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mspringer | September 8, 2009I'd like to do a little bit of classical mechanics, but the particular thing I want to do is a little hefty for one post. We'll split it in two. Today I'll set the stage and tomorrow we'll use it to solve an interesting problem.
The problem involves the orbit of a planet in a gravitational field, and fortunately the initial approach to the problem is not complicated. First we write everything in terms of energy. The total energy of a system is the sum of its kinetic and potential energy. Kinetic energy is the energy associated with motion, and potential energy is (in the case of orbits)…
cortex | September 8, 2009In the latest issue of Outside Magazine, I profile Clay Marzo, a rising star on the pro surfing circuit. In December 2007, Clay was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, a mild form of autism. What's so intriguing about Clay's story is that his Asperger's isn't a hindrance or handicap. Instead, it's a crucial part of his success, allowing Clay to focus, for hours at a time, on nothing but the physics of waves and the mechanics of surfing:
Clay Marzo has been waiting all morning for waves. He's standing with his surfboard next to a NO TRESPASSING sign on the edge of a pineapple field, looking…
grrlscientist | September 8, 2009Since I have recently developed quite a history of visiting cold and snowy places, often during the winter, I wish to preserve that tradition. I am competing for the opportunity to go to Antarctica in February 2010 -- a dream adventure that I've always wanted to pursue (and almost did pursue when I was an undergraduate researching Fin Whales and Crabeater Seals at the University of Washington). To enter, all candidates must publish a picture of themselves and write an essay explaining why we think we are the best choice, and solicit votes from the public. Whomever receives the most votes wins…
gregladen | September 8, 2009The claim was recently made that Placebos are getting more effective. That would be like water getting less wet. It makes no sense. White Coat Underground dismantled that claim (see that post for the original claim) but I mention it here because Slashdot has now picked up the story. So lookout. Oh, Slashdot, it was dumb to pick up this story.
Slashdot's summary, wirtten by Scuttle Monkey:
Wired is reporting that the well-known "placebo effect" seems to be increasing as time goes on. Fewer and fewer medications are actually making it past drug trials since they are unable to show…
edyong | September 8, 2009This is becoming a bit of a meme. It started when T. Ryan Gregory decided to post a list of good science writers in an attempt to balance the Internet's readiness to slate dodgy science writing with a shout out to the ones who do it well. Brian Switek, himself a worthy addition to Ryan's list, took up the baton and asked his readers to name good science writers.
I want to do the same. This blog has always been about highlighting good science rather than crushing its darker pseudoscientific counterpart, so it seems only fitting that we should take some time out to celebrate decent writing.…
grrlscientist | September 7, 2009
Image: Sneer Review.
The current Antarctic Trip Vote count is as follows; 5942 - 1858 - 1751 - 1229 - 1160 out of 575 candidates registered. I am in third place and sloooowly creeping up on second place. With less than 4 weeks remaining, things are heating up and voting is changing rapidly as previous voters reassign their votes and new voters cast theirs for the first time. Many tens of thousands of votes have already been cast in this competition, so if the people who have cast their votes already decide to change them, they can significantly affect the outcome of this competition. The…
gregladen | September 7, 2009An Irish astronomy group is calling for help in tracing the origin of a huge explosion in the skies over the country on Thursday evening.
Astronomy Ireland said it was currently investigating the explosion, which occurred at 2100 BST.
A spokesman said the most likely explanation was a space rock or satellite crashing into the atmosphere.
My work here is done. Details at the BBC
gregladen | September 7, 2009In a remarkably rich haul from just five weeks of exploration, the biologists discovered 16 frogs which have never before been recorded by science, at least three new fish, a new bat and a giant rat, which may turn out to be the biggest in the world.
Story here.
