 |
|
is there anythnig in the world that doesnt relate to chemistry?
Not really a physics question. Or maybe it is...
Just how much lead does it take to affect a person?
A police shooting instructor has a high
level of lead in his blood. We did wipe sample on the surface in the room
and it seems like there is lead all over the place.
Do you have a suggestion for cleaning up
the room and to prevent any future contamination?
Where can I find out about Norweigian modern and olden day clothing???
A) doesn't it bother you that space heaters don't work in a vacuum?
6) Don't you agree that George Michael doesn't sing the same way at all since he left the Beatles?
Thanks for your time,
Sincerely,
P.B.S. Has anyone else mentioned that you look a lot like Colonel Sanders?
What is the frequency of a graviton particle? Thank You.
Thank you very much, am looking forward to your reply,
What do you think? Any Insights? Thanks.
Why the beer stay ok if you put a tea-spoon in the neck of the bottle?
This whole site is just fantastic!
Well, my question is, in some catalogues,
especially those for hydraulic pumps and motors, torque has units measured
in daNm. What does the "da" stand for?
Salutations, dear colleague! Recently, while
attending a festive gala function in our lunchroom, it was noticed that
the quaint, dial-faced timepiece perched high upon the wall appeared to
be stopped at 07:46:44 presumably Eastern Standard Time because of our
location, although Greenwich Mean Time was a distinct possibility. Be that
as it may, on closer perusal it was noticed that the second hand was behaving
in an odd manner; to wit - it would advance forward to 07:46:45, then return,
almost immediately, to its former position. In due course this plucky little
indicator would once again attempt its forward motion, only to retreat
again, like the tides of the ocean, to the position it formerly occupied.
This baffling phenomenon appeared to be cycling at regular, one second
intervals, although a precise timing was not attempted, due to a lack of
grant funding and interest.
Naturally, my first assumption was the
most obvious - that the clock and the immediate vicinity thereof was trapped
in a quantum time loop - just like in that cool episode of Star Trek: The
Next Generation that had that guy from Frasier in it! Then the fellow on
my left, recently transported to our shores from Hong Kong, postulated
the theory that perhaps the power souece was drained, thus robbing the
device of the necessary "oompht"* needed to raise all three hands upward
simultaneously. Finally an attractive young lady in our company speculated
that the chronologic arm in question might be, as she put it, "bent". A
search for Uri Geller turning up negative, we chuckled to ourselves at
her innocent naivete; but on reflection, I thought
hey dude! Who
are we to judge? Indeed, stranger things have been known to happen in the
annals of science.
Therefore I beseech you, an impartial celebrity
whose wisdom is unquestioned, whose mettle - that most elusive of qualities
- has been challenged and never found wanting, whose skill has been tested
and proven repeatedly, honed to the finest of points in the frontline trenches
of real science, and winner of the Mr. R&D contest an unprecedented
three years in a row, to investigate this thing here.
Could you tell me the value for gravity
in Nashua, NH?
Thanks,
I was wondering if you know the 12th number of the famous fibonacci sequence.
Why is my ten year old son obsessed with breasts?
Dear Dr. Beeker:
I was reading the other day about how fish attract toxins, especially
bottom fish. I have a few questions:
Just wondering.
so pleeze tel him wy hes rong!
Answers
Dear Dr. Beeker,
Is radiation contagious?
Worried in Washington
My Dear Worried:
Well... Yes, .... and no. Your felicitous phrasing caught me off guard,
but I think you are asking if radiation can cause other substances to become
radioactive.
While some forms of radiation can induce radioactivity, the external
radiation from the NITON XL-309 and 700series (Cd109) is in the
form of X-rays. These will act on substances causing them to re-radiate
for a short time (fraction of a second) but will not induce other substances
to become radioactive. The health effects of human exposure to radiation
are well known and obviously care should be taken using this instrument
to keep levels as low as possible.
That said, however, I like to carry my XL around with me wherever
I go. You should see people JUMP when you tell them it's radioactive. It's
great fun at parties and other social occasions! Of course, using it with
a gieger counter around can be funny, because people won't believe it's
radioactive 'til you open the shutter!
Dr. Beeker
Dear Dr. Beeker,
Do you really go to parties where people take gieger counters with
them?
Worried in Washington
Dear Worried:
You mean you DON'T?
Dr. Beeker
Dear Dr. Beeker:
If I run my XL too long, will it wear out my source?
Kurious in Kentucky
Dear Kurious:
Unlike an electricity source like a battery or the wall plug, a radioactive
source is emitting X-rays constantly as it decays, whether one chooses
to make use of these or not. The Cadmium109 in the NITON XL
will lose 50% of its strength every 15 months. This is a constant. The
Cobalt57 in most other XRFs loses 50% of its strength after
9 months. These periods are called "half-lives" after the emminent Dr.
Schroedinger's pet cat, "Half-Life".
I like to compare it to aging - we get older whether we do anything
with our lives or not, so you might as well be productive! Personally,
I stay away from things like sleep and a personal life, as they waste enormous
amounts of potentially productive time.
Dr. Beeker
Dear Dr. Beeker,
Can I use my XL when its raining?
Nervous in Nevada
Dear Nervous:
Sure, especially indoors. Seriously, if you venture outdoors and it
looks like the XL is in danger of getting wet, try using a plastic sandwich
bag. Shooting paint samples through this bag works fine and will minimize
the risk of damaging the sensitive electronics inside your XL.
Besides - why are you nervous? it NEVER rains in Nevada, does it?
Dr. Beeker
Dear Dr. Beeker:
What's your first name? Are you married?
Phlirting in Philadelphia
Dear Phlirting:
In answer to your questions - First: I used to think it was Edwin,
but that turned out to be an old password. If you must, you can always
call me Doctor.
