Energy Physics News Explained for Pupils
Recent energy transfer, radiation, thermal physics and power technology stories linked to school physics.
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Energy archive
Week beginning 2 November 2026
Leonid Meteor Shower 2026 UK: When to Watch and What Shooting Stars Are
The Leonids return in November as Earth crosses a trail of comet debris. Here is when to try watching from the UK, what you might realistically see and why a tiny grain can make a bright streak across the sky.
Is It Cheaper to Leave the Heating On All Day? The Physics of Heat Loss
A house is not a flask that stays warm once it has been heated. Follow where its energy goes, why reheating does not automatically erase a saving, and why advice for a gas boiler cannot simply be copied onto a heat pump.
Week beginning 26 October 2026
Week beginning 19 October 2026
Why Are Fireworks Different Colours? The Physics Behind Bonfire Night
A firework display gives you two good physics questions: what makes the colours, and why do you see the flash before hearing the bang? Start with the simple explanation, then connect the display to photons and electron energy levels.
Do Solar Panels Work in Winter and on Cloudy Days? The Physics Explained
Yes, solar panels can generate electricity in winter and under cloud. The useful questions are how much light reaches them, for how long, and how much becomes electrical energy. Cold weather and low winter output are not the same thing.
Week beginning 12 October 2026
Week beginning 28 September 2026
Week beginning 21 September 2026
Week beginning 7 September 2026
Week beginning 3 August 2026
Nuclear fusion in metal foils: why quantum tunnelling matters at low energies
Experiments with deuterium-loaded palladium and titanium foils found that fusion yields stopped falling as expected below about 2 keV. The result suggests that a solid material can change the environment in which nuclei tunnel and react, although the absolute fusion rate remains far too small for power generation.
Why pressure can make electric-car batteries last longer
University of Cambridge researchers found that keeping lithium-ion pouch-cell electrodes under a carefully controlled stack pressure could double their cycle life. Too little pressure encouraged cathode cracking, while too much promoted lithium plating, so the result is about finding a narrow engineering balance rather than simply squeezing a battery harder.
How heat-transfer fins help phase-change materials store energy faster
Three-dimensional simulations show that several well-spaced fins can melt a phase-change material more effectively than one large fin. The reason is not just extra conduction: liquid in the gaps starts circulating and transfers energy, while fins placed too close together can interfere with one another.
Week beginning 13 July 2026
Week beginning 6 July 2026
Quantum computers model molten salt for fusion fuel
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Cleveland Clinic and IBM have used a hybrid quantum-classical workflow to calculate how tritium interacts with FLiBe, a molten salt being studied for future fusion reactor blankets.
AI helps physics models predict rare extreme heatwaves
Researchers have combined fast AI weather forecasts with physics-based climate modelling so rare, dangerous heatwaves can be sampled more efficiently and studied with better statistics.
Optical-fibre experiment reveals Hawking radiation backreaction
A fibre-optic analogue of a black-hole horizon has revealed a direct process for stimulated Hawking-like radiation and measured how that radiation changes the light field that produced it.
Week beginning 15 June 2026
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