Category Archives: Science

Maths and physics visualizations

Lucas Vieira Barbosa: “Below is a mostly comprehensive gallery of all images — illustrations, diagrams and animations — that I have created for Wikipedia over the years, some of which have been selected as featured pictures, or even picture of the day. As you’ll probably notice, they’re mostly related to physics and mathematics, which are my main areas of interest.”

See for example the sine curve drawing process, cosine, sine and the unit circle, coupled oscillators. I often use these in my lessons, but have usually drawn them on the (chalk)board. My school is getting interactive whiteboards in more classrooms now, so these animations will come in very handy.

Matt Henderson publishes his animations on his Math and Science Blog matthen. Did you know that The focus of a rolling parabola traces out a catenary, the curve of a hanging chain held by its ends?

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Uut, Uup, Uus, Uuo

NPR: 4 New Elements Are Added To the Periodic Table.

“For now, they’re known by working names, like ununseptium and ununtrium – two of the four new chemical elements whose discovery has been officially verified. The elements with atomic numbers 113, 115, 117 and 118 will get permanent names soon, according to the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry.”

Die Zeit: Uut, Uup, Uus, Uuo – was? “Es beginnt mit H und endet nun offiziell auf Uuo: Das Periodensystem der Elemente – die liebste Tabelle der Chemiker – ist um vier Einträge reicher. Darunter: Ununoctium.” Von Alina Schadwinkel.

Richard shared a photon with you!

MetaFilter: Let’s draw Feynman diagrams! (Part 1 of 20) You do not need to know any fancy-schmancy math or physics to do this! That’s right. I know a lot of people are intimidated by physics: don’t be! Today there will be no equations, just non-threatening squiggly lines. Even school children can learn how to draw Feynman diagrams (and, I hope, some cool science). Particle physics: fun for the whole family.
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Fly me to the moon

Apollo 17 – The Last Mission to the Moon
“A real-time journey through the Apollo 17 mission” – over 300 hours of audio, 22 hours of video, and 4,200 photos. You can start at one minute to launch or follow in real-time 43 years later to the second.

Apollo 17 was the final mission of NASA’s Apollo program, launching on December 7th, 1972 and landing on Earth on December 19, 1972.

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The Pale Blue Dot & Beyond

Gestern habe ich eine Folge von Mensch Otto Bayern 3 gehört, in der Thorsten Otto die Astrophysikerin Lisa Kaltenegger interviewt:

Mensch Otto, Sendung vom 05.11.2015 mit Lisa Kaltenegger (MP3).

“Ihre Spezialität sind Exoplaneten, Exomonde und Supererden. Was dem einen völlig Spanisch vorkommt, ist für die österreichische Forscherin die große Leidenschaft. Für sie ist das Weltall ein einziges Geheimnis, das es zu entschlüsseln gilt. Und eine der spannendsten Fragen ist für sie, ob wir Menschen allein im Universum sind. „Jetzt, in diesen Jahren, ist die Technologie so weit, dass wir nach Planeten wie unserer Erde im All Ausschau halten können und Signale dieser Welten auffangen“, sagt Kaltenegger. Schon mit 27 Jahren forschte und unterrichtete die an der Harvard University, inzwischen arbeitet sie unter anderem für die NASA.”

Eingeladen wurde sie u. a. deshalb, weil wenige Tage zuvor ihr populärwissenschaftliches Buch Sind wir allein im Universum?: Meine Spurensuche im All erschienen ist.

Lisa Kaltenegger is Associate Professor of Astronomy, Director of the Carl Sagan Institute at Cornell University. The Carl Sagan Institute, aka Institute for Pale Blue Dots, …

“… was founded in 2015 at Cornell University to explore other worlds – how they form, evolve and if they could harbor life both inside and outside of our own Solar System. Directed by astronomer Lisa Kaltenegger, the Institute has built an entirely new research group, spanning 6 departments and including more than 20 faculty who focus on the search for life in the universe.”

Videos of the inauguration speeches by Lisa Kaltenegger, Ann Druyan, and others can be found here: (un)Discovered Worlds: Inauguration of the Carl Sagan Institute.

Kalteneggers talk A Thousand New Worlds is available on YouTube:

“Lisa Kaltenegger, director of the Carl Sagan Institute and associate professor of astronomy at Cornell, has been examining alien worlds for biosignatures–the pre-conditions and indications of life. Here she shares her research on potentially habitable planets beyond our solar system. Recorded July 8, 2015 as part of the School of Continuing Education and Summer Sessions summer lecture series.”