Second: Possibly, but I doubt it. See my answer to Kurious in Kentucky.
Dr. Beeker
Dear Dr. Beeker
We have just discovered that our basement has a radon level of 165
pC/L. Our cat, Hector, lives down there. Does this explain why his eyes
shine in the dark?
Cat lover in California
My Dear Cat Lover:
As the EPA action level for radon is 4 picoCuries per liter (pC/l)
, I am more worried about YOU. Get the upper area of the house tested
immediately!
Radon can cause lung cancer, among other things. You should think about
moving out of the house until it is mitigated (fixed).
As everyone knows, cats have nine lives, which translates, of course,
to 18 half-lives (all of which are very short compared to yours). Radon
only has one half-life, therefore cats must be naturally radioactive. THIS
must be why Hector's eyes are glowing. Hopefully he's already been mitigated
(fixed).
Dr. Beeker
Dear Dr. Beeker:
I was reading the other day about how fish attract toxins, especially
bottom fish. I have a few questions:
My dear Angler:
You have raised some very interesting questions, and I will answer
them as best I might.
My frend Marty sez that xrays can go faster then lite so his star trek fazer gun kills me befor my billy the kid Nerf 6 shooter gets him but i tole him noway cuz billy ken draw the qwiker then Warf and he sez noway cuz Warf is stronger then humans then I sez noway cuz billy is Superhuman then he sez noway an I saz uh-huhn an he sez noway an i sez un-huhn.
so pleeze tel him wy hes rong! thanx
Greetings from Earth, Willy!
First of all, lets take the implications of this argument a piece at
a time, and keep score.
Dr. Beeker
Dear Dr. Beeker,
If I'm on a sinking ship and can only take one thing with me when I
jump ship, should it be my XL or a flare gun? I know the flare gun is good
for signaling aircraft, but I heard that my XL is great for signaling UFOs.
And it lasts 15 months. Does that mean the signal will travel in space
at the speed of light for 15 months? If it does, I should attract a lot
of aliens.
Thanks Dr. Beeker,
Baffled in Brooklyn
My dear Baffled:
I would suggest that perhaps food and water *might* take precedence
over an XL, but other than that, you pose an interesting dilemma. If the
choice were an XL or a flare gun, I wouldn't hesitate to pick the XL. Apart
from it's entertainment value, an XL would be handy for checking the lead
content of the water. However I must say that given free rein, I'd choose
a 700series over an XL so that I could check the fish I might catch
for mercury content.
The key to signaling aliens is modulation. There are a lot of electro-magnetic
signals coming from all over the earth - radio, television, mobile phones,
etc. - and you have to get their attention. I would suggest inventing your
own code and modulating it by opening and closing the XL's shutter. I'd
start with something immediately recognizable, such as the Fibonacci Sequence.
*That* should attract the attention of *any* orbiting alien or physicist.
As far as the signal duration goes, the situation is even better than
you supposed! Your signal would travel at the speed of light *forever*!
The thing is, you have to think of the duration as a dimension - The signal
is "t" long - that is moving out from the instrument at the speed of light
like a string of beads. Once you stop signaling, the message continues
on its merry way without you, attracting aliens for millenia to come.
Of course you realize the "15 months" referred to is merely the half-life
of the source, that it will continue emitting x-rays for a considerable
time thereafter - theoretically forever, but in practice the half life
curve eventually dips below background - merely at a diminished rate. At
each half-life, the source is emitting radiation at half the rate it did
at the previous half-life point, Thus, for instance, your XL would be half
as fast at 15 months as when you bought it - it would still be working.
I must say that the radioactive cadmium109 in the NITON
XRFs is a fairly *weak* x-ray source, and the signal to noise ratio would
have to be significantly boosted to signal a UFO at a respectable distance
- The XL source signal can only travel about 10 m due to atmospheric absorption.
Creating this amplifier out of what you have in your life raft, however,
adds immensely to the entertainment value of the XL/700.
Thank you for a most enlightening question!
Dr. Beeker
Dear Dr. Beeker,
You misspelled the word "Geiger" in your reply to "Worried in Washington".
Your friend,
Picky in Paducah
Dear Picky:
AHA! Very good! You found it! I was wondering how long it would take
before someone noticed it! I often intentionally mis-spell a word, just
to see if my readers are on their toes! You are to be commanded for your
fine attention to my words of wisdom.
Dr. Beeker
Dear Dr. Beeker,
Why don't you use one of the stable isotopes of cadmium for your X-ray
sources? Then you wouldn't need to replace them.
Puzzled in Pittsburgh
My Dear Puzzled:
As you probably know, the stable isotopes of cadmium are used as pigments
in artist's oil paints, and have come into controversy lately because the
cadmium is poisonous and the artists tend to lick their brushes to point
them. Now if we had stable isotopes of cadmium as sources, NITON XRF users
would be surrounded by crazed artists wanting to lick their cadmium sources,
and we couldn't have that!
Besides which, stable sources are by definition not very radioactive,
thus not emiting x-rays, thus causing our XRFs to become very expensive
door stoppers.
Dr. Beeker
Dear Dr. Beeker,
If radon is so harmful, why don't we just pass a law to make it illegal?
Wondering in Washington
Dear Wondering:
They've been trying to for years, but Jesse Helms keeps stopping 'em.
Besides, making something illegal doesn't make it go away. If Radon were
outlawed, only outlaws would have ra... Um, that isn't quite right...
Dr. Beeker
Dear Dr. Beeker,
I've noticed that NITON uses Cadmium 109 for an X-ray source while
others use Cobalt 57. Do isotopes that are prime numbers make the best
X-ray sources? I also note that when factored, 57 - 1 = 2 X 2 X 2 X 7 and
2 + 2 + 2 + 7 = 13, also 109 - 1 = 2 X 2 X 3 X 3 X 3 and 2 + 2 + 3 + 3
+ 3 = 13. And 13 is well known to be an unlucky number. Surely this isn't
all just a coincidence.
