IB Physics 2,3 -- HL/SL
"All science is either physics or stamp collecting."
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Assignments -- 2015-2016
3rd Quarter -- Jan 6 to Mar 11
Thu, Jan 7, Floater Fifth
Due:
- HW Lsn 7-3B, #39-46 - Chapter 7 Test Review Agenda: - Physics Day Lab Questions - Review HW Lsn 7-3B, #39-46 - Review Chapter 7 Test Review Assignment: - Study for Chapter 7 Test 6-Word Memoir: Slithering in! Watch out! Watch out!
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Fri, Jan 8
Due:
- Chapter 7 Test Review Agenda: - Review Chapter 7 Test Review - Complete Physics Day Labs Assignment: - Complete Physics Day Labs - Due Jan 13 - Study for Chapter 7 Test - Jan 13 6-Word Memoir: Slowly realizing I know absolutely nothing
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Thought for the Week: OK, so what's the speed of dark?
Scientists Link Diamonds in Strange Quantum Entanglement By Clara Moskowitz
Published December 02, 2011 | LiveScience Scientists have linked two diamonds in a mysterious process called entanglement that is normally only seen on the quantum scale. Entanglement is so weird that Einstein dubbed it "spooky action at a distance." It's a strange effect where one object gets connected to another so that even if they are separated by large distances, an action performed on one will affect the other. Entanglement usually occurs with subatomic particles, and was predicted by the theory of quantum mechanics, which governs the realm of the very small. But now physicists have succeeded in entangling two macroscopic diamonds, demonstrating that quantum mechanical effects are not limited to the microscopic scale. |
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Wed, Jan 13
Due:
- Physics Day Labs - Chapter 7 Test Review Agenda: - Chapter 7 Test Assignment: - Reading Activity 12-1A 6-Word Memoir: Volleyball, school, socialization, Chick-Fil-A, iPhone, family |
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Thought for the Day: Who is General Failure and why is he reading my hard disk?
Famous Dead Guys -- Ernest Rutherford
Rutherford's first researches, in New Zealand, were concerned with the magnetic properties of iron exposed to high-frequency oscillations, and his thesis was entitled Magnetization of Iron by High-Frequency Discharges. He was one of the first to design highly original experiments with high-frequency, alternating currents. His second paper, Magnetic Viscosity, was published in the Transactions of the New Zealand Institute (1896) and contains a description of a time-apparatus capable of measuring time intervals of a hundred-thousandth of a second.
He worked jointly with Thomson on the behaviour of the ions observed in gases which had been treated with X-rays, and also, in 1897, on the mobility of ions in relation to the strength of the electric field, and on related topics such as the photoelectric effect. In 1898 he reported the existence of alpha and beta rays in uranium radiation and indicated some of their properties.
In Montreal, there were ample opportunities for research at McGill, and his work on radioactive bodies, particularly on the emission of alpha rays, was continued in the Macdonald Laboratory. With R.B. Owens he studied the "emanation" of thorium and discovered a new noble gas, an isotope of radon, which was later to be known as thoron. Frederick Soddy arrived at McGill in 1900 from Oxford, and he collaborated with Rutherford in creating the "disintegration theory" of radioactivity which regards radioactive phenomena as atomic - not molecular - processes.
At Manchester, Rutherford continued his research on the properties of the radium emanation and of the alpha rays and, in conjunction with H. Geiger, a method of detecting a single alpha particle and counting the number emitted from radium was devised. In 1910, his investigations into the scattering of alpha rays and the nature of the inner structure of the atom which caused such scattering led to the postulation of his concept of the "nucleus", his greatest contribution to physics. According to him practically the whole mass of the atom and at the same time all positive charge of the atom is concentrated in a minute space at the centre. In 1912 Niels Bohr joined him at Manchester and he adapted Rutherford's nuclear structure to Max Planck's quantum theory and so obtained a theory of atomic structure which, with later improvements, mainly as a result of Heisenberg's concepts, remains valid to this day.
