Abstract This paper looks at the way Alan Lightman's novel, "Einstein' Dreams", handles Einstein's theory of the relativity of time, mainly the "elasticity" of time. The paper discusses this in terms of how it relates to adult cognitive development.
From the Paper "Alan Lightman's book "Einstein's Dreams" is a novel that plays with Einstein's theory of the relativity of time. There is a proverb that says "a watched pot never boils". It requires some level of cognitive development to understand this proverb. It does not mean that the water in the pot will never boil. Depending on the level of heat applied to the pot, the water could boil in as quick a time as three minutes. However, for someone who stands over the pot and ..."
Tags: developmental psychology, Alan Lightman, Einstein's Dreams
Abstract This paper covers the following six topics: 1. identity determined from density. 2. changes of speed and motion of molecules with state change. 3. theory of structure of atom. 4. periodic table vs alphabetical listing of elements. 5. mass nos, moles. 6. Henry's law.
From the Paper "Density can be used to identify a substance. It could be used to determine if a sample of gold-colored metal is in fact gold. Archimedes used the concept of density to identify substances. Density is a physical property of a substance which describes the degree of compactness of the substance, i.e., how close together the atoms are packed. The density of a substance is the ratio of an object's mass to its volume."
Tags: density, atomic theory, changes of state, periodic table, moles, Henry's law
Abstract This paper presents a scientific description of nanotechnology and a review of its current applications. More specifically, the paper examines applications of nanotechnology in the automobile manufacturing industry and associated industries, discussing the advantages of the technology as well as its uses and potential uses.
From the Paper "This research examines the uses and potential uses of nanotechnology in the automobile manufacturing industry. The examination includes a background review of nanotechnology and its emergence. The examination of the use of nanotechnology in the automobile manufacturing industry also covers applications by suppliers' companies in the broader automotive manufacturing sector. Nanotechnology is at the point of convergence of chemistry and physics which together produce more complex molecular structures and electronics with a focus on the..."
Abstract This paper looks at the Newtonian Universe, laws of gravity, the development of calculus, the laws of motion and the idea of the clockwork universe.
From the Paper "Sir Isaac Newton was considered by many the most important figure in the development of modern science, and his accomplishments covered a broad scope, from fundamental contributions to physics and astronomy, to the invention in parallel with Liebnitz of the mathematical field of calculus and Newtonian mechanics which came to be regarded as the ultimate explanatory science. Sir Isaac Newton changed the understanding of the universe with his three laws of motion."
Tags: gravity, clockwork universe, calculus, laws of motion
Abstract In this article the writer discusses the air disaster involving Japan Airlines Flight 123, which crashed in 1985. The writer examines details of the Boeing flight, including intended flight path and plane information. Further, the writer provides a detailed analysis of the causes of the crash. In this paper, the findings of various federal organizations are also included.
From the Paper "The last minutes of Japan Airlines Flight 123 from Tokyo have been the subject of intense debate since the Boeing crashed on August 1985. It remains to date the worst single plane air crash in history. Twelve minutes into a domestic run from Haneda Airport Tokyo to Osaka Flight 123 experienced every pilot and passenger's nightmare: a total loss of hydraulic pressure, as well as tail control, surfaces which rendered the piloting controls useless. The plane was out of control ... "
Abstract This paper explores the fate of the universe. The writer looks back to the origins of the universe to see how it all started and what has been happening since then. In this article the writer explores some of the predictions for the future, the main one of which is that the universe will go on expanding forever.
From the Paper "Before one can speculate on the fate of the universe, one must first look back to how it began. The modern version of the 'Big Bang' theory is that a massive explosion created all the mass and energy in the universe and also the fabric of time-space, which inflated rapidly after the big bang but then slowed down and the universe cooled down. The temperature dropped within minutes and free-roaming quarks formed protons and neutrons, some of which coalesced into the nuclei of simple elements."