Numerological in Nebraska
Dear Numerological:
In spite of what you may think you know, there are such things as coincidences.
This is one of them. I know, because I'm in the inner cabal.
Dr. Beeker
Dear Dr. Beeker,
How can you use X-rays to detect lead? Doesn't lead stop X-rays?
Confused in Connecticut
My Dear Confused:
Curse Superman! There is nothing magical about lead stopping x-rays.
Cotton fluff, or toothpaste, or air will stop x-rays too - if you have
enough of it. The shielding effects of lead depend upon it's density, not
upon some strange property of lead. The NITON XRFs' x-ray source (10 mCi
cadmium 109) is indetectable in air after about 10 m. A stronger
source would travel a correspondingly farther distance before attenuating.
On the other hand lead is penetrated by x-rays, just not very deeply. Our
detectors depend on the excitation of the lead, making it fluoresce, but
don't need to penetrate deeply into pure lead in order to detect it.
Creating a toothpaste dense enough to stop x-rays, yet still tasting
minty fresh, is a dream of physicists everywhere. If it weren't for the
political machinations of that powerful yet secretive body known as the
American Dental Association, I'm sure we would've had one by now.
Dr. Beeker
Dear Dr. Beeker,
My XL doesn't love me anymore! I've tried chocolates and flowers, but
nothing seems to help! What should I do?
Despondent in Des Moines
My Dear Despondent:
Your XL does so love you, you may just have a little trouble communicating.
Check the RS-232 downloading cable for shorts. If you want to know how
to really turn on an XL, however, try the little slide switch at the bottom
of the instrument and read the Manual.
Dr. Beeker
Next Question
Dear Dr. Beeker,
Why ask why?
Nerd in Nashua
*sputter* *choke* My dea.. *gasp* My dear Nerd in
Nashua:
I'm... I'm taken aback! What a strange concept! If we didn't ask why,
we'd all be picking the lice off of each other's back and hungrily turning
over rotten logs to get at the grubs!
While some radical environmentalists would prefer such a life - at
least in the abstract - such pinnacles of modern technology as the NITON
XRFs and the RAD7 would never have been developed. While the rest of you
were hunkering down in your smoky caves, gnawing on week-old aurochs, I'd
rather be checking out my cave for radon with the RAD7 and my cave paintings
for lead with my XL.
Why ask why, indeed!
Dr. Beeker
Dear Dr. Beeker,
How about a combo XL? The phone or pager is always ringing while on
a lead shoot so I thought you guys could incorporate a phone into the XL.
Be real handy. Hey, I got to wait in one place for 20 seconds anyway. Might
as well make the most of it.
Phone Phreak in Phoenix
My dear Phreak:
You actually *want* to be interrupted while using your XL? I personally
take the reading time as a chance to get closer - more in tune with my
XL. In fact I often take unneccesary readings to cover up those awkward
pauses in conversation. I do *not*, however, approve of the current California
fad of "channeling" one's XL. In spite of these "channeler's" claims, one's
XL *must* be physically present during the inspection.
I fear that a cellular phone integrated into an XL, while a good idea
in and of itself, would lead to other integrated devices - a fax/XL, an
XL/web browser, an XL/pencil sharpener, a TV/XL - which would lead to market
fragmentation and eventually to utter financial disaster for the global
economy.
Dr. Beeker
Dear Dr. Beeker:
I perused the recent letter from "Cat Lover in California" and suspect
she is a neighbor of mine.
Our home is plagued by interior speeding lights at night, and 5 radon
tests have been inconclusive, as either we have high readings or low readings.
The letter caused us to wonder if the lit cat bit a moouse of this house
who wed and bred. This could reslt in lit mice running about, explaining
the speeding lights, and their exiting the premises to feed and breed could
explain the variations in radon levels. Is radon transferable, and if not,
what causes variations in readings?
Sincerely,
Mouse House
My dear Mouse House:
No, Radon is not transferable. It is created when uranium present in
various rocks (for instance, granite) decays. This process goes on continuously,
leaking radon gas from the dirt and stones around your home, which accumulates
in your house. It could be the mice have themselves been exposed to radon
directly, and this is what is causing them to glow. Variations in the radon
levels occur naturally. On days with low air pressure, more radon is drawn
out of the rocks and into your home. If windows and doors are left open,
the radon could be dispersed by the draft, much like high school graduates
in the '70s.
I suspect, though, that radon-lit mice are not your problem. Mice leave
unmistakable signs as to their presence - for instance, continually adding
"cheese" to the end of your shopping list. Those glowing lights you see
whizzing around your house are probably weather balloons and/or crash test
dummies.
Dr. Beeker
Dear Dr. Beeker:
Why do raisins float and sink in orange soda?
Young in Youngstown
My dear Young,
After reading your plaintive missive, I knew you were on to something.
I have obtained funding to research this phenomenon. I may be sending the
research paper on to the "Journal of Irreproducible Results" or the "Annals
of Improbable Research" when it is finished, but an abstract of the preliminary
findings is available here:
Abstract of Preliminary Findings on Interactive Oscillation of Dessicated
Fruit in Aqueous Media.
Dr. Beeker
Dear Dr. Beeker,
I have a co-worker that is a wood carver and he has asked me to attempt to locate a gorilla x-ray as he would like to sculpt one that is full size. He would require x-rays or dimensions that would enable to sculpt life size. I have attempted numerous other resources but cannot locate anything to help him. Can you help? Please e-mail me back. Thanks.
