A continuation of the lecture transcription/ working out of idea for Boskone that I started in the previous post. There’s a greater chance that I say something stupid about quantum measurement in this part, but you’ll have to look below the fold to find out…
Category: Science
Notes Toward “Weird Quantum Phenomenon”
I’m teaching our sophomore-level modern physics course this term, which goes by the title “Relativity, Quantum Mechanics, and Their Applications.” The first mid-term was a couple of weeks ago, on Relativity (special, not general), and the second mid-term is tomorrow, on Quantum Mechanics, and then we get three weeks of applications (basically, whatever topics out… Continue reading Notes Toward “Weird Quantum Phenomenon”
We Have Met the Enemy and He Is Us
In a comment to the AP post, “hogeb” asks an excellent question about pedagogy: I’d like to enlist your advise and the advise of any readers who can provide it. I teach physical science to pre-service elementary school teachers. I try to elucidate the somewhat subtle differences between the application of a force and the… Continue reading We Have Met the Enemy and He Is Us
Physics Blog Notes
There was an article about physics blogs a little while back in Physics World, that didn’t mention me by name, but did link to the Steelypips site. It mostly talks up the informal information exchange side of things. In that spirit, here are some things I found via physics blog (mostly through Mixed States (after… Continue reading Physics Blog Notes
The String Theory of Other Sciences
I realized the other day that since moving to ScienceBlogs, I’m turning into John Scalzi (Does my new body have a brand name?), what with all the posting of cute images (and spending an inordinate amount of time taking pictures with an eye toward posting them), and assigning other bloggers homework. If I had a… Continue reading The String Theory of Other Sciences
Top Eleven: Michelson and Morley
The next experiment in the Top Eleven is probably the most famous failed experiment of all time. Who: Albert Michelson (1852-1931) and Edward Morley (1838-1923), American physicists. When: Their first results were reported in 1887. What: The famous Michelson-Morley experiment, which tried and failed to detect the motion of the Earth through the “luminiferous aether.”… Continue reading Top Eleven: Michelson and Morley
Accentuate the Positive
Via Kieran Healy an example of the happy coexistence of science and religion: The Vatican Observatory. I particularly like Kieran’s comment regarding the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope: I think that’s just fantastic–like something out of Phillip Pullman. Is it too much to hope for the Vatican Superconducting Supercollider, which would once and for all resolve… Continue reading Accentuate the Positive
CFP: Least Favorite Misconceptions
I should probably stick to doing only one audience-participation thing at a time (there are more Top Eleven posts on the way), but it’s a busy week for me at work, and I’m not really going to have time to post a lot of long articles, so there will be a few “talk among yourselves”… Continue reading CFP: Least Favorite Misconceptions
Top Eleven: Michael Faraday
Next up in the Top Eleven is a man who is largely responsible for the fact that we have electricity to run the computer you’re using to read this. Who: Michael Faraday (1791-1867) a poor and self-educated British scientist who rose to become one of the greatest physicists of the 19th Century. When: Around 1831.… Continue reading Top Eleven: Michael Faraday
How to Tell a True Lab Story
This is true. A guy I knew in graduate school, he had a buddy who was working late in the lab one night. He was all alone, and he got a little bored, so he took a two-liter soda bottle, and he filled it halfway up with liquid nitrogen. Then he screwed the cap on… Continue reading How to Tell a True Lab Story