Infographics

https://youtu.be/hJW11Yg09M8 The fear of meltdown has largely derailed nuclear power’s progress in becoming a dominant energy source for the world. But how do meltdowns happen? And are they really something we should be worried about? In this video we discuss: How pressurised water reactors work Loss-of-coolant accident and meltdown Nuclear reactor safety systems Nuclear power’s […]

https://youtu.be/vKTCtHtwHSo Formula One cars are faster than anything else around a track. While they have amazing top speeds, it’s mainly their cornering ability that sets them apart. But what allows them to make sharp turns at such high speeds? A large part of it is a thing called downforce. What is downforce and why do

https://youtube.com/embed/aT6jTQgl4RIThe SR-72 has reportedly been in development for over a decade. But details about it remain scarce. What we know, is that it will be a hypersonic reconnaissance aircraft. Its unmatched top speed will allow the United States to gather aerial intelligence faster than ever before. It also looks pretty cool. Well, at least concept

https://youtu.be/B5WJOZ6mKd8 An afterburner, also known as reheat, is a device some jet engines use for extra speed. In fact, most fighter jets rely on them to achieve supersonic speeds. Let’s have a look at how these engineering wonders work. Jet engine basics Jet engines create thrust through combustion, which is the reaction between fuel and

https://youtu.be/fLHCkVA9lPg We all know about engine power. We’ll mention it when talking about our favourite car. And it seems obvious – the more power something has, the faster it can go. But what is power exactly? To answer that, we need to dive into some physics. The equation for power: power = work / time

https://youtu.be/vIRSvKkWWXY You’ve probably heard of engine torque. It’s that thing that has something to do with power. But what is it exactly? And how do you design an engine to have more of it? Torque is rotational force. It’s what allows engines to overcome resistance, like towing a heavy load. It’s also a key factor

The Jet engine – a cornerstone of global travel The jet engine is one of the engineering wonders of the modern world. Without it, global travel and logistics would not be the same. To meet changing demands, jet engine design has evolved over the decades. Two types centre to this progress are the turbojet and

https://youtu.be/RdveyceUeRc In the 1950s, the newly formed NASA needed a very large rocket engine – enter the Rocketdyne F-1. The F-1 became a show of power both literally and figuratively during the cold war. NASA used it in its early space missions, including Apollo XI, humankind’s first trip to the moon. The F-1 is the

DSLR: What does Digital Single Lens Reflex mean? DSLR stands for Digital Single Lens Reflex. Before digital cameras, SLR (without the D) was a common design for cameras. Then when digital cameras came along, the DSLR adopted the same basic design but replaced film with a digital sensor. The DSLR having a single lens means

The engineering marvel of the jet engine In 1903, the first motorised aircraft defied gravity. This feat, achieved by the Wright brothers, saw a total flight time of 12 seconds and a max speed of 6.8 mph. Fast forward only 50 years, and fighter jets were exceeding the speed of sound. Key to this progress

Earth’s magnetic field We’ve been aware of Earth’s magnetic field for a long time. In fact, for thousands of years. Han dynasty Chinese were first using their ‘south pointing fish’ compasses between the 2nd century BC and 1st century AD. It took us much longer to realise the magnetic field’s value beyond giving us direction.

A brief history of the internal combustion engine Imagine life without the internal combustion engine (ICE). We would struggle to get around, supply chains would freeze, and our lawns would look pretty shabby. For these reasons, few 19th century inventions have had a greater impact. Almost since its invention, the ICE has had two distinct

The Tesla Coil and its quirky creator The term ‘mad scientist’ could apply to Nikola Tesla. Perhaps he is the very source of it. He barley slept, sat down for dinner at exactly 8:10PM every night, and once spent a small fortune nursing his beloved pigeon back to health. All the while, Tesla’s contributions to

What is the Einstein Refrigerator and how does it work? Albert Einstein, the man famous for unlocking the laws of the universe, once tried his hand at engineering. The result was the Einstein refrigerator, which was patented in 1930. Einstein designed the refrigerator in a joint effort with his former student Leó Szilárd. Szilárd went on