Apeman in Apalachicola
An unusual question, and one worthy of an unusual answer. It is indeed
hard to detect gorilla x-rays, as gorillas make very poor sources - staying
in the background, as it were, radiation-wise. If I needed a gorilla
x-ray, for whatever reason, I would feed my gorilla a diet heavy in brazil
nuts, one of the most radioactive of food sources. Eventually, I am sure,
this would boost the gorilla's natural radiation output, but there are
far better sources available.
Your say your friend wants to carve a gorilla x-ray? This would
be exceedingly difficult, as an x-ray is energy. Now, of course, as Einstien's
famous equation (E=mc2) states, one could turn energy
into matter in sort of an inverted nuclear explosion, but it would require
immense resources - far beyond those available to the average woodcarver.
Now as for the 'life-size', I don't understand what you mean. X-rays
are not 'alive' in any detectable fashion, but if you mean 'as large as
an x-ray', all x-rays are that size, by definition. If your friend wants
to carve a piece of wood into the size and shape of a gorilla x-ray, that
is difficult as an x-ray is a photon and a photon has no size. If he wishes
to carve a representation of the x-ray wave, that would also be difficult,
as the wavelength of a gorilla x-ray would be somewhat smaller than an
angstrom, that is 10-10 meters, about the size of an atom. At
that size, it is questionable to call what he is carving wood, even if
it started out as wood, or how indeed to 'carve' what would essentially
be a collection of quarks.
Now it is just remotely possible that your friend needs an x-ray photograph
of a gorilla. In this he may be in luck. I would advise him to contact
the zoo veterinarians of the various zoos arouund the world that feature
gorillas. I am sure, statistically speaking, that one of those gorillas,
at some time, had an accident which required that an X-ray photograph be
taken.
Sorry I couldn't be of more help, but it has been fun attempting to
answer your question.
Dr. Beeker
Dear Dr. Beeker,
Why is my ten year old son obsessed with breasts?
Muddled Mother from England
This is a common phase many boys go through, and is no reason to be
concerned. It stems from under stimulation of the electronic center of
the brain. Recent studies have shown that most males, and a large number
of females, have a hyper-developed electronics center in the brain that
needs to be stimulated in order for proper mental development. If the center
is under-stimulated, a retreat into an pseudo-infantile condition manifests,
as evinced by your son's obsession.
Luckily, there seems to be no danger of over-stimulation, so I would
suggest purchase of a NITON 700series spectrum analyzer along with
a computer suitable for one in his age group, such as the recently announced
700+ MHz Alpha. I would also suggest continual upgrading as soon as possible
to the next level of electronic stimulant, such as the new NITON multi-source
720 and 730series machines.
With these wonderful new worlds to explore, he soon won't notice such
things as breasts - I know I don't.
Dr. Beeker
Dear Dr. Beeker,
I was wondering if you know the 12th number of the famous fibonacci sequence.
Do I know the 12th fibonacci number? Yes, I know the 12th fibonacci
number! The 12th fibonacci number is a close, personal friend of mine.
I think it *gross* that you ask such a personal question. A *dozen DOZEN*
people would never have anwered this question - or should I call it statement?
Are you playing some form of reverse Jeopardy, asking questions in the
form of a statement?
The fibonacci sequence is trivial in difficulty, but long on beauty.
Each number in the the sequence is added to the previous number to produce
the next number. Starting with one, the traditional beginning of the sequence
(although zero would work, also), we get:
1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21...
As the rest is rote math, we may assume the problem solved - or at least reduced to a previously solved problem.
Dr. Beeker
Dear Dr. Beeker,
!
Phone Phreak in Phoenix
I have been brooding upon your missive for the last 24 hours, turning its ponderous weighty intelligence over and over in my mind, searching down the trail of every last possible consequence, no matter how dire the danger to my mental faculties. Without a doubt, yours is the most troubling question any reader has yet sent to me. Then this noon, as I was strolling down the lovely bike path that stretches behind the NITON corporate headquarters here, the solution stuck me! What you had postulated was not a question, but an answer! A question would have a question mark after it (ie: Would you like some tea?) while an answer would sometimes require an exclaimation point (ie: No!) as, indeed, does your email. It then occured to me that I knew the question, so I now, in turn, pose it to you:
Dear Dr. Beeker,
I know that for a long time lead has been used to eliminate radiation. I now understand that Niton is now using radiation to eliminate lead. Rather that striving so hard to eliminate both lead and radiation, wouldn't it be more reasonable to set up a proper Taoistic ecological balance between the radiation and lead levels in peoples homes for an ideal harmonious balance?
Mellow in Monterey
You seem to be laboring under a mis-apprehension, which is an unsafe labor condition if I ever saw one. Lead has never been used to eliminate radiation, merely to shield us from its worst effects. The radiation is still there, quietly pumping out broadcast, but the lead prevents it from thudding into our bodies and blasting apart our chromosomes like a cue ball amongst the racked billiard balls - which reminds me of the punchline to a joke, the rest of which I've forgotten:
Then the doctor says, " Well, the good news is it might be a *beneficial* mutation..."
You labor under yet another mis-apprehension concerning NITON's use
of radiation vis-a-vis lead. The NITON XRF machines use radiation to *detect*
lead, not to eliminate it. The lead is then *remediated* (from the latin
"re" - meaning "again" and "mediate" - meaning "get in between". Don't
ask me why. I'm a theoretical physicist, not a philologist, or was that
theoretically I'm a physicist?) by trained professionals - don't try this
at home kids.
As for a Taoistic ecological balance between lead and radiation, that
reminds me of something a little bird once told me. As near as I can remember,
it went something along the lines of "Cukoo, cukoo". 'Ecology' implies
living creatures, which are rather scarce between radiation and lead, thus
no more 'ecology' than exists on the moon.
I suggest that some of the mis-apprehensions you labor under have fallen
down onto your head.