Rutherford was knighted in 1914; he was appointed to the Order of Merit in 1925, and in 1931 he was created First Baron Rutherford of Nelson, New Zealand, and Cambridge. He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 1903 and was its President from 1925 to 1930. Amongst his many honours, he was awarded the Rumford Medal (1905) and the Copley Medal (1922) of the Royal Society, the Bressa Prize (1910) of the Turin Academy of Science, the Albert Medal (1928) of the Royal Society of Arts, the Faraday Medal (1930) of the Institution of Electrical Engineers, the D.Sc. degree of the University of New Zealand, and honorary doctorates from the Universities of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, McGill, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Melbourne, Yale, Glasgow, Giessen, Copenhagen, Cambridge, Dublin, Durham, Oxford, Liverpool, Toronto, Bristol, Cape Town, London and Leeds.
From: http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1908/rutherford-bio.html
He worked jointly with Thomson on the behaviour of the ions observed in gases which had been treated with X-rays, and also, in 1897, on the mobility of ions in relation to the strength of the electric field, and on related topics such as the photoelectric effect. In 1898 he reported the existence of alpha and beta rays in uranium radiation and indicated some of their properties.
In Montreal, there were ample opportunities for research at McGill, and his work on radioactive bodies, particularly on the emission of alpha rays, was continued in the Macdonald Laboratory. With R.B. Owens he studied the "emanation" of thorium and discovered a new noble gas, an isotope of radon, which was later to be known as thoron. Frederick Soddy arrived at McGill in 1900 from Oxford, and he collaborated with Rutherford in creating the "disintegration theory" of radioactivity which regards radioactive phenomena as atomic - not molecular - processes.
At Manchester, Rutherford continued his research on the properties of the radium emanation and of the alpha rays and, in conjunction with H. Geiger, a method of detecting a single alpha particle and counting the number emitted from radium was devised. In 1910, his investigations into the scattering of alpha rays and the nature of the inner structure of the atom which caused such scattering led to the postulation of his concept of the "nucleus", his greatest contribution to physics. According to him practically the whole mass of the atom and at the same time all positive charge of the atom is concentrated in a minute space at the centre. In 1912 Niels Bohr joined him at Manchester and he adapted Rutherford's nuclear structure to Max Planck's quantum theory and so obtained a theory of atomic structure which, with later improvements, mainly as a result of Heisenberg's concepts, remains valid to this day.
Rutherford was knighted in 1914; he was appointed to the Order of Merit in 1925, and in 1931 he was created First Baron Rutherford of Nelson, New Zealand, and Cambridge. He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 1903 and was its President from 1925 to 1930. Amongst his many honours, he was awarded the Rumford Medal (1905) and the Copley Medal (1922) of the Royal Society, the Bressa Prize (1910) of the Turin Academy of Science, the Albert Medal (1928) of the Royal Society of Arts, the Faraday Medal (1930) of the Institution of Electrical Engineers, the D.Sc. degree of the University of New Zealand, and honorary doctorates from the Universities of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, McGill, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Melbourne, Yale, Glasgow, Giessen, Copenhagen, Cambridge, Dublin, Durham, Oxford, Liverpool, Toronto, Bristol, Cape Town, London and Leeds.
From: http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1908/rutherford-bio.html
Tue, Jan 19
Due:
- Reading Activity 12-1A Agenda: - Lsn 12-1A Lecture - PhET Photoelectric Effect Lab Assignment: - HW Lsn 12-1A, #1-16 - Complete PhET Photoelectric Effect Lab - Reading Activity 12-1B 6-Word Memoir: Waiting on the world to change
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Thu, Jan 21, Floater Fifth
Due:
- HW Lsn 12-1A, #1-16 Agenda: - Review HW Lsn 12-1A, #1-16 - Questions from PhET Photoelectric Effect Lab Assignment: - Reading Activity 12-1B - Complete PhET Photoelectric Effect Lab 6-Word Memoir: What I learned in Physics is…
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Fri, Jan 22
Due:
- PhET Photoelectric Effect Lab Agenda: - Modelling Radioactive Decay Lab Data Collection Assignment: - Reading Activity 12-1B - Reading Activity 12-2 - Hold Modelling Radioactive Decay Lab until after Lsn 12-2 lecture! 6-Word Memoir: Work hard, play hard, do homework
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Thought for the Week: Boycott shampoo! Demand the REAL poo!
