Please see the attached list for new physics theory books received in the Central Library in February.

Just click on the book title to go straight to the library catalogue record to see if the item is on the shelves, if it isn’t you can place a hold on the item.

Do let Jenny know if you have any suggestions for titles to be purchased for either library.

New physics theory books, February 2010

Thanks to generous donations, the following books were added to the NCHS library collection in February:

Call Number: F N676d 2003	Taking Liberties, by Diana Norman She had been a dignified wife, ever mindful of her husband’s status, even if she could not respect the man. But when a letter arrives–on the day of the Earl’s funeral–asking her to find a young American captured in British waters, she feels free to respond, whatever her family’s opinion. Diana Stacpoole’s quest takes her to Plymouth, where she meets Makepeace Hedley, a very different woman who is trying to trace her daughter–a passenger on one of the captured ships. All the two women have in common is their search and their growing outrage at the conditions in which the captured Americans are kept, deprived of rights given to other prisoners of war. A remarkable friendship is born as they face social outrage, public scandal and even arrest, becoming embroiled with French prisoners, American escapers and English smugglers. [Description from WorldCat.org] (This book was the February selection of the NCHS Faculty Book Club.)
Call Number: REF 509.22 B355m 1994	American Women in Science: A Biographical Dictionary, by Martha J. Bailey Concise biographies of 400 accomplished women are included in this exceptional volume; together, they chronicle a distinguished record of achievement, characterized by fierce independence, steadfast perseverance, and sheer brilliance. [Description from front flap of book]
Call Number: REF 509.22 P678r 1994	The Biographical Dictionary of Scientists, 2nd Edition, edited by Roy Porter The Biographical Dictionary of Scientists offeres in one convenient volume over 1,200 comprehensive and accessible introductions to the visionary men and women of astronomy, chemistry, physics theory, biology, mathematics, engineering and technology, and geology. [Description from front flap of book]

This blog was created to document two things, and so far, I’ve only mentioned the first.  The second of these two objectives is the creation of a Time Machine. 

As for this post’s title, I’ve taken to calling Time the First Frontier.  This is for the following reason: Since serious philosophical and (proto)scientific inquiry began into the nature of things thousands of years ago, before we were even aware of outer space and the universe at large, the nature of Time has been given serious and constant attention.  And, unlike the nature of thought, belief, medicine, life, physics theory, geology, and astronomy, there has been little (if any) progress toward a greater understanding of Time since Aristotle.  Hence, I feel like Time has position.

The distance between time travel and space exploration may appear great, so one may be given to wonder why I’m pursuing both.  However, the divide is not so wide as it seems.  Given the insurmountable distances involved with the prospect of traveling between even the nearest stars, what is a starship but a time machine that moves?  …Something to think about.

In any event, since I’ve made a bit of progress on this front as well, (at least in a theoretical sense,) I figured I’d recap my work to date.

Back in High School, I was deep into familiarizing myself with Einstein’s Relativity.  Trolling the university library on the weekends, (when I wasn’t out hiking in Redrock Canyon,) I found that Special Relativity held specific interest to me because it defined every apparent impossible operation of the universe:  Light always travels the same speed even to different obververs moving at different speeds.  Time slows down as you approach the speed of light.  Light speed is a barrier to all movement.  The sequence of events in the universe can be variable. 

These were profound and confounding statements which no one seemed either to question or to fully understand.  Even into college, so-called “relativistic effects” were swept away as oddities experienced at extreme speed with no practical application to physics theory or our general understanding.  Something in my gut made me feel as though they couldn’t have been more wrong.

The most “advanced” academics in theoretical physics theory typically have said that Time does not, in effect, actually exist.  It’s an illusion, as are ideas of Doc Brown jumping into a nuclear-powered time-traveling automobile to change the past or future.  They have a point – it makes sense that time is just another measurement tool, like an inch or a pound.  I can’t hand you an inch or a pound, but we use them frequently.  Time, then, is the same, but instead of measuring length or weight, time measures causality.  It’s just something we invented to help quanitfy and measure the change that is ubiquitous in the Universe.