Dr. Beeker
Dr. Beeker,
I have not been able to find any information describing the principal of operation of photo electric cells that are used to turn lights on and off when the sun comes up. Could you assist me with this?
Electric in Elm City
I think I see your error, but first a little 'grounding' in photo-electrics.
The photo-electrics in question are simply light sensors that act as a
switch to close or open a circuit. The circuit in this case being an internal,
low-power circuit which switches the main electric lights cicuit in turn.
The sensing of enough photons (light particles) causes the sensor to generate
a small electric charge in the low-power which opens the main circuit which
turns on the lights.
Now as to your error. The sun does not revolve around the earth, as
many people believe. On the contrary, the earth revolves about the sun,
as was conclusively proven by Dr. Galileo Galilei in his paper "How to
Tick Off the Church", published by the University of Padua Free Press.
Dr. Galilei subsequently repudiated his own findings under pressure from
the church, but his original theory has since been independently verified
by observation.
So, you see, the sun does not actually 'come up', nor does it 'go down'.
It stays in basically the same place with respect to the earth. It is the
*earth* which, rotating on its axis, causes the illusion that the sun is
moving. In case you are wondering, the earth is *not* hollow, nor is the
moon made of green cheese, as other popular myths would have it. Given
that you are confused about the earth's relationship to the sun, it is
not suprising that you wouldn't understand how photo-electric switches
work.
Personally, I prefer to point my photo electric cells at an electric
light on the main circuit. When the light emits photons (light particles),
the sensor rapidly senses enough photons to open the circuit, thus shutting
off the light, causing it to emit darkons (dark particles), which causes
the photo-electric sensor to close the circuit, thus returning current
to the lamp and causing it to emit photons again, ad infinitum. This proves
the principle of Feedback, first proposed by Dr. J. Hendrix at the University
of Monterrey back in the late sixties. The fact that the curcuit described
above maintains a steady frequency proves that the speed of light is equal
to the speed of dark, a little known but important fact.
Dr. Beeker
Dear Dr. Beeker:
Could you tell me the value for gravity in Nashua, NH?
Thanks,
As far as I'm concerned, much too high. All those dour New Hampshirites are too silent in the malls, always frowning at each other, never laughing. They're too grave for their own good. They could use more levity. On the other hand Californians value gravity too little. At times the left coast threatens to tear off and drift into space.
Dr. Beeker
Dear Dr. Beeker,
Salutations, dear colleague! Recently, while attending a festive gala
function in our lunchroom, it was noticed that the quaint, dial-faced timepiece
perched high upon the wall appeared to be stopped at 07:46:44 presumably
Eastern Standard Time because of our location, although Greenwich Mean
Time was a distinct possibility. Be that as it may, on closer perusal it
was noticed that the second hand was behaving in an odd manner; to wit
- it would advance forward to 07:46:45, then return, almost immediately,
to its former position. In due course this plucky little indicator would
once again attempt its forward motion, only to retreat again, like the
tides of the ocean, to the position it formerly occupied. This baffling
phenomenon appeared to be cycling at regular, one second intervals, although
a precise timing was not attempted, due to a lack of grant funding and
interest.
Naturally, my first assumption was the most obvious - that the clock
and the immediate vicinity thereof was trapped in a quantum time loop -
just like in that cool episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation that had
that guy from Frasier in it! Then the fellow on my left, recently transported
to our shores from Hong Kong, postulated the theory that perhaps the power
souece was drained, thus robbing the device of the necessary "oompht"*
needed to raise all three hands upward simultaneously. Finally an attractive
young lady in our company speculated that the chronologic arm in question
might be, as she put it, "bent". A search for Uri Geller turning up negative,
we chuckled to ourselves at her innocent naivete; but on reflection, I
thought
hey dude! Who are we to judge? Indeed, stranger things have
been known to happen in the annals of science.
Therefore I beseech you, an impartial celebrity whose wisdom is unquestioned,
whose mettle - that most elusive of qualities - has been challenged and
never found wanting, whose skill has been tested and proven repeatedly,
honed to the finest of points in the frontline trenches of real science,
and winner of the Mr. R&D contest an unprecedented three years
in a row, to investigate this thing here.
* As you know this unit of torque was named after Nikolai Tesla's faithful but twisted assistant, Freidrich Piter Wilhelm Von Hausen Oompht.
Sir; I remain your most humble and obedient servant,
Professor Clarence Testube
Technically, I did *not* win the Mr. R&D contest thrice running.
The first year I indeed was the sole recipient, but the second year I shared
the prize with my eminent friend and colleague, the mathematician H. Alan
Porter, and the third year the name of the contest was changed to R&D
Stud Muffin of the Year after the magazine was sold to Conde Nast.
As to your question, I first suspected that we might be looking at
a small, highly curved dimension through which the second hand rotated,
but the exact timing of 07:46:44/5 gave me the clue I needed. An obscure
local ordinance in Where-the-sun-don't-shine, Nebraska mandated that all
clocks and watches be stopped at the time of death of the town founder,
Asa B. Thwistlespeck, which occured at either 07:46:44 or 07:46:45, May
12, 1887 (the time was recorded differently by the two witnesses).
As the town's population peaked at 40 in 1905, no-one paid much attention
to the ordinance until the Acme Clock Company relocated from Potawotami,
Illinois to the town in 1979. In November of that year, Asa B. Thwistlespeck
V, a lineal descendant of the founder, obtained a court order mandating
that the Acme Clock Compaany comply with the ordininace. Needless to say,
this ruined the company, but not until some 1200 clocks were shipped to
unsuspecting customers worldwide.
So hold on to that clock! It may someday be worth some money to a collector
of the obscure!
