The Flipping Physics Blog

New Video: Vacuum Permittivity and Dielectric Constant

8/17/2026

We are back! Summer hiatus is over and new physics content is here. Welcome back to school to everyone in the USA!

In this new lesson, Bobby, Billy, Bo and I take a deeper look at vacuum permittivity and the dielectric constant. We explore why a dielectric must be made from an insulating material, how the polarization of a dielectric reduces the net electric field in an isolated capacitor, and what the dielectric constant really means. We also work through the electric permittivity of mylar as an example, and touch on where vacuum permittivity shows up elsewhere in physics. Check out the video below!

New Video: Final Moments on Seymour Norte

8/12/2026

Fear not! Physics content returns in mid-August. In the meantime: the final moments of the Galápagos trip on Seymour Norte. Rocky coastline, rounded lava stones as far as you can see, golden light, and a sandy trail heading toward the sea. Not a bad way to say goodbye. Check out the video below!

New Video: Magnificent Frigatebirds and a Fisheye Lens at Seymour Norte

8/11/2026

Fear not! Physics content returns in mid-August. In the meantime: Magnificent Frigatebirds on the Seymour Norte trail, red pouches on full display and wings spread wide. Then the group discovers what a fisheye lens does to a group photo and things get a little silly. Both are completely worth watching. Check out the video below!

New Video: Blue-Footed Boobies at Seymour Norte

8/10/2026

Fear not! Physics content returns in mid-August. In the meantime: a dry landing onto the dock at Seymour Norte and straight into the wildlife. Blue-footed boobies standing right on the trail, completely unbothered. A fluffy booby chick sitting on a rock staring directly into the camera. And one very dramatic booby perched on a cairn, beak pointed skyward like it was posing for a nature documentary. Zero personal space, maximum Galápagos energy. Check out the video below!

New Video: Galápagos Time Lapses

8/9/2026

Fear not! Physics content returns in mid-August. In the meantime: three Galápagos locations in time lapse. Playa Ochoa on San Cristóbal after the Punta Pitt hike, with waves rolling over lava rocks under moving clouds. Kicker Rock rising out of the Pacific. And the sheltered beach at Post Office Bay on Floreana Island. The Galápagos does not slow down for anyone, but time lapse makes it look like it does. Check out the video below!

New Video: Galápagos Penguin Among the Marine Iguanas near Isla Isabela

8/8/2026

Fear not! Physics content returns in mid-August. In the meantime: cruising near Isla Isabela in the Zodiac, the rocks are absolutely covered in marine iguanas. And then, standing there completely unbothered among them, a Galápagos Penguin. The only penguin species found north of the equator, just hanging out on a lava rock like it owns the place. Check out the video below!

New Video: Hiking the Lava Fields at Punta Moreno, Isla Isabela

8/7/2026

Fear not! Physics content returns in mid-August. In the meantime: hiking across the lava fields at Punta Moreno on Isla Isabela. Black volcanic rock as far as you can see, dramatic cracks running through the surface, and surprisingly, little pockets of bright green vegetation tucked into the lava. It looks like another planet. Check out the video below!

New Video: White Sand Beach at Punta Cormorant, Floreana Island

8/6/2026

Fear not! Physics content returns in mid-August. In the meantime: walking along the white sand beach at Punta Cormorant on Floreana Island, we chased after a sandy lightfoot crab scurrying across the sand, stopped for a family photo with the surf behind us, and then watched a pair of sea turtles ride the waves in just offshore. The Galápagos keeps on delivering. Check out the video below!

New Video: Hiking the Punta Cormorant Trail on Floreana Island

8/5/2026

Fear not! Physics content returns in mid-August. In the meantime: hiking the Punta Cormorant trail on Floreana Island with our naturalist guide Alexis. We walked from the green sand beach, colored by volcanic olivine crystals, along the edge of the saltwater lagoon known for flamingos, with an extinct tuff cone rising behind us, before the trail opened onto the brilliant white coral sand beach on the far side of the point. The Galápagos is endlessly extraordinary. Check out the video below!

New Video: Galápagos Hawk at Punta Suarez, Española Island

8/4/2026

Fear not! Physics content returns in mid-August. In the meantime: right off the trail at Punta Suarez on Española Island, a Galápagos Hawk has a Nazca Booby chick in its talons. A second hawk waits nearby. Nature is not always easy to watch, but this is exactly what nature looks like. Check out the video below!