging the gap between the microscopic snd the macroscopic.

We talk to Chiara Marletto about a new way of looking at the physical world that may solve some of the problems physicists are currently struggling with.

A new way of looking at the physical world promises to shed light on some of the problems physics as we know it can't deal with.

This article explores how constructor theory may be able to provide answers to the questions posed in the first part of the article.

We explore some problems physics as we know it has trouble dealing with and a new theory that may provide answers.

Is it about energy? Is it about disorder? Or is it about information? It's all three!

Our messy desk is proof of the second law of thermodynamics...

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

  • What do chocolate and mayonnaise have in common? It's maths! Find out how in this podcast featuring engineer Valerie Pinfield.

  • Is it possible to write unique music with the limited quantity of notes and chords available? We ask musician Oli Freke!

  • How can maths help to understand the Southern Ocean, a vital component of the Earth's climate system?

  • Was the mathematical modelling projecting the course of the pandemic too pessimistic, or were the projections justified? Matt Keeling tells our colleagues from SBIDER about the COVID models that fed into public policy.

  • PhD student Daniel Kreuter tells us about his work on the BloodCounts! project, which uses maths to make optimal use of the billions of blood tests performed every year around the globe.