DEAR TIM: Can you tell me a few things about the wood beam I uncovered while doing a plumbing repair? How is it possible for this beam to carry the load of everything above it? I'm worried it might ...

Vortex phenomena are widespread in nature, from typhoons to ocean currents. In the field of optics, vortex beams, which carry orbital angular momentum, have spiral wavefronts and ring-shaped intensity ...