Tags: Big Bang, Big Splat, Big Rip, cosmological constant, neutrinos, gravity
Abstract This paper summarizes the steps of the scientific method. In this article, the writer offers an example of scientific method through the discussion of an experiment conducted using such method. In the second part, the paper explains the differences between living and non living things. The writer also discusses why some people believe that fire is a living thing. The writer concludes by explaining why fire is not living.
From the Paper "The scientific method is a method of analyzing a scientific problem in a systematic way. In this method the scientist does not make assumptions, leap to conclusions, or make decisions based on feeling. This method is strictly based on observable facts. The five basic steps to the scientific method are research problem hypothesis problem, experimentation and project conclusion. To initiate an investigation, the scientist first selects a project topic to investigate. Then he researches it by collecting information on it from a variety of sources ... "
Tags: biology, scientific method, living things, nonliving things, fire
Abstract In this article, the writer offers a definition of the process of osmosis. The writer answers specific questions on the effect on cells of osmotic pressure. The writer then discusses the transport of large molecules into cells. In this paper, the writer examines thermodynamics and enzymes. The writer alos presents technical information in this regard.
From the Paper "Osmosis is the process of diffusion of water molecules across a membrane. The contents of cells are basically solutions of many different solutes and the more concentrated this solution is the more solute molecules there are in a given volume and the less water molecules. Water molecules can diffuse freely across a membrane but only down a concentration gradient so water always diffuses from a dilute solution to a more concentrated solution. Osmosis can be quantified using water potential so it is possible to calculate ... "
Tags: osmotic pressure, thermodynamics, enzymes, transport into cells
Abstract This paper discusses Nikola Tesla's production of electricity from the Niagara Falls. The writer looks at Tesla's invention of the Tesla coil. Further, the writer examines the inventions of neon and fluorescent lighting and x-rays. This paper also discusses the creation of the "death beam" - a charged particle beam weapon.
From the Paper "Americans had longed dreamed of harnessing the power of Niagara Falls, but schemes for extracting power from the Falls never materialized. Tesla had dreamed since childhood of harnessing the power of Niagara and this dream came true when Westinghouse was awarded the contract for creating a powerhouse there. The Niagara Falls Power Project came as a result of a failed competition led by the Niagara Falls Commission, charged with planning the power project. They had solicited proposals from experts from around the world but rejected all ..."
Abstract This paper explains that William Bradford Shockley, John Bardeen and Walter Houser Brattain were given the 1956 Nobel prize winners in physics for their research on semiconductors and their discovery of the transistor effect, which started the development of presnet-day communications. The author points out that William Shockley's speech at the giving of the Nobel Prize stressed that some important segments of United States industry, such as Bell Laboratories from where two of the three Nobel Laureates came, believed in the theory that research of a fundamental character is important from a practical aspect. The paper describes the process of research that led to these discoveries.
From the Paper "In his own life, he had been asked many times whether the experiment that he had planned was pure or applied research. At the same time, for the research scientist it was probably more important to know whether the particular piece of research will provide some more useful and lasting knowledge about nature. According to his opinion, if any such knowledge was possible, then the particular research should be classified as fundamental research and it did not matter whether the reasons for undertaking the research was purely personal motivation or with any other view."
Abstract This paper explains that there are several different types of atomic force microscopes, which are used at very close ranges and without a lens, that operate by measuring a local property, whether height, optical absorption or magnetism, by using a probe placed very close to the sample. The author points out that AFMs constitute a subset within the larger group known as scanning-probe microscopes, which can utilize many different types of tips. The paper relates that the accuracy of the AFM depends on the state of the tip and a worn tip can produce blurred images resulting in the recent development of an automatic tip evaluation system showing when the tip needs to be replaced.