But there’s a problem.

I realized with clarity for the first time in the year 2000 that if the time experienced by something could change based upon how it moves, (as Relativity predicted and we subsequently measured,) then some part of time must exist.  In so many words, because Relativity works, Time cannot be completely illusory.

Thus I began the earliest stages of developing a new language of physics theory reodered with respect to Time.  I would come to call it Temporal Mechanics, which in a paper I published 6 years later would turn Special Relativity and the Twin Paradox on its head.

To be continued…

I haven’t uploaded all my lessons from this unit yet – I need some more time to make them pretty

Here’s the gist of the unit though, along with one of the lesson plans.

PRE-UNIT LESSON – Still part of the general wave mechanicss unit, this lesson discusses standing wave mechanicss and the Doppler Effect.

UNIT DAY 1 – Sound Intro: Includes discussion of Doppler Effect, sonic boom, sound traveling in a medium, and sound reflection (echo) if time allows.

UNIT DAY 2 – Standing wave mechanicss & Pitch

UNIT DAY 3 – Sound & wave mechanics Review: Give students time to cover sound reflection (echo) and diffraction before reviewing homework, packets from day 2, and a gallery walk with the KWL charts from wave mechanics unit.

UNIT DAY 4 – Quiz.

Since we did a comprehensive general wave mechanics unit, transferring that information to the sound unit was straightforward and we only needed a few days. Using the last day of the wave mechanics unit to create a seamless transition to sound was extremely helpful; students felt they had something to offer since we had already discussed Doppler Effect and Sonic Boom.

There’s no shortage of movies that play fast and loose with the laws of nature. One scientist is on a mission to fix these flaws, but will it really improve scientific literacy?

From SEED Magazine: 

One of the highlights of this year’s AAAS meeting (at least to someone following online) was a session called “Watching the Watchmen and Cheering the Heroes: The Science of Superheroes.” At its core was a panel moderated by Jennifer Ouellette, director of the Science and Entertainment Exchange, or SXE, an organization that aims to “bridge the gap” between fiction and non-fiction. Writers and directors get help on source material from scientists, who in turn have an opportunity to connect their areas of expertise with general audiences. 

Of the panelists, the one who made the biggest impression outside the science community was Sidney Perkowitz, a physics theory professor at Emory and a member of SXE. In an effort to bolster the public’s understanding of science and respect for scientists, Perkowitz has developed a highly quotable rule of thumb for their depiction in cinema: “one big scientific blunder in a given film.”

Of course, this rule could be seen as an example of science’s public relations problem. From an insiders’ perspective, this is a professional defending his turf from exploitation and perversion. But from an outsider’s perspective, this is an egghead who only deigns to come down from the ivory tower to throw a wet blanket over the entire concept of fiction. You mean Spiderman catching Mary Jane a second before she hits the pavement would do as much damage as just letting her fall? Where’s the fun in that?

Ouellette gives a recap of the panel at her group blog, Cocktail Party physics theory, where she says Perkowitz’s position has been blown out of proportion somewhat. The main idea is consistency and plausibility of the premise, rather than breaking out a protractor every time someone fires a gun, as these guys might. Singled out were the giant bugs of Starship Troopers who would collapse under their own weight, and the instant ice age of The Day After Tomorrow.

Science fiction fans will recognize this as a variant of the “hard versus soft” debate…(continue)

You are so gonna love this. Yes, I mean you. H/T to Max Evry.

The Earth’s Rotation

You may have heard by now that the Earth’s rotation probably sped up 1.2 microseconds due to the Chilean quake. It also increased after the Sumatran quake by 6.8 microseconds. Essentially, this means that today will be 8 microseconds shorter than this same day in 2003.

