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Showing posts from November, 2018

Get Your Protons Right!

The atomic nucleus consists of protons in addition to neutrons. The protons in addition to neutrons are themselves made of 3 quarks each, held together past times gluons. That much is clear. But only how practice the gluons check the quarks together? The quarks in addition to gluons interact through the rigid nuclear force. The rigid nuclear forcefulness does non convey solely 1 accuse – similar electromagnetism – but 3 charges. The charges are called “colors” in addition to frequently assigned the values red, blue, in addition to green, but this is only a way to give names to mathematical properties. These colors convey nil to practice amongst the colors that nosotros tin see. Colors are a handy terminology because the charges blue, red, in addition to light-green tin combine to neutral (“white”) in addition to thence tin a color in addition to its anti-color (blue in addition to anti-blue, light-green in addition to anti-green, in addition to thence on). The rigid nuclear force

Merry Christmas!

We want you lot all happy holidays! Whether or non you lot celebrate Christmas, nosotros promise you lot convey a peaceful fourth dimension to relax and, if necessary, recover. I desire to purpose the chance to give cheers all of you lot for reading along, for giving me feedback, in addition to for precisely existence interested inwards scientific discipline inwards a fourth dimension when that doesn’t appear to hold upward normal anymore. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 exceptional “Thank you" to those who convey sent donations. It is reassuring to know that you lot value this blog. It encourages me to perish on my writing available hither for free. I’ll hold upward tied upward amongst solid unit of measurement trace of piece of employment concern during the coming calendar week – likewise the commons vacation festivities, the twins’ seventh birthday is coming upward – then blogging volition hold upward lean for roughly while.

Sometimes Ane Believe Inwards String Theory. Therefore Ane Wake Up.

They utter close me. Grumpy Rainbow Unicorn. [ Image Source. ] And I can’t blame them. Because cipher else is happening on this planet. There’s simply me in addition to my examine to convince physicists that beauty isn’t truth. Yes, I know it’s non much of an insight that pretty ideas aren’t ever correct. That’s why I objected when my editor suggested I championship my book “Why Beauty isn’t Truth.” Because, duh, it’s been said earlier in addition to if I wanted to live on stale I could convey written close how we’re all made of stardust, aah-choir, chimes, fade in addition to cut. Nature has no obligation to live on pretty, that much is sure. But the truth seems difficult to swallow. “Certainly she doesn’t hateful that,” they say. Or “She doesn’t know what she’s doing.” Then they explicate things to me. Because sure as shooting I didn’t hateful to tell that much of what goes on inwards the foundations of physics these days is a waste materials of time, did I? And fifty-fift

Me, Elsewhere

Beginning 2018, I volition no longer write for Ethan Siegel’s Forbes collection “Starts With a Bang.” Instead, I volition write a semi-regular column for Quanta Magazine , the commencement of which -- almost asymptotically security gravity -- appeared yesterday . In contrast to Forbes, Quanta Magazine keeps the copyright, which way that the articles I write for them volition non endure mirrored on this blog. You genuinely own got to larn over to their site to read them. But if you lot are interested inward the foundations of physics, own got my discussion that subscribing to Quanta Magazine is good worth your time, non then much because of me, merely because their staff writers own got so-far done an awesome chore to embrace relevant topics without succumbing to hype. I besides wrote a review of Jim Baggott’s majority “ Origins: The Scientific Story of Creation ” which appeared in the Jan resultant of Physics World . I much enjoyed Baggott’s writing too promptly bought roughly

Superfluid Nighttime Affair Gets Seriously Into Business

very nighttime fluid Most affair inwards the universe isn’t similar the materials nosotros are made of. Instead, it’s a thinly distributed, cold, medium which rarely interacts both amongst itself in addition to amongst other kinds of matter. It also doesn’t emit light, which is why physicists mention to it equally “dark matter.” Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 lately proposed idea, according to which nighttime affair may endure superfluid , has forthwith go to a greater extent than concrete, thank you lot to a novel newspaper past times Justin Khoury in addition to collaborators . Astrophysicists invented nighttime affair because a whole bunch of observations of the cosmos make non fit amongst Einstein’s theory of full general relativity. According to full general relativity, affair curves space-time and, inwards return, the curved shape dictates the motion of matter. Problem is, if you lot calculate the reply of space-time to all the affair nosotros know, in addition to so th

Book Review: “The Dialogues” Past Times Clifford Johnson

Clifford Johnson is a veteran of the scientific discipline blogosphere, a long-term survivor, around already when I began blogging together with 1 of the few still at it today . He is professor at the Department of Physics together with Astronomy at the University of Southern California (in LA). I had the pleasance of coming together Clifford inwards 2007 . Who’d bring idea dorsum together with thus that 10 years afterward nosotros would both move inwards the midst of publishing a pop scientific discipline book? Clifford’s majority was published past times MIT Press but 2 months ago. It’s titled The Dialogues: Conversations close the Nature of the Universe  and it’s non but a book, it’s a graphic novel! Yes, that’s right. Clifford doesn’t exclusively write, he too draws. His majority is a collection of curt stories which are by together with large physics-themed, but too deport upon overarching questions similar how does scientific discipline move or what’s the role of basic in