Wed, Jan 27
Due: - Reading Activity 12-1B Agenda: - Lsn 12-1B Lecture - Modelling Radioactive Decay Lab Questions Assignment: - HW Lsn 12-1B, #17-22 - Reading Activity 12-2 - Complete Modelling Radioactive Decay Lab 6-Word Memoir: Antisocial nerd with pretty good grades |
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Words of Wisdom: I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder.
People In Physics - Marissa Nichole Rylander
(Nanowerk News) Biomedical engineer Marissa Nichole Rylander, associate professor jointly appointed in the mechanical engineering department and Virginia Tech – Wake Forest University School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, at Virginia Tech is the recipient of the 2012 Y.C. Fung Young Investigator Award. The Fung Award recognizes young investigators who are committed to pursuing research in the field of biomedical engineering and who have made substantial contributions to the field. The American Society of Mechanical Engineering's Bioengineering Division presents the award.
Rylander, who joined the Virginia Tech faculty in 2006, is conducting novel research in nanomedicine, cancer engineering, and tissue regeneration. Her innovative research combining nanotechnology, laser therapy, and dynamic imaging to study tumor progression and to develop novel cancer treatments led to the National Science Foundation naming her one of its CAREER Award recipients in 2010. She also received the 2008 Outstanding New Assistant Professor Award and the Dean's 2010 Faculty Fellow Award, both from Virginia Tech's College of Engineering, with both awards commemorating excellence in research, teaching, and service. Rylander "has established herself as a rising star in biomedical engineering….Her dedication to her students is shown by her ability to recruit and promote their education as evidenced by numerous National Science Foundation and Fulbright Scholarships," wrote Ken Ball, professor and head of mechanical engineering, and Stefan Duma, professor and head of biomedical engineering, both at Virginia Tech, in their nomination letter of Rylander. Marissa Nichole Rylander is the director of Virginia Tech's Tissue Engineering, Nanotechnology, and Cancer Research Laboratory.
From: http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=23422.php
Rylander, who joined the Virginia Tech faculty in 2006, is conducting novel research in nanomedicine, cancer engineering, and tissue regeneration. Her innovative research combining nanotechnology, laser therapy, and dynamic imaging to study tumor progression and to develop novel cancer treatments led to the National Science Foundation naming her one of its CAREER Award recipients in 2010. She also received the 2008 Outstanding New Assistant Professor Award and the Dean's 2010 Faculty Fellow Award, both from Virginia Tech's College of Engineering, with both awards commemorating excellence in research, teaching, and service. Rylander "has established herself as a rising star in biomedical engineering….Her dedication to her students is shown by her ability to recruit and promote their education as evidenced by numerous National Science Foundation and Fulbright Scholarships," wrote Ken Ball, professor and head of mechanical engineering, and Stefan Duma, professor and head of biomedical engineering, both at Virginia Tech, in their nomination letter of Rylander. Marissa Nichole Rylander is the director of Virginia Tech's Tissue Engineering, Nanotechnology, and Cancer Research Laboratory.
From: http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=23422.php
Mon, Feb 1
Due:
- Reading Activity 12-2 - HW Lsn 12-1B, #17-22 Agenda: - Review HW Lsn 12-1B, #17-22 - Lsn 12-2 Lecture Assignment: - Modelling Radioactive Decay Lab - HW Lsn 12-2, #24-40 - Chapter 12 Test Review 6-Word Memoir: Family, Dogs, School, Swimming, Yoga, Friends
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Wed, Feb 3, Floater Fifth
Due:
- Modelling Radioactive Decay Lab Agenda: - PhET Light Emission and Lasers Lab Assignment: - Complete PhET Light Emission and Lasers Lab - Study for Chapter 12 Test 6-Word Memoir: Fun, interesting, entertaining, safe, family, friends
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Thu, Feb 4
Due:
- HW Lsn 12-2, #24-40 - Chapter 12 Test Review Agenda: - Review HW Lsn 12-2, #24-40 - Review Chapter 12 Test Review Assignment: - Study for Chapter 12 Test - Finish PhET Light Emission and Lasers Lab 6-Word Memoir: Gaben loves to take my skins
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Words of Wisdom: If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
Neutrinos: Physics Embarrassment or Great Public Outreach
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
On September 22nd the OPERA collaboration announced that neutrinos arrived at their detectors 60 nanoseconds early. In about that amount of time, the physics world was all in a tizzy with comparisons to the cold fusion fiasco of 1989, saying it had to be wrong and arguing over whether or not we should even be publicizing the published results. Well today a "source familiar with the experiment" says the result can be blamed on faulty wiring.