Dr. Beeker
Dear colleague,
I am pleased to see that I have a colleague elsewhere. I wonder if you can advise me how to measure the radiation of my two belovend cats.
dr beeker in holland.
Now there's something I've never said before! As for your cat problem: That depends upon the section of the electromagnatic spectrum you wish to measure and where the radiation you want to measure is. For example, to measure the x-ray band at a distance of less than a meter, I would suggest a good geiger-counter. To measure the internal heat radiation of your cat's intestines, I suggest a thermometer, face mask, chest protector, disposable padded garment, thick steel or leather gloves, leather chaps, knee high steel toed boots, and a good medical plan.
Dr. Beeker
P.S. Do you know what my first name might be? I think it may be an old family name and you being a Beeker from the old country... It begins with "E", if that helps any. It's such a pain having forgotten it!
E. Beeker, PhD.
Dear Dr. Beeker:
WHAT IS A CREATIVE TITLE FOR MY SCIENCE PROJECT, IT IS ON SODIUM. I really think to name it plane old sodium or Na is really boring , so dose my instructor , so what is a name that you'd call it , e.g THE MOST REACTIVE CHEMICAL ON THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH.
please help !!!!
A.S.A.P
Thank you mr. Beeker.
Desperate in Des Moines
A catchy title I particularly favor would be:
"Na:
Reactions and combininations of various elements with sodium (Na) in
[insert local air pressure] millibars atmosphere of air at [insert local
gravity] G gravity at [insert height] above sea level, with supplementary
data, charts and graphs."
Some of the more whimsical suggestions of my young lab assistant, Mike, are worthy of a chuckle:
"Wham, Bam, thank you Ma'am"
"It was on fire so I put it in the water"
"Kablooie!"
"Let me tell you what happened to my left arm..."
"Sodium: It's not just for breakfast anymore!"
"Sodium at parties: A real ice breaker!"
Ahh me! I remember when I was young - tossing chunks of sodium over the Salt-and-Pepper-Shaker Bridge near MIT - The rapid-fire POWPOWPOW as the chunk hopped across the water - The frenzied swearing of the Harvard rowing team I just missed... Such memories...
Dr. Beeker
Dear Dr. Beeker:
Why is it that a paper cup does not burn when it has water in it and you have a torch at the bottom of it? We did this in school, trying to boil the water and it worked but we all thought the paper cup would burn but it didn't. Why is that????
Thanks
Who down in Whoville
My dear Who:
The cup does not burn because it is filled with a liquid denser than the paper - water. The water acts as a heat sink and prevents the paper from reaching 451 F, the ignition point of paper, until it boils away. A denser liquid - such as mercury - would work even better, but I for one feel better breathing water vapor than mercury vapor. As long as the boiling point of the fluid is lower than the flash point of paper, the paper won't burn, because the paper stays at the temperature of boiling water (212 F at sea level) until the water boils away.
If the liquid is less dense than the paper, the heat doesn't transfer into the liquid fast enough, and the paper reaches ignition. If the boiling point of the liquid is higher than 451 F, the liquid will tranfer the heat until it is hotter than the flash point of paper, at which point the paper will burn.
I personally would recommend continuing to use pots to boil water in, however, as they are not only less messy, they are also re-useable, and thus environmentally sound. Besides, a metal pot makes a much better emergency brain shield than a paper pot when the aliens are using their mind-control ray.
Dr. Beeker
Dear Dr. Beeker,
I heard about you from my friend. I am a seventh grade student in California. I asked him if his dad could send you an email to ask about my science project.
My project is on testing the pH of soaps. Do you know where I can find good test kits to do this project? Also, if you have any other helpful ideas that would jazz up the project, I would appreciate it. Thanks.
Science Fair to Middlin'
Why should his Dad send me email about it if you have already? Are you aiming for fail-safe redundancy here?
Sir:
This whole site is just fantastic!
Well, my question is, in some catalogues, especially those for hydraulic
pumps and motors, torque has units measured in daNm. What does the "da"
stand for?
Thanking you in advance.
Cybernaut in Cyprus
Aha! Flattery! Always welcome here at "Ask Dr. Beeker"! As to your question,
daNm is a unit of torque consisting of the prefix "da", which is the standard
metric abbreviation for "deka" - or 101, N, for Newton - the
metric unit of Force, and m, for meter, the metric unit of length. Thus
by concatenating the previous sentence we get dekaNewtonmeters, or Newtons*meters*10.
The metric unit of torque - daNm, shouldn't be confused with DAMN,
the american unit of pain. Thus hitting your thumb with a hammer would
be worth 2*DAMN, Dropping a dictionary on your toe 3*DAMN, and banging
your shin in the dark, stepping in the cat's water, slipping and ending
up face first in the cat's litter is worth 3 or 4 dekaDAMNs, I forget how
many I used.
I've taken the liberty of posting the generaly accepted prefices below:
Dr. Beeker
Dr. Beeker:
Why the beer stay ok if you put a tea-spoon in the neck of the bottle?
Argent in Argentina
Nothing could be closer to *this* phycisist's heart than beer. I applied for a research grant to fund an investigation, and was turned down on the grounds that such a study had already been done - by Geert Jan van Oldenborgh and Fernando L. J. Vos at the Instituut-Lorentz, Rijksuniversiteit Leiden. It's just as well, as I would find it very hard to leave a bottle of beer half-finished. These gentlemen showed immense dedication to their research subject, and deserve a round of applause from beer-drinkers everywhere. Their web site URL is:
http://www.lorentz.leidenuniv.nl/preprints/spoon/spoon.html
Their pilot study was done on beer, and the main study on sparkling wine - actually cider, as it appears these gentlemen are not as underhanded and unscrupulous in gaining research funding as certain phycisists whose first name begins with an E. - so those who insist on drinking that foul rotted grape potion instead of a *real* drink with a smooth, creamy head and a fascinating blend of hops and barley malt have reason to celebrate, also.
mmmmmm - If you'll excuse me, I'll be right back. I seem to have developed a raging thirst...
