Taking Measure Blog: Physics

Physics

A researcher wearing safety glasses reaches into a box of circuitry and other equipment, which emits a green glow.

5 Concepts Can Help You Understand Quantum Mechanics and Technology — Without Math!

February 5, 2025

Quantum is everywhere, and you can understand the basic quirks of life at the quantum level … no math required.

A rectangular box coated with reflective foil hangs from cables over a parking lot.

High-Flying Science: How and Why We Sent a Refrigerator Halfway to Space

February 12, 2025

NIST-developed tools can study the remnants of the Big Bang and more, and now researchers are working to launch these tools high above the Earth’s atmosphere —

From Safer Skies to Fewer Fires: 10 Ways NIST Impacts Your Daily Life

December 19, 2024

If you’ve ever had a medical test, flown on an airplane, or needed to check the time, NIST’s work affects your life every day.

Illustration shows a lottery ball machine: a clear plastic sphere on a stand, half-filled with colorful numbered balls.

Pirouetting Molecules Can Help Us Learn About the History of the Universe

December 11, 2024

Our researchers are trapping tiny, fast-moving molecules — in hopes of learning more about the formation of our stars and universe.

Esther Baumann leans over a lab table, surrounded with wires and scientific equipment.

A Laser Could Offer a Peek Into the Insides of Our Muscles or Look Through Fire

November 20, 2024

A NIST-developed laser system might someday check your muscle health when you flex your arm. These lasers can also see how an object changes during heat

Historical photo shows three men standing next to a refrigerator-sized piece of machinery with an analog clock attached to the top.

How Atomic Clocks Have Changed Our World

November 4, 2024

We spend our days immersed in time. But where does time come from? How do we track it? This has evolved along with technology in recent years.

Trey Diulus poses sitting in the lab with a large, complex scientific instrument in the foreground.

Curiosity to Career: Encouraging Students to Pursue STEM Education

September 18, 2024

A NIST researcher is volunteering to educate young students about life as a scientist — and encourage kids to envision a career for themselves in STEM.

Unlocking Our World’s Earliest Secrets — One Tiny Electron at a Time

August 7, 2024

Why do we exist? It’s a big question — and one that some of NIST’s early universe detectives are getting closer to answering.

A researcher wearing a lab coat uses tongs to place a silvery sphere into a large scientific device as another researcher looks on.

One of the World’s Roundest Objects Is Helping to Build a Better Mass Measurement

July 17, 2024

Different countries' approaches can lead to different definitions of the kilogram. But NIST is working with our international partners to see how we can close

Four people sitting outside on a green tarp wear eclipse glasses as they peer up into the sky.

NIST Researchers Measure Greenhouse Gases During the Solar Eclipse

June 5, 2024

Check out some of the things happening at NIST during the past few months through the lens of social media.

Taking Measure