Most physicists were pretty sure this would happen. It is so unlikely that anything can travel faster than the speed of light that there had to be some sort of error on the experimenter's part or some misinterpretation of the data. Well, it turns out that most likely it was a loose connection between a GPS and computer card that made it appear as if the neutrinos were breaking the speed limit. Seeing as the "source familiar with the experiment" is the only one quoted, I'm gonna wait to pass judgement till I hear from someone that uses their name. But it is pretty likely that this caused the result.
Most physicists were pretty sure this would happen. It is so unlikely that anything can travel faster than the speed of light that there had to be some sort of error on the experimenter's part or some misinterpretation of the data. Well, it turns out that most likely it was a loose connection between a GPS and computer card that made it appear as if the neutrinos were breaking the speed limit. Seeing as the "source familiar with the experiment" is the only one quoted, I'm gonna wait to pass judgement till I hear from someone that uses their name. But it is pretty likely that this caused the result.
Tue, Feb 9
Due:
- Chapter 12 Test Review Agenda: - Chapter 12 Test Assignment: - Reading Activity 8-1 - Finish PhET Light Emission and Lasers Lab 6-Word Memoir: I can’t believe I did that |
Note: I will not be at school on Friday. Go through the lecture slides and videos on your own, discuss among your table group, and start on the homework.
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Fri, Feb 12
Due:
- Reading Activity 8-1 - PhET Light Emission and Lasers Lab Agenda: - Lsn 8-1 Lecture Assignment: - HW Lsn 8-1, #1-25 - Reading Activity 8-2 6-Word Memoir: I consider my life an ocean |
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Words of Wisdom: The hardness of the butter is proportional to the softness of the bread.
Wed, Feb 17
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Thu, Feb 18
Due:
- HW Lsn 8-1, #1-25 - Reading Activity 8-2 Agenda: - Review HW Lsn 8-1, #1-25 - Lsn 8-2 Lecture - Emissivity Demo Assignment: - HW Lsn 8-2, #26-44 - Chapter 8 Test Review 6-Word Memoir: I was born as a rebel…………. I still am!! |
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Words of Wisdom: The sooner you fall behind, the more time you'll have to catch up -- Class of 2016 Motto
Gravitational Waves Detected
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A century after Albert Einstein rewrote our understanding of space and time, physicists have confirmed one of the most elusive predictions of his general theory of relativity. In another galaxy, a billion or so light-years away, two black holes collided, shaking the fabric of spacetime. Here on Earth, two giant detectors on opposite sides of the United States quivered as gravitational waves washed over them. After decades trying to directly detect the waves, the recently upgraded Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, now known as Advanced LIGO, appears to have succeeded, ushering in a new era of astronomy.
What are gravitational waves?
Colossal cosmic collisions and stellar explosions can rattle spacetime itself. General relativity predicts that ripples in the fabric of spacetime radiate energy away from such catastrophes. The ripples are subtle; by the time they reach Earth, some compress spacetime by as little as one ten-thousandth the width of a proton.
How are they detected?
To spot a signal, LIGO uses a special mirror to split a beam of laser light and sends the beams down two 4-kilometer-long arms, at a 90 degree angle to each other. After ricocheting back and forth 400 times, turning each beam’s journey into a 1,600 kilometer round-trip, the light recombines near its source. The experiment is designed so that, in normal conditions, the light waves cancel one another out when they recombine, sending no light signal to the nearby detector. But a gravitational wave stretches one tube while squeezing the other, altering the distance the two beams travel relative to each other. Because of this difference in distance, the recombining waves are no longer perfectly aligned and therefore don’t cancel out. The detector picks up a faint glow, signaling a passing wave. LIGO has one detector in Louisiana and another in Washington to ensure the wave is not a local phenomenon and to help locate its source.
Gravity waves from black holes verify Einstein’s prediction
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/gravity-waves-black-holes-verify-einsteins-prediction
The long road to detecting gravity waves
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/long-road-detecting-gravity-waves
Gravitational waves explained
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/gravitational-waves-explained
Video: What are gravitational waves?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwC5IYw5uAE&utm_source=Society+for+Science+Newsletters&utm_campaign=1308960052-gravitational_wave_special_2_11_2016&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_a4c415a67f-1308960052-104535497
What are gravitational waves?
