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Physics, Politics, Pop Culture
"Uncertain Principles" features the miscellaneous ramblings of a physicist at a small liberal arts college. Physics, politics, pop culture, and occasional conversations with his dog.
You've read the blog, now try the book: How to Teach Physics to Your Dog will be published December 22nd by Scribner.
"Prof. Orzel gives the impression of an everyday guy who just happens to have a vast but hidden knowledge of physics." (anonymous student evaluation comment)
Emmy is a German Shepherd mix, and the Queen of Niskayuna. She likes treats, walks, chasing bunnies, and quantum physics.
Category: Publicity
The official release date for How to Teach Physics to Your Dog is exactly four weeks from today. So here's a dramatic reading of Chapter 3 to mark the occasion: I've put this up before, but I edited it to...
Posted by Chad Orzel at 11:51 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Book Writing
Look! How to Teach Physics to Your Dog is a real book: Emmy says, very seriously, "You will buy a copy, won't you?" Of course, like everything else in this house, SteelyKid had to grab a copy:...
Posted by Chad Orzel at 6:22 PM • 14 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Publicity
It's not often that I regret having a cell phone that is just a phone, but this is one of those occasions-- I stopped by my publisher today to talk about marketing and publicity, and record a video for the...
Posted by Chad Orzel at 3:52 PM • 9 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Physics
As every physics-loving dog knows, the idea that electrons behave like waves was first suggested by Loius Victor Pierre Raymond de Broglie (the 7th duc de Broglie) in 1923. The proper pronunciation of his surname is a mystery even to...
Posted by Chad Orzel at 10:17 AM • 15 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Physics
Belichick's problem is one that's well known to quantum mechanics. His decision to go for it increased his team's chances of winning, but the actual outcome of the game was still probabilistic-- no matter what he did, the result would come down to chance. And there's no way to get information about probability from a single measurement.
Posted by Chad Orzel at 8:51 AM • 10 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Physics
There's been an independent rediscovery of the notion of using dogs to explain physics, as you can see in this YouTube video of Golden Retrievers explaining the structure of atoms: Emmy thinks she should get royalties, in the form of...
Posted by Chad Orzel at 8:04 AM • 8 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Quantum Computing
Today's Quantum Optics lecture is about quantum computing experiments, and how different types of systems stack up. Quantum computing, as you probably know if you're reading this blog, is based on building a computer whose "bits" can not only take...
Posted by Chad Orzel at 8:50 AM • 14 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Science
It's not getting as much press as the "X Prize" for private rocket launches, but NASA has quietly been running a contest for work toward a "space elevator," offering up to $2 million for a scheme to transmit power to...
Posted by Chad Orzel at 8:45 AM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Science
We're going to host the New York Section meeting of the American Physical Society next spring (joint with the New England Section, which will tax our resources), with the theme of the meeting being applications of nuclear physics. We've divided...
Posted by Chad Orzel at 2:13 PM • 10 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Publicity
... until the release of How to Teach Physics to Your Dog. The official release is set for December 22nd, though the books are set to start printing in about three weeks. Exciting, isn't it? Are you excited about the...
Posted by Chad Orzel at 8:54 AM • 6 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
