On the reader request thread, commenter Brad had several questions; one led to yesterday’s post about superconductors, another is a critical issue in pedagogy: Finally, why did all of my stat[istical] mech[anics] courses suck? Statistical Mechanics is the branch of physics that deals with building up macroscopic thermal properties of materials from a microscopic model… Continue reading Reader Request: What’s the Matter with Stat Mech?
Baez on Leggett on High-Temperature Superconductors
I had the tab open and everything, and still somehow forgot to include a link to John Baez’s blog post reporting on a talk by Tony Leggett which directly addresses some of the questions asked about yesterday’s superconductivity post. It’s about a talk called “Cuprate superconductivity: the current state of play” (“state of play” apparently… Continue reading Baez on Leggett on High-Temperature Superconductors
Links for 2010-08-04
The Virtuosi: Steak Dinner “I recently got a new digital meat thermometer. My plan was to slowly cook the steak until the internal temperature got to be about 140 degrees Fahrenheit with the oven at 200 degrees, take it out, wrap in tin foil, crank the oven to 500 degrees, stick it back in, and… Continue reading Links for 2010-08-04
Tuesday Toddler Blogging
SteelyKid’s second birthday is Saturday, so we’re getting her a few things. Given the recent video I posted, one of her presents was really obvious: As you can tell, she’s inherited her father’s skillset. If the dunk picture doesn’t convince you, this picture of her ace ball-handling ought to:
Virginia Heffernan Is Our Target Audience
There’s a great post at NeuroDojo on the Heffernan business this weekend, and what the take-away ought to be: Yeah, let’s criticize that she didn’t get past the first impression of science blogs. We should expect Heffernan to look before leaping – she writes for the Times, after all, which still has a certain reputation… Continue reading Virginia Heffernan Is Our Target Audience
How Do Superconductors Work?
In the reader request thread, Brad asks about superconductors: Why is a room temperature superconductor so hard? Why do things have to be cold for there to be no resistance (I can guess, but my knowledge of super conductors consists of the words “Cooper pairs” which does not get me very far.) Since next year… Continue reading How Do Superconductors Work?
Links for 2010-08-03
Scientopia A new non-profit science blog collective, including several people who left ScienceBlogs in Sodamageddon. (tags: science blogs internet academia) Experimental Error: Don’t Try This at Home – Science Careers – Biotech, Pharmaceutical, Faculty, Postdoc jobs on Science Careers “So if you’re Doktor Kaboom!, Professor Ker-Splat, or Nobel Laureate “I Didn’t Think It Would Blow… Continue reading Links for 2010-08-03
Quantum Measurement Lotto
Thoreau at Unqualified Offerings gets credit for inspiring two posts today with his proposed Murphy’s Law experiment and this one, about an unrelated issue in quantum measurement. This is an analogy suggested by a colleague a couple of years ago, comparing the projection of a quantum wavefunction in the measurement process to the lottery. The… Continue reading Quantum Measurement Lotto
Murphy Violation in Science
Over at Unqualified Offerings, Thoreau proposes an an experimental test of Murphy’s Law using the lottery. While amusing, it’s ultimately flawed– Murphy’s Law is something of the form: Anything that can go wrong, will. Accordingly, it can only properly be applied to situations in which there is a reasonable expectation of success, unless something goes… Continue reading Murphy Violation in Science
The Full Seminar Experience
Avi Steiner emailed me with a set of questions that are too good not to turn into a blog post: Being a math/science major at a small liberal arts college, I unfortunately never get the “full” experience of a math/science talk. Since I do plan on eventually attending grad school, I thought it might be… Continue reading The Full Seminar Experience