Colossal cosmic collisions and stellar explosions can rattle spacetime itself. General relativity predicts that ripples in the fabric of spacetime radiate energy away from such catastrophes. The ripples are subtle; by the time they reach Earth, some compress spacetime by as little as one ten-thousandth the width of a proton.
How are they detected?
To spot a signal, LIGO uses a special mirror to split a beam of laser light and sends the beams down two 4-kilometer-long arms, at a 90 degree angle to each other. After ricocheting back and forth 400 times, turning each beam’s journey into a 1,600 kilometer round-trip, the light recombines near its source. The experiment is designed so that, in normal conditions, the light waves cancel one another out when they recombine, sending no light signal to the nearby detector. But a gravitational wave stretches one tube while squeezing the other, altering the distance the two beams travel relative to each other. Because of this difference in distance, the recombining waves are no longer perfectly aligned and therefore don’t cancel out. The detector picks up a faint glow, signaling a passing wave. LIGO has one detector in Louisiana and another in Washington to ensure the wave is not a local phenomenon and to help locate its source.
Gravity waves from black holes verify Einstein’s prediction
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/gravity-waves-black-holes-verify-einsteins-prediction
The long road to detecting gravity waves
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/long-road-detecting-gravity-waves
Gravitational waves explained
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/gravitational-waves-explained
Video: What are gravitational waves?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwC5IYw5uAE&utm_source=Society+for+Science+Newsletters&utm_campaign=1308960052-gravitational_wave_special_2_11_2016&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_a4c415a67f-1308960052-104535497
Tue, Feb 23
Due:
- HW Lsn 8-2, #26-44 Agenda: - Review HW Lsn 8-2, #26-44 - PhET Greenhouse Effects Lab Assignment: - Complete PhET Greenhouse Effects Lab - Chapter 8 Test Review 6-Word Memoir: I’m Quinn I like to party |
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Fri, Feb 26
Due:
- Chapter 8 Test Review Agenda: - Review Chapter 8 Test Review - PhET Greenhouse Effects Lab Questions - Supplemental Reading Activity: Energy Policy Assignment: - Complete PhET Greenhouse Effects Lab - Complete Supplemental Reading Activity: Energy Policy - Chapter 8 Test Review - Reading Activity Option B-1 6-Word Memoir: I’ve done this three times already |
Save this file to your harddrive. It is your textbook for Option B
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SUPPLEMENTAL READING ACTIVITY -- ENERGY POLICY
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Words of Wisdom: If you think nobody cares about you, try missing a couple of payments.
New Hybrid Solar Cells Harness More Of The Sun’s Light Spectrum
by MATYLDA CZARNECKA Feb 10, 2012 4:38PM
http://m.techcrunch.com/2012/02/10/cambridge-hybrid-solar-cells/?icid=tc__art&search=
Scientists at the University of Cambridge in the UK have found a way to improve the efficiency of photovoltaic cells by as much as 25% through harnessing more of the sun’s spectrum than most traditional silicon-based solar cells can.
The new design, developed at the university’s Cavendish Laboratory in the Department of Physics, can absorb both red and blue light, and generates electrons from photons at a two-to-one ratio on the blue light spectrum. Most current solar cells lose blue photon energy as heat, leaving them unable to turn more than about 34% of the sunlight they absorb into power.
The team, led by professors Neil Greenham and Sir Richard Friend, recently published results in a paper. The hybrid cells have an added organic semiconductor called pentacene, which helps harness blue light energy to strengthen the electrical current coming from the cell, making the product up to 44% efficient.
The university’s team also innovated on how the cells are made, by producing the cells in bulk using a roll-to-roll printing technique. While cheaper, more efficient photovoltaics sound promising, there remain hurdles to be overcome. The greatest costs in building a solar power plant are installation hardware, labor and land, so a cheaper solar cell is only a piece of the puzzle.
http://m.techcrunch.com/2012/02/10/cambridge-hybrid-solar-cells/?icid=tc__art&search=
Scientists at the University of Cambridge in the UK have found a way to improve the efficiency of photovoltaic cells by as much as 25% through harnessing more of the sun’s spectrum than most traditional silicon-based solar cells can.
