Remember the conservation-of-momentum problem you did in 1st semester physics, where the projectile breaks into two pieces at the apex of its flight? Now multiply by Avogadro’s number (and then an additional order of magnitude or more)
Momentum’s conserved, even in slo-mo.
Brian Greene Op-Ed in the NY Times, on science and science education. Put a Little Science in Your Life
But here’s the thing. The reason science really matters runs deeper still. Science is a way of life. Science is a perspective. Science is the process that takes us from confusion to understanding in a manner that’s precise, predictive and reliable — a transformation, for those lucky enough to experience it, that is empowering and emotional. To be able to think through and grasp explanations — for everything from why the sky is blue to how life formed on earth — not because they are declared dogma but rather because they reveal patterns confirmed by experiment and observation, is one of the most precious of human experiences.
The 2008 “Classic Science Papers” Challenge is done. Thanks to gg for coming up with the idea, and making the list of all the posts. I’ve still got one installment left to do, on a second paper, which I should be able to finish up shortly.
Guitarist Bo Diddley dies at 79
“This distinctive, African-based … rhythm pattern (which goes bomp-bomp-bomp bomp-bomp) was picked up by other artists and has been a distinctive and recurring element in rock ‘n’ roll through the decades,” according to the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame.
Guitarist George Thorogood, a Diddley disciple, put it more bluntly.
“[Chuck Berry’s] ‘Maybellene’ is a country song sped up,” Thorogood told Rolling Stone in 2005. ” ‘Johnny B. Goode’ is blues sped up. But you listen to ‘Bo Diddley,’ and you say, ‘What in the Jesus is that?’ ”
bomp-bomp-bomp bomp-bomp. Oh, yeah. Write it, baby!
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Okay, that makes three.
“Magnifier bar” for reading small print. It’s a cylindrical lens, so there’s astigmatism, aberration, and some off-axis distortion. With graph paper, it’s sufficient to distract a physicist, if that’s what your evil plan requires.