From the Paper "Kevin Kjoller considers how to measure the true resolving power of an atomic force microscope, noting first that resolution means the same as it does for an optical microscope, meaning the minimum distance between two adjacent objects that a microscope can identify as separate. Kjoller complains that most manufacturers substitute some meaningless term for resolution and ignore the reality. Several issues need to be considered, such as the size of the probe and three types of limiting noise, electrical, mechanical, and acoustic. Kjoller defines electrical noise as "the sum of the thermal and operating noise from all components inside the AFM electronics, including any noise due to cross-talk and less-than-optimal grouping.""
Abstract In this article, the writer discusses the notion of the 24-hour period used in the day/night cycle. The writer explains that this cycle began in ancient Egypt, while the sixty divisions of degrees, minutes and seconds is derived from the number system based on sixty (sexagesimal) of the Mesopotamians. The writer examines this approach to dividing the day and night into like segments. Further, the writer looks at ancient peoples' observations about the motion of the sun and discusses how this ultimately results in the system that is used to measure angles today.
From the Paper "Given its ancient origins, the reason angles are measured in degrees, minutes and seconds today has likewise been forgotten by many modern observers. In fact, the basis for this method was developed almost five thousand years ago in Sumeria based on their use of sundials to track time. In her book, Time's Pendulum: The Quest to Capture Time -- from Sundials to Atomic Clocks, Jo Ellen Barnett reports that the convention of the 24-hour period used in the day/night cycle began in ancient Egypt, while the sixty divisions of degrees, minutes and seconds is derived from the number system based on sixty (sexagesimal) of the Mesopotamians; because the Mesopotamians had not yet invented fractional numbers, they preferred whole numbers which could be divided in several different ways, and the number 60 can be evenly divided by 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 15, 20, and 30."
Abstract This paper examines the confluence of human imagination and scientific inquiry that informed the work of Albert Einstein. The author notes that Einstein's imagination, which made him appear like a distracted, daydreaming and unpromising child and young adult, was vitally important in allowing him to unlock the answers to questions that had dogged scientists for generations. The paper explores the stunning impact of Einstein's Annus Mirabilis.
From the Paper "Whether he desired it or not, Albert Einstein's name has become irrevocably linked with physics in the Twentieth Century. The reason for this, of course, is Einstein's Theory of Relativity, which, when first conceived early in the Twentieth Century, changed profoundly how man viewed the world and universe around him. This paper takes the opportunity to explore the stunning impact of Einstein's Annus Mirabilis and, much more importantly, emphasize how Einstein's oft-misunderstood creativity - a creativity that was confused with aimlessness by his elementary school educators and university instructors alike - was at the heart of his mathematical genius."
Abstract This paper suggests that the development of the atomic bomb is arguably the most important technical innovation of the twentieth century. The author explains the technical achievement of the atomic bomb. The paper examines some of its socio-cultural effects, namely creating a world in which the end of all human civilization became a real possibility.
From the Paper "There will be no argument that the 20th century had been characterized by incredible technical innovation and invention. Perhaps more so than any century previously, the 20th century was a particularly ripe period for technology. At a rapidly accelerating pace, it seemed that inventors were creating new technologies that were important - and seemingly indispensable - the world over. However, there was one specific technological development during the 20th century whose development should be understood as more important and influential than the rest."
Abstract This paper explains Isaac Newton's stature as the central figure in the cultural phenomena of Newtonianism. The author points out that it is evident that Newton's role in popular culture has been defined primarily through the greater but often superficial popular understanding of science, which his contributions to science generated in the public consciousness. The paper relates that, for example, while the primary thrust of Newton's published theory of matter has always been reasonably understood, a number of misinterpretations and distortions have arisen, which have had both scientific and cultural consequences.
From the Paper "In analyzing Isaac Newton's stature as the central figure in the cultural phenomena of Newtonianism, it is evident that Newton's role in popular culture has been defined primarily through the greater but often superficial popular understanding of science that his contributions to science generated in the public consciousness. For example, while the, "primary thrust of Newton's published theory of matter has always been reasonably understood," a number of "misinterpretations and distortions" have arisen, (Dobbs 2) which have had both scientific and cultural consequences."