Hat tip: Ana
grrlscientist | September 7, 2009Everyone loves free books, right? Well, I know I do, and since I've got a huge stack of books in my apartment that are seeking a loving home, I want to share them with you. These books are duplicates of review copies, advance reading copies and uncorrected proofs as well as some books that I purchased or somehow obtained. All books are in excellent (like new) shape, unless otherwise noted. I am offering them to you several times per week for the next few months, free of charge, although I will ask you to pay the cost of the shipping envelope and postage for mailing each book to you. Below the…
gregladen | September 7, 2009... not the whole thing, but some good bits:
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
gregladen | September 7, 2009The Actual Words of Afroleninist Barack Hussain bin-Obama's planned speech to the School Children of Amerika have been obtained by this blogger, and I have few comments on them.
A Guest Blog by Jimmy James Bettencourt
Until I read this speech, I was pretty happy with Obama. I have not been paying any attention to his policies, but he's cool because he looks cool, acts cool, and is not a dick-head like John McCain or an ignorant moron like Palin.
But now I have changed my mind because of this speech. I've only read the first third of it but so far it's just a bunch of communistic…
gregladen | September 7, 2009What happens when a little kid is not afraid of heights at all?
What happens when a little kid IS afraid of heights, and all?
Back to back essays worth reading at Quiche Moraine.
mspringer | September 7, 2009At this rate I should change the name of this feature to Monday Function, but with any luck I can get my weekend schedule back to something approaching normal and break this streak of late SFs. But hey, every day is a good day for math.
This function is one we can define in a piece-by-piece way. It's equal to zero everywhere except near the origin. Between -1/2 and 1/2, it's just equal to 1. As such it's just a rectangle hanging out at the middle of the number line.
The area of this rectangle is just its base times its height, or in this case 1 * 1 = 1. This isn't the only way to get a…
grrlscientist | September 7, 2009
I receive a fair number of books to review each month, so I thought I should do what several magazines and other publications do; list those books that have arrived in my mailbox so you know that this is the pool of books from which I will be reading and reviewing on my blog.
Evolution by Jean-Baptiste de Panafieu (Author), Patrick Gries (Photographer), Linda Asher (Translator). Hardcover. Gift.
The Technology of Orgasm: "Hysteria," the Vibrator, and Women's Sexual Satisfaction (Johns Hopkins Studies in the History of Technology) by Rachel P. Maines. Paperback. Gift.
The Pink Lady: The…
grrlscientist | September 6, 2009
Image: Sneer Review.
The current Antarctic Trip Vote count is as follows; 5892 - 1846 - 1696 - 1224 - 1118 out of 571 candidates registered. I am in third place and sloooowly creeping up on second place. With less than 4 weeks remaining, things are heating up and voting is changing rapidly as previous voters reassign their votes and new voters cast theirs for the first time. Many tens of thousands of votes have already been cast in this competition, so if the people who have cast their votes already decide to change them, they can significantly affect the outcome of this competition. The…
gregladen | September 6, 2009Devorah Bennu is the pseudonym for the pseudonymous blogger kown as Grrrrrrrl Scientist, of Living the Scientific Life. In the ongoing contest to send a blogger to Antarctica, she has sat in third place, just a few dozen votes behind Don Osmond (who is, indeed, related to the original Mormon Singer, Donny Osmond) for several weeks now.
Now, I have to tell you, I have a lot of friends and colleagues who are in this contest, and I'd love to root for ALL of them, but Devora is the only one with a chance of taking out the two people who are ahead of her, and she very much deserves to go to…
grrlscientist | September 6, 2009
Image: wemidji (Jacques Marcoux).
Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est (And thus knowledge itself is power)
-- Sir Francis Bacon.
Scientia Pro Publica (Science for the People) is a blog carnival that celebrates the best science, nature and medical writing targeted specifically to the public that has been published in the blogosphere within the past 60 days. To send your submissions to Scientia Pro Publica, either use this automated submission form or use the cute little widget on the right (sometimes that widget doesn't upload when the mother site is sick). Be sure to include the URL or "…