Blogs about Science

A control system is a mechanism — mechanical, biological, or otherwise — that forces a measure towards a reference. One example is a thermostat. You set the desired temperature of your house to 73 degrees …

We’re familiar with the idea that the economy can and should affect elections. The connection is borne out empirically (Roosevelt’s victory in 1932 following the depression, his landslide reelection in 1936 amid economic growth, Johnson …

In post 24.3 we explored a model of how a population could control itself. This model was based on a differential equation – the most common way to describe how things change with time. This …

The Pope of Physics is a 2016 biography of Enrico Fermi (1901-1954), written by Gino Segre and Bettina Hoerlin. Segre's uncle Emilio was a student of Fermi's in Rome, whereas Hoerlin's father knew Fermi from …