Topic description and stories

A huge range of materials are classified as granular – including sand, gravel, snow, nuts, coal, rice, barley, coffee and cereals. Globally, they are the second-most processed type of material in industry, after water.

Study reveals mysterious equality with which grains pack it in

26 Jun 2017

For the first time, researchers have been able to test a theory explaining the physics of how substances like sand and gravel pack together, helping...

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Tennis balls

How many ways can you arrange 128 tennis balls? Researchers solve an apparently impossible problem

27 Jan 2016

A bewildering physics problem has apparently been solved by researchers, in a study which provides a mathematical basis for understanding issues...

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