Salud!
Dr. Beeker
There are several devices on the market that pump air into the headspace of soda bottles and purport to save the soda from going flat. What is the physical basis behind this?
Henry's Law states that the concentration of a solute gas is directly proportional to the partial pressure of *that* gas above the solution. Since there is only a tiny fraction of carbon dioxide in the air, pumping a little bit of air over soda would not increase the partial pressure of carbon dioxide over the soda and therefore would not offer an advantage off keeping soda fizzed when compared to just capping the soda immediately after use.
What do you think? Any Insights? Thanks.
BobTheChemist
It is obvious to me that the physical basis behind such claims is that the marketers of these products need money desperately, and have decided on yours as the wallet most in need of weight loss. However, remember that by pumping in air, they are overpressurizing these bottles and thus increasing the partial pressure of CO2 proportionally. If one increases normal air pressure by x, it follows that the partial pressure of CO2 would *also* increase by x, thus indeed rendering it better than merely re-capping the bottle at normal atmospheric pressure.
I must add that at the price of soda, the marginal increase in shelf life such a method would yield would seem not to be cost-effective. If you are bound and determined to waste your money, perhaps you'd be interested in underwriting some research? I have many totally useless projects that yield far less bang for the buck than pumping up soda bottles! Talk about conspicuous consumption!
You might also try a spoon - see the next letter - as an alternative.
Dr. Beeker
Dear beeker
I've been looking everywhere for the real way to do liquid lights, I mean the kind you see in the old acid test footage with the swirl and pulse effects. And info (the more in depth the better) will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you very much, am looking forward to your reply,
Psincerely, Psychadelic in Pseattle
I would suppose the *real* way to "do liquid lights" would be to ingest some controlled hallucinogenic substance, grow your hair long, wear bell-bottoms and a fringed leather vest, and contemplate your navel whilst listening to thumping, electrically amplified noise. *Not* that I advocate such a procedure, but you did seem to be asking for the authentic experience.
Alternatively, there are several different meanings of the phrase 'liquid light'. One is a tube filled with a clear fluid used to transmit light - like a more flexible type of fiber optics. Another is a photographic emulsion that can be poured out and exposed to light through a negative in a darkroom, let alone various commercial enterprises calling themselves 'liquid light something or other', all of whom seem to be founded by refugees from the halcyon days of the Sixties (which seem to have taken place mostly in the early Seventies...) who migrated into various artistic niches.
I suspect, though, that you are referring to a device for projecting strange-colored bubbling, swirling, ever-changing lights at a light show or concert. This device was constructed by placing colored fluids of widely varying viscosity - thus not mixable - between circular sheets of thin, clear glass, usually three or four, and placing the resultant stack in front of a strong light source such as a quartz-halogen lamp. The fluids would heat unevenly and move around between the glass plates by convection. Needless to say, one should seal the edges of the plates, less the fluids escape and leak into the light source. By layering different colored fuids, and separating them with glass, it was possible to get blended, overlapping colors and shapes.
This is much the same principle of operation of another icon of the Sixties, the Lava Lamp. In that case, one fuid was a colored paraffin wax, the other a viscous oil of nearly the same specific gravity. The paraffin would heat up, thus expanding and becoming slightly lighter than the oil. It would then rise to the top and cool, becoming slightly heavier than the oil. The movement up, then out, then down, then in was caused by convection currents in the oil, which was also heating and cooling.
I hope this is sufficient information. I rarely find a *satisfactory* amount of data, but I usually get *enough*.
Dr. Beeker
Dear Dr. Beeker
After about six beers, I begin to have trouble walking. What could be the problem? Everything else seems fine - wonderful in fact.
Buzzed in Bavaria
It is well known that alchohol acts as a 'mental lubricant', freeing the higher brain functions from the rust and sludge of everyday life. Unfortunately, after a certain amount, the higher brain functions are so free that they laugh in the face of the body's pleas for some modicum of control. The lower brain functions are just not up to the demanding mathematical functions of walking - such as compensating for the rotation of the earth (adjusted by latitude,) compensating for the sidereal motion of the earth around the sun, allowing for the circular motion of the solar system about the galactic center, adjusting for the proper motion of the galaxy, compensating for slight differences in local gravity, etc.
Without these compensations, usually attended to by the higher brain functions who are too busy partying, the lower brain functions do their best, but the result is the lurching, stumbling, spinning gait characteristic of those whose elbows are fully exercised. Thus, until computers are reduced to cranial implants and can take over navigational functions, we must expect to suffer occasional lapses of equilibrium on our mental life.
Dr. Beeker
Dear Dr. Beeker
What is the frequency of a graviton particle? Thank You.
Curious in Colorado
Fortunately for all of us, frequently enough, else like the fellow in the next question, we'd all have a bit of trouble walking.
You must understand, gentle Curious, that the graviton is still - last I heard, at any rate - a theoretical particle, but I can say that - if they do exist - gravitons would be considered a boson. That is, a force-carrying particle, similar to a photon. A photon carries the electromagnetic force as a graviton would carry the gravitational force. Some physicists reject the idea of gravitons entirely, viewing them as mere artifacts of calculation - as with the electromagnetic force, it is sometimes better to view gravity as a wave or field effect, other times as a particle.
You must bear in mind, however, that the gravitational force is 10-48 times weaker than the EM force, and thus gravitons, if they do indeed exist, would be extremely hard to detect.