The new design, developed at the university’s Cavendish Laboratory in the Department of Physics, can absorb both red and blue light, and generates electrons from photons at a two-to-one ratio on the blue light spectrum. Most current solar cells lose blue photon energy as heat, leaving them unable to turn more than about 34% of the sunlight they absorb into power.
The team, led by professors Neil Greenham and Sir Richard Friend, recently published results in a paper. The hybrid cells have an added organic semiconductor called pentacene, which helps harness blue light energy to strengthen the electrical current coming from the cell, making the product up to 44% efficient.
The university’s team also innovated on how the cells are made, by producing the cells in bulk using a roll-to-roll printing technique. While cheaper, more efficient photovoltaics sound promising, there remain hurdles to be overcome. The greatest costs in building a solar power plant are installation hardware, labor and land, so a cheaper solar cell is only a piece of the puzzle.
Tue, Mar 1
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Wed, Mar 2
Due:
- Chapter 8 Test Review Agenda: - Chapter 8 Test Assignment: - HW Option B-1A, #1-7 - Reading Activity Option B-1B 6-Word Memoir: Slithering in! Watch out! Watch out! |
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Thought for the Day: I'd kill for a Nobel Peace Prize.
'PERFECT POWER'? Laser Test Results Raise Hope for Fusion Power
http://www.foxnews.mobi/quickPage.html?page=22995&content=96572741&pageNum=-1 Lawrence Livermore's National Ignition Facility announced Tuesday a successful test of its ultrapowerful laser system, which melds 192 laser beams into a single incredible burst of energy. On Aug. 13, the facility was activated for 14 billionths of a second and aimed at a tiny capsule of fuel. The result: approximately 350 trillion watts of power -- hundreds of times more than the entire United States consumes at any given instant. "We're working in a place where no human has ever gone before," Ed Moses, principle associate director for NIF and Photon Science, told FoxNews.com. "We're working on the bleeding edge of fusion physics." Fusion is similar to fission, where atoms are split releasing massive amounts of energy. But instead of being torn apart, atoms are welded together in fusion. It's the same ongoing energy process in the sun and other stars, a "perfect power" because more energy is released than used. Fusion could solve the world's energy problems -- if it's possible at all. Read entire article on document to the right. |
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Mon, Mar 7
Due:
- None Agenda: - Work on IA Final Drafts Assignment: - HW Option B-1A, #1-7 - Reading Activity Option B-1B 6-Word Memoir: What I learned in Physics is… |
Thur, Mar 10
Due:
- None Agenda: - Independent Exam Study Assignment: - HW Option B-1A, #1-7 - Reading Activity Option B-1B 6-Word Memoir: Eat, School, Soccer, Eat, Sleep, Repeat |
Friday Mar 11th
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Reading Activity Option B-1B | |
File Size: | 421 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Reading Activity Option B-1B | |
File Size: | 809 kb |
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Thought for the Day: Someone sent me a postcard picture of the earth. On the back it said, "Wish you were here."
It’s Raining Antimatter… Upward?
Thunder… lightning…gamma rays! Terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs) are brief bursts of gamma rays produced inside thunderstorms and associated with lightning. NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope detected beams of antimatter produced above thunderstorms, evidence that thunderstorms may make antimatter particle beams.
Scientists believe TGFs come from strong electric fields at the tops of thunderstorms where the field becomes strong enough that it pushes electrons upwards, where the electrons reach speeds almost as fast as light. These electrons give off gamma rays when they're diverted by air molecules and then are detected as a TGF.
The electrons produce so many gamma rays that they shoot electrons and positrons out of the atmosphere and NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope intercepts these particles, showing evidence that thunderstorms may be producing antimatter.
Scientists believe TGFs come from strong electric fields at the tops of thunderstorms where the field becomes strong enough that it pushes electrons upwards, where the electrons reach speeds almost as fast as light. These electrons give off gamma rays when they're diverted by air molecules and then are detected as a TGF.
The electrons produce so many gamma rays that they shoot electrons and positrons out of the atmosphere and NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope intercepts these particles, showing evidence that thunderstorms may be producing antimatter.