Now on ScienceBlogs: The Galaxy's Biggest Valentine
Thoughts on physics, politics, and pop culture, by a physics professor at a small liberal arts college, plus occasional conversations with his dog.
You've read the blog, now try the books! How to Teach Physics to Your Dog is published by Scribner, and available wherever books are sold. How to Teach Relativity to Your Dog is published by Basic Books and will be available 2/28/2012, as foretold by the Maya.
"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.
"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: Advent
Yesterday's equation was the first real result of quantum theory, Max Planck's formula for the black-body spectrum. Planck never really liked the quantum basis of it, though, and preferred to think of it as just a calculational trick. It wasn't...
Posted by Chad Orzel at 10:39 AM • 7 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Advent
Moving along in our countdown to Newton's birthday, we come to 1900, and one of the most revolutionary moment in the history of physics, represented in today's equation: This is Max Planck's formula for the spectrum of the "black-body" radiation...
Posted by Chad Orzel at 9:50 AM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: ResearchBlogging
It's been a while since I did any ResearchBlogging, first because I was trying to get some papers of my own written, and then because I was frantically preparing for my classes this term (which start Wednesday). I've piled up...
Posted by Chad Orzel at 10:29 AM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Physics
The final content area from my DAMOP overview is Precision Measurement. This is also the smallest area, with only one invited session on the topic on Fundamental Symmetry Tests, though two of the "Hot Topics" talks (by Zheng-Tian Lu and...
Posted by Chad Orzel at 12:19 PM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Physics
Third of the five research categories within DAMOP that I talked about is Quantum Phenomena. This is a little bit of a catch-all, as there are a few different things going on in this area. They are all unified, though,...
Posted by Chad Orzel at 10:01 AM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Physics
An overview of physics dealing with gases of atoms at temperatures of billionths of a degree above absolute zero.
Posted by Chad Orzel at 12:43 PM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Physics
An overview of the interesting research areas in Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics these days. The start of a series of posts exploring this in more detail.
Posted by Chad Orzel at 12:15 PM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Physics
Alternate, More-Interesting Post Title: Attack of the Vampire Physicists. I realized today that the only time I have been outside during daylight hours on this trip to Atlanta was during the brief walk down the platform to the airport entrance....
Posted by Chad Orzel at 2:41 PM • 2 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Physics
One of the odd things about going to conferences is the unpredictable difference between talks and papers. Sometimes, when you go to a talk, you just get an exact repetition of what's in the paper; other times, you get a...
Posted by Chad Orzel at 10:56 AM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Physics
That's the title of my talk this morning at DAMOP, where I attempt the slightly insane feat of summarizing a meeting with over 1000 presentations in a single 30-minute talk. This will necessarily involve talking a little bit like the...
Posted by Chad Orzel at 10:15 AM • 0 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Orac 02.13.2012
Orac 01.26.2012
PZ Myers 02.02.2012
Jason Rosenhouse 02.12.2012
ERV 11.26.2011
