In today’s New York Times Natalie Angier has a nice story about increased interest in physics: Many people wring their hands over the state of science education and point to the appalling performance of America’s students in international science and math competitions. Yet some of the direst noises about our nation’s scientific prospects may be… Continue reading Physics for Everyone (for Some Value of “Everyone”)
Category: Physics
The Dressed State Picture
I’ve never been one for costumes, but if you lean that way, and still don’t know what you’re going as tomorrow, Jennifer Ouellette offers some physics-themed Halloween costumes: Schrödinger’s Cat, Maxwell’s Demon, and BEC: If you’re looking for something a bit less mainstream, how about dressing up as a Bose-Einstein condensate this Halloween? That’s what… Continue reading The Dressed State Picture
Tons of Rain
On Thursday last week, the Schenectady weather forecast I have in my Bloglines feed called for “Tons of Rain,” which I thought was amusingly unprofessional. I mentioned this to Kate yesterday (after it had, in fact, rained quite a bit), and she said “I wonder how much rain you would need to make a ton?”… Continue reading Tons of Rain
Kooks With Prestigious Prizes
The Times today has an article on famous scientists who have nutty ideas, inspired by the James Watson kerfuffle of the last couple of weeks. Of course, they had to mention at least one kooky physicist, leading to this wonderful set of paragraphs: Sometimes the wandering from one’s home turf extends all the way to… Continue reading Kooks With Prestigious Prizes
Physics of Engine Repair
Via Physics Buzz, a Mechanical Aptitude Test for diesel technicians. It’s fifty basic physics questions, covering a wide range of material from introductory physics: basic concepts of force and torque, a little bit of electrical circuits, and even some thermodynamics. I got 45/50, which is a passing score. I suspect that I bombed the handful… Continue reading Physics of Engine Repair
Quantum Consciousness and the Penrose Fallacy
Over at Neurophilosophy, Mo links to an article by a physicist, posted on the arxiv, that claims to explain visual perceptions using quantum mechanics: A theory of the process of perception is presented based on von Neumann’s quantum theory of measurement and conscious observation. Conscious events that occur are identified with the quantum mechanical “collapses”… Continue reading Quantum Consciousness and the Penrose Fallacy
N Skills Every Scientist Should Have
A little while back, Popular Mechanics published a list of 25 Skills Every Man Should Know. Seven of the 25 are car-related, another four have to do with construction, and an additional six are outdoorsy things. Of course, they also threw in “extend your wireless network,” for the nerds out there, but it does tend… Continue reading N Skills Every Scientist Should Have
DonorsChoose Payoff: Homework vs. Google
An anonymous donor cashes in a $30 donation to ask: Homework solutions from intro physics through grad school physics are available online, and while working through Jackson and Goldstein problems can be miserable without some guidance, the temptation is there to plagiarize. When you teach, do you use book-problems or write your own? Do you… Continue reading DonorsChoose Payoff: Homework vs. Google
Physics Nobel: Giant Magnetoresistance
Having gotten that silly Medicine business out of the way, the Swedish Academy has moved on to the important Award, with the 2007 Nobel Prize in Physics going to Albert Fert and Peter Grunberg for the discovery of Giant Magnetoresistance. This is one that people have been calling for for a while, now. I’ll try… Continue reading Physics Nobel: Giant Magnetoresistance
Guess the Nobel, Win a Prize
I somehow managed to lose track of time for a bit, and forgot that it was Nobel season until I saw this morning’s announcement that the 2007 Nobel Prize in Medicine hase just been announced, going to Mario R. Capecchi, Sir Martin J. Evans, and Oliver Smithies, for their discoveries of principles for introducing specific… Continue reading Guess the Nobel, Win a Prize