The Nazca plate is all kinds of trouble

Why? The mass of the earth changed, displacing to the north and south axis as the Nazca plate jammed itself under the South American plate. More mass displaced vertically means faster rotation. The local news, surprisingly, described it well by comparing it to an effect ice skaters experience: spinning with your arms out is slower than spinning with your arms tucked in. Earth is spinning with an arm in. (Or, more realistically, a toe)

These quakes also changed the tilt of the Earth’s axis, but I haven’t done any research on that so I’ll move on.

North and South (Magnetic) Poles

We all know that a compass will always point to magnetic north.

The only problem is, magnetic north is shifting rapidly towards Siberian Russia at 25 miles per year. I don’t know if you know this, but the magnetic poles have flipped some 400 times in the last 330 million years. Each flip takes approximately 1000 years to complete, and our magnetic north has been travelling from Arctic Canada towards Siberia since 1905. Just something to think about.

Google Image search "magnetic pole shift" and you get a bunch of gobbledygook.

Gravity is a Constant

Anyone who has ever taken a physics theory class knows that gravity is a constant (G).

Remember this one?

Except, it’s not. In 2001 a gravitational map was released to the world by nefarious gravitational scientists that showed gravity actually fluctuates. A spot off the coast of India had the least of it, and a place in the South Pacific has the most.

(NB: This finding fueled my “there was just less gravity at that time” answer to why dinosaurs were so big, how people made Stonehenge, and why walking to work is so much more tiring now than it was 5 years ago.)

Your Safety

I think it’s fair to say that we all consider ourselves safe on this little planet we call home. Barring a giant asteroid collision or the sun exploding, we’re pretty content to let the Earth’s various processes continue.  Oh, but you’re ignoring the risk of the cosmic ray.

Artist's rendition

Did you know that a cosmic ray (a single particle traveling at light speed) can whip through your body and actually tear holes in your DNA? I am not kidding; it’s a major risk for manned space projects.

For the time being, those of us on the Earth’s surface are mostly protected from cosmic rays by the Earth’s atmosphere and magnetic field and by the Sun’s magnetic field. If you’re flying, you’re at a higher risk because cosmic radiation exposure increases as altitude increases. This is so serious that it is addressed by the World Health Organization.

Don't fly from Bangkok to Washington

Enjoy this information. You night want to think about quitting your Very Important Salesman Job.

In conclusion, I like this feature so you can expect more of this in the future.

It’s a great day today too.

We are celebrating the birthday of our go-to physics theory Guy and dear friend, Patrik Norqvist. We can’t afford a cake so I am instead preparing a song to perform for him the next time he comes by.

It’s going to be amazing.

Happy Birthday! Hope to see you soon!

Climate change is a scam, we all know that. Some of us that are brighter than most had it figured out from day one. Still, there are kooks that believe in it.

In a post a couple of months ago when the house of cards was beginning to fall apart, I actually had one person comment and say something to the effect of,”Over 30,000 scientists signed on to a petition stating there is climate change and it does pose a problem.” I laughed my ass off and had to humiliate him in public. He was referring to the petition signed by 31,484 scientists (at last count) that do not believe in climate change. He had it reversed! Now do you see how the term “climate kooks” fits? They’re completely ignorant of facts, let alone real science.

I wonder if that clown is going to declare “opposite day” with this next bit of information I’m going to pass along to you (since the media won’t). First off, we’ll start with my chosen profession.

The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) has submitted an encouraging statement to the U.K. Parliamentary committee investigating the ClimateGate: (LINK)

In this statement, the institution with 46,000 members says that it is essential for science – and the public’s confidence in science – that the data are available, research may be and is reproduced, and peer review is impartial.

Then on Saturday, the Institue of physics theory one upped the chemists:

On Saturday, The Institute of physics theory, a scientific charity with 36,000 members, submitted an even more stringent document to the same committee in which it states that unless the correspondence from the ClimateGate is a forgery – which it’s surely not – it de facto proves that their scientific work in the climate science was fraudulent.

