Skip to main content

Physics World December 2018

Physics World December 2018

Whizz, bang, pop: the physics of fireworks

In our lead feature this month, Pierre Thebault explains the history and science of fireworks. He’s one of a band of “pyrotechnicians” constantly seeking new ways to create more spectacular fireworks that are safer and do less damage to the environment. Elsewhere in the issue, you can enjoy our bumper end-of-year reviews section, find out why this year’s Nobel Prize for Physics will be good for business, and explore research into games that can put quantum computers through their paces.

Expand to full screen, bookmark pages or download to read offline using the icons beneath the screen. You can access the videos and audio clips if you read the emagazine online. Read it now


Or you can read selected content from the December 2018 issue of Physics World here

Rüdiger Voss interview

A united society for Europe

inequality opinion

Beauty and the biased

Smartphone concept opinion

Nobel impact

X-ray skull opinion

The X-reality files

Quantum computing feature

Game on

Fireworks feature

Whizz-bang science

Totally Random – Why Nobody Understands Quantum Mechanics: a Serious Comic on Entanglement review

A graphic tale of entanglement

review

Newton: egomaniac or troubled genius?

Wally Funk’s Race for Space: the Extraordinary Story of a Female Aviation Pioneer review

Thirteen tales that must be told

Niels Bohr (left), Hugh Everett III (middle) and David Harrison at Princeton review

The quantum heretics

John Irvine, professor of energy and materials at St Andrews University in Scotland, and founding editor-in-chief of the recently launched Journal of Physics: Energy. careers

Fuelling the planet

Want even more from Physics World?

Get more from Physics World without waiting for the next issue. The same great journalism, but delivered to you daily. Read updates on the latest research as soon as they happen and access 20 years of online content, organized across 13 dedicated scientific areas. Visit the homepage to start exploring.

Copyright © 2024 by IOP Publishing Ltd and individual contributors