Best of Rhett for 2022

Photo: Sony Pictures. Scene from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

I think it’s useful to look back over the past year and pick out your favorite stuff. That’s what I’m doing here. I’m not going to rank them — I will leave that up to you.

Let’s get started. Here are some of my notable WIRED posts.

WIRED — Dot Physics

N95 Masks and Static Electricity.

The Physics of the N95 Face Mask

I like this one because it’s a current event (stupid pandemic). There are some really fun static electricity demos you can do here.

Optimal Commuting Speed

Is There an Optimal Driving Speed that Saves Gas-and Money?

If you drive faster, you waste more gas. If you drive slower, you waste more time. So, is there an optimal speed that saves the most money? Yes. Note: this is just for fun.

Build a Microphone from a Face Mask

How to Make a Microphone ... From a Face Mask

Sorry, another N95 face mask blog post. This is fun though. Since the N95 is made from an electret, we can make an electret microphone.

Simulating Walking on the Moon

How to Simulate Walking on the Moon-Without Leaving the Planet

Some of the fun ways to simulate a gravitational field on the moon.

The Physics of Flying Superheros.

Could Namor's Ankle Wings From 'Black Panther 2' Really Work?

I like this one. Here are all the physics ways you could make a super human fly.

Medium

PeaceMaker’s X-Ray Helmet

Peacemaker’s Helmet Isn’t X-Ray Vision, But How Could It Work?

I like superheros. I like vision stuff.

Remember When There Used to be Just 5 Planets?

Yes, There Are Only 8 Planets Instead of 9 Because There Used To Be Just 5.

I like this one because I can talk about how the days of the week are named after objects in the sky.

Stokes and Green’s Theorem AND Python

Examples of Stoke’s Theorem and the Divergence Theorem Using Python

What’s not to like? Vector calculus plus python. Win.

Calculating the Speed for Low Earth Orbit

Calculating the Speed to Get to Low Earth Orbit (and Other Calculations)

I needed this value and googling didn’t give it to me, so I wrote about it.

Spider-Gwen’s Wall Stand

The Physics of Spider-Gwen’s Wall Stand

Really, it’s all about that sweet picture from the Spider-Verse 2 trailer.

Will ChatGPT Destroy Education?

Will ChatGPT Destroy Education?

I put ChatGPT to the test. It doesn’t do so well. But I’m sure it will get better.

YouTube

Sorry, that’s a lot of video links — but there are a bunch of videos from this year.