Pure Nerd Fun: The Grasshopper Problem

illustration of grasshopper. [image: awesomedude.com ] It’s a sunny afternoon inward July together with a grasshopper lands on your lawn. The lawn has an surface area of a foursquare meter. The grasshopper lands at a random house together with thus jumps xxx centimeters. Which cast must the lawn convey thus that the grasshopper is most probable to Earth on the lawn i time to a greater extent than afterward jumping? I know, sounds similar i of these contrived but irrelevant math problems that no i cares most unless yous tin dismiss acquire famous solving it. But the answer to this interrogation is to a greater extent than interesting than it seems. And it’s to a greater extent than most physics than it is most math or grasshoppers. It turns out the optimal cast of the lawn greatly depends on how far the grasshopper jumps compared to the foursquare root of the area. In my opening illustration this ratio would convey been 0.3, inward which instance the optimal lawn-shape looks

More Multiverse Madness

The “multiverse” – the sentiment that our universe is alone i of infinitely many – enjoys around credibility, at to the lowest degree inward the weirder corners of theoretical physics. But at that spot are skillful reasons to last skeptical, together with I’m hither to tell y'all all of them. Before nosotros acquire started, allow us last clear what nosotros are talking almost because at that spot isn’t alone i but multiple multiverses. The most commonly discussed ones are: (a) The many worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, (b) eternal inflation, together with (c) the string theory landscape. The many world’s interpretation is, guess what, an interpretation. At to the lowest degree to date, it makes no predictions that differ from other interpretations of quantum mechanics. So it’s upwards to y'all whether y'all believe it. And that’s all I receive got to tell almost this. Eternal inflation is an extrapolation of inflation, which is an extrapolation of the conco

Physics Facts Too Figures

Physics is old. Together alongside astronomy, it’s the oldest scientific discipline. And the historic menses shows. Compared to other scientific areas, physics is a piece of cake growing field. I learned this from a 2010 newspaper past times Larsen too van Ins . The authors counted the number of publications per scientific areas. In physics, the number of publications grows at an annual charge per unit of measurement of 3.8%. This way it currently takes xviii years for the trunk of physics literature to double. For comparison, the growth charge per unit of measurement for publications inwards electrical engineering scientific discipline too engineering is 9% (7.5%) too has a doubling fourth dimension of 8 years (9.6 years). The full number of scientific papers closely tracks the full number of authors, irrespective of discipline. The relation betwixt the 2 tin laissez passer on notice live on about fit past times a ability law, then that the number of papers is equal to the number o

Which Problems Brand Adept Enquiry Problems?

mini-problem [ answer here ] Scientists solve problems; that’s their job. But which problems are promising topics of research? This is the inquiry I laid out to respond inward Lost inward Math at to the lowest degree concerning the foundations of physics. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 first, rough, classification of enquiry problems tin forcefulness out endure made using Thomas Kuhn’s wheel of scientific theories. Kuhn’s wheel consists of a stage of “normal science” followed past times “crisis” leading to a image change, after which a novel stage of “normal science” begins. This grossly oversimplifies reality, but it volition endure expert plenty for what follows. Normal Problems During the stage of normal science, enquiry questions commonly tin forcefulness out endure phrased every bit “How create nosotros stair out this?” (for the experimentalists) or “How create nosotros calculate this?” (for the theorists). The Kuhn Cycle. [Img Src: thwink.org ] In the foundation

Book Update: Commencement Review!

The concluding proofs are done in addition to review copies were sent out. One of the happy receivers, Emmanuel Rayner, read the majority inside 2 days in addition to and so nosotros direct maintain a first review on Goodreads now . That’s non counting the two-star review past times soul who I am real certain hasn’t read the majority because he “reviewed” it earlier at that topographic point were review copies. Tells y'all all well-nigh online ratings y'all ask to know. The High German publisher, Fischer, is yet waiting for the concluding manuscript which has non yet left the United States of America publisher’s raise end. Fischer wants to larn started on the translation in addition to so that the High German edition appears inwards early on fall, but a few months later on than the United States of America edition. Since I larn this inquiry a lot, no, I volition non interpret the majority myself. To start with, it seemed similar a rather stupid affair to do, deal on transla

What Does It Hateful For String Theory That The Lhc Has Non Seen Supersymmetric Particles?

And what volition larn of supersymmetric string theory if Susy is bumped off ? — Suhail Manzoor (@suhailski) February 13, 2018 What are the consequences of no SUSY? — John Deer (@johnxdeer) February 13, 2018 The LHC information as well as thence far convey non revealed whatever evidence for supersymmetric particles, or whatever other novel particles. For all nosotros know at present, the measure model of particle physics suffices to explicate observations. There is some adventure that improve statistics which come upwardly amongst to a greater extent than information volition expose some less obvious signal, as well as thence the game isn’t yet over. But it’s non looking proficient for susy as well as her friends. Simulated dot of dark hole production as well as decay at the LHC. [Credits: CERN/ATLAS ] What are the consequences? The consequences for supersymmetry itself are few. The argue is that supersymmetry past times itself is non a really predi

Shut Upwards Together With Simulate. (In Which Ane Drive To Sympathize How Nighttime Affair Forms Galaxies, Together With Terminate Upwards Real Confused.)

Galactic structures. Illustris Simulation. [ Image Source ] Most of the majority inwards the universe isn’t a type of affair nosotros are familiar with. Instead, it’s a mysterious sort of “dark matter” that doesn’t emit or absorb light. It also interacts rarely both amongst itself in addition to amongst normal matter, likewise rarely to receive got left whatever line inwards our detectors. We know night affair is out in that place because nosotros encounter its gravitational pull. Without night matter, Einstein’s theory of full general relativity does non predict a universe that looks similar what nosotros see; neither galaxies, nor galaxy clusters, nor galactic filaments come upward out right. At to the lowest degree that’s what I used to think. But the large-scale construction nosotros honor inwards the universe also don’t come upward out correct with night matter. These are non calculations anyone tin attain amongst a pen on paper, so almost all of it is estimator simulat