Me, smiling

Gus Lackner

Undergraduate Student at UIUC

Hello, I'm Gus

Here are a few thoughts that I find delightful, and that I have taken the time to write up.

The Coriolis Effect, In Words

December 27, 2023
science, mechanics, geostrophic, mathematics, the earth

The Coriolis Effect mysteriously appears with the change from inertial to rotational reference frames, but I believe it can be best understood through thought experiment rather than a partial derivative derivation since the mathematics as a tool comes after physical understanding. Read more...

Hello? This is Science Speaking

July 16, 2022 [from Spring 2022]
science, cartilage, sound, tire, research

This spring, I decided to try my hand at answering science questions on Reddit’s r/askscience message board. Do I have what it takes to be a science communicator? Read more...

Deutripotnoi

June 15, 2022
running, winter, life, death, discovery

During my runs this winter, I found the BBC archives to be a fascinating and informative distraction. One winter day, while running in a snowy park near the university, I was struck by a certain interview with the early 20th century writer and poet Robert Graves. “There is a word Read more...

Nothing is Original

February 21rd, 2022
original, art, invention, meaning, philosophy

Koyaanisqatsi Read more...

An Experiment in Shadertoy

February 3rd, 2022
WebGL, art, experimentation

Inigo Quillez is an electrical engineer turned mathematical artist. He is responsible for the self-generating backgrounds in many Pixar movies, and his work is very impressive. Most interesting to me is Read more...

Brief Reflections on Ian Mckeever's Art

February 3rd, 2022
painting, art, contextualization

Ian McKeever's paintings have ultimately failed, in my estimation, to create a latent sense of time. They can only take the time which they are given by the viewer; it is he who imbues the painting with its meaning. I agree with McKeever that painting Read more...

What is the speed of light?

February 1st, 2022
math, physics

Light travels at 299,792,458 meters per second. That’s not so hard to think about, it’s just a really quick-moving item. This simple answer is easily muddied when you ask yourself, “What is moving at that speed?” Read more...