The kooks need to understand. It’s over.

Perquisite: privilege, gain, or profit incidental to regular salary or wages. [Merriam-Webster]

With emphasis on the “privilege”, the National Security Fellows get to meet a broad spectrum of people through our association with the Hoover Institution.  One of those individuals is Dr. Sidney Drell, a legendary theoretical physicist who has brought his considerable expertise to bear on a joint project aimed at a “world free of nuclear weapons”.  He’s one of the “four horsemen” in the effort, joining company with George Shultz, William Perry and Sam Nunn.  Dr. Drell was a physics theory student at Princeton when the first atomic bomb was dropped.  On hearing the news, one of his professors at the time said he hoped they had built a second weapon so they could put all of the scientists who built the first bomb on an island and drop it on them.  Since those early days, his work has been interleaved with the business and policies of nuclear security. Dr. Drell was gracious enough to set us up to visit to the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.

We were hosted by the Director of SLAC…who just happens to be his daughter, a respected particle physicist in her own right.  Dr. Persis Drell, like her father, is a tremendously personable and articulate leader.  She’s had a huge job of steering SLAC in a new direction and expertly shepherded a talented workforce through the changes that come with new vision and new priorities.

SLAC Research Yard

Now, being a liberally trained International Affairs bachelor artist from Nebraska, I can’t even pretend to tell you I know the whole of what goes on in the tunnels and galleries of the accelerator labs.  Suffice it to say, they’ve been working hard for decades to figure out what the universe is made of and what forces are acting upon all of that stuff.  While much of their work is aimed at increasing our understanding of the universe, it has little direct effect on your quality of life.  So why should you feed it with billions of your tax dollars?  In the exploration, in the discovery and in the drive to achieve both, there are tremendous spin-offs that do benefit all of us. SLAC’s latest project has a lot of promise.  They successfully lit off the world’s first hard x-ray laser just a few months ago.  Electrons are accelerated along a 2-mile linear path.  Towards the end, they go through an “undulator” which is a set of magnets that turns that stream into a coordinated beam of x-ray light.  So?  By blasting this laser at a sample, they expect to be able to make stop-motion movies.  At the atomic and molecular level.  Yeah, WOW.  They’ll be able to watch chemical reactions at the molecular level.  It could actually mean tremendous breakthroughs in the bio-sciences because they would be able to look at the shape and composition of a virus.  Virus’ forms often imply function.  By knowing the form of the virus, you can more effectively counter it.  Who knows, maybe it’ll cure the common cold!

How fast will it pop my bag of popcorn?

About 15 years ago, physicists thought they had the world universe pretty well suitcased, with good definitions and understanding of subatomic particles and all of the known forces.  As they’ve sized the universe up, they’ve come to the stark realization that they’ve really only nailed down about 4% of “what’s out there”.  About 20% of the universe is composed of dark matter and the rest is “dark energy“.  On the plus side, it looks like the physicists and astronomers won’t run out of work any time soon.  There’s no negative side.

During our tour, we were able to visit the Klystron Gallery, which is the ground-level building that provides all of the radio wave mechanics energy to the accelerator 30-feet below.  We also visited the undulator room where the x-ray magic happens.  Nothing was turned on, so it was all just an impressive display of static, very complex machinery.  Neat to see, but it was really the unseen that made the impact (pun intended).  What did I take away from today’s field trip?

• Partnerships between Government and Academia can do some seriously big things for the greater good.  It’s one of the USA’s major strengths.  Don’t lose it.
• Never base your ROI solely on direct effects.  The true ROI may be in the second and third order effects, aka spin-offs.
• We can never have too many scientists or engineers. We need people who DO. Just because you hated math or science as a kid, don’t will that to YOUR kids.  Anyone can do it and you probably had an ineffective teacher.
• Don’t be satisfied with what you know.  There’s always more!