In short, gravitons are not my field of expertise, but you may find some help at:
http://pages.pratique.fr/~desbrand/GV_SUN1.htm
or
http://www.physics.wayne.edu/wsu/misc/Physics.FAQ
Dr. Beeker
Dr. Beeker
We were thinking in using granite above the shelves in our kitchen, the length of it will be about 11 meters its width 60 cm and its depth 2 cm
Cyprian in Cyprus
Well, the *first* thing that springs to mind is the granite strip ripping
from its plaster anchors and falling on you. This, believe me, is a *serious*
health hazard.
Granite does have a certain amount of uranium in it's mix - granite
is a coarse grained intrusive igneous rock principally composed of quartz
and alkali feldspars, but also including biotite mica, muscovite mica,
and hornblende, as well as lesser proportions of other minerals - but its
radioactivity varies greatly.
A decay product of uranium is radon, which is emitted in varying proportions
by various granites. I doubt a slab of granite of only 132,000 cc volume
would be *that* great a radon risk.
Also sometimes other minerals, such as basalt, diorite, or gneiss are
marketed as granite, while they are very different geologically - basalt
is a volcanic rock, diorite contains very little quartz, and gneiss is
metamorphosed granite - and this adds another complication to your question.
In general, I would assess the risk of the granite falling to be greater
than the risk of large amounts of radiation and radon. Get the granite
in question checked for radiation and radon emission if it worries you.
The procedures are quick and inexpensive, and the peace of mind it brings
you can be worth a lot.
Dr. Beeker
Dr. Beeker
Please help me with this Dr. Beeker... I've never seen a pink lemon... and yet... I have drunk pink lemonade. Where does it come from?
clueless in cali
Pink lemons have not legally been grown in the United States since the
McCarthy era. If you see a pink lemon, rest assured that it has been smuggled
into the country - probably from Cuba. When McCarthy forced through the
"Citrus Relief Bill" which banned the domestic growth or importation of
pink lemons, the pink lemonade moguls met in an emergency session of their
cabal. Disaster staring them in the face, they established a crash research
team - the Miami Project - to find an ersatz pink lemonade which was acceptable
to the American people. Many formulae were tried and discarded - cherry
juice, red kidney beans, jalapeno peppers - until they found the proper
formula: regular yellow-white lemonade and grenadine syrup. This "new and
improved" pink lemonade was introduced to popular acclaim in the mid-sixties.
In the early eighties, when a communist takeover of the island of Grenada
threatened our supply of Grenadine syrup, the pink lemonade cabal called
in some favors and contributed heavily to a few re-election campaigns,
resulting in the invasion of Grenada by the US, which nipped that particular
threat in the bud.
With the end of the cold war, it became possible to end the pink lemon
embargo, but the Florida and California citrus growers had destroyed their
old pink lemon trees, and, unable to compete, successfully lobbied against
recinding the "Citrus Relief Bill" in Congress. If you travel abroad, you
may get the chance to taste "real" pink lemonade. If you do, take it, because
it may be a long time (if ever) before "real" pink lemonade is available
here. Just don't try to smuggle any in, the Customs people are *very* aware
of the temptation.
Dr. Beeker
Dear Dr. Beeker
I noticed a question on your page concerning UFOs. Do you believe in UFOs? If so, do you think the people in them look like the tall skinny guys like at the end of "Close Encounters" or more like the short squat type like Marvin the Martian? Have you ever been abducted? Did they conduct medical experiments?
UFOfan in Unalaska
My dear Ufofan:
Do I believe in UFOs? Most certainly yes. As UFO is an acronym for "Unidentified
Flying Object", I do indeed believe that there are objects. Moreover, a
small percentage of said objects are, indeed, unidentified because of various
factors, and a portion of such unidentified objects are travelling above
the earth's surface. This, I do believe, constitutes adherence to the standard
definition of the three words "Unidentified Flying Object".
Concerning the "people", if we could distiguish individuals attached
to/aboard the Flying Object , its chances of remaining unidentified are
vanishingly small. Thus I posit this question is void of meaning, and decline
to attempt an answer.
As far as abductions are concerned, Yes, I was once abducted. I was
working in the lab one Saturday afternoon, when a demented woman in a bizzare
white, veiled outfit burst in and dragged me away for the apparent purpose
of putting me through some strange ritual. I managed to escape through
the bathroom window, and immediately beefed up security at the lab. Who
*knows* what degradations I would've been forced to submit to? I still
have nightmares.
I do not know who the "they" you refer to is, but I have been forced
to undergo strange medical experimentation by a group calling themselves
the "M.D.s" - also clothed in white, come to think of it! Is this some
global conspiracy?
Stripped of my clothing, I was compelled to don a grotesque garment
which was obviously designed to humiliate the warer, then subjected to
unspeakable torments. Is this a common phenomenon?
I hope I've adequately answered your questions.
Dr. Beeker
Dear Mr. Beeker
I'm a student in Quebec(Canada) and i have a question to ask you. Let suppose the earth stop rotation on its axis and no disasters appear. Could you tell me what would have change for a normal person? (will there be days of 6 months or no days and i suppose the g force will be the same) What this person could find strange in his life??
Questioning in Quebec
My dear Questioning:
OK. Given: The earth's rotation abruptly stops, presumably semi-permanently, and no disasters happen. What would a normal person - say, your typical, everyday physicist - find strange? Since you didn't specify the astronomical body in relation to which the earth would stop revolving, I have taken the liberty of specifying 3 cases.
In all cases, your average everyday physicist-in-the-street might find it odd that the laws of physics had apparently been suspended to allow the "No Disasters" clause. Let's say this fictional physicist is a tall, lanky, red headed fellow with a beard, glasses, and commanding nasal presence, for no particular reason. Effects in all cases would include the following:
Winds would be driven only by convection and gravity, and would not show the coriolis effect. Most of Europe would freeze as the Gulf Stream stopped flowing, the same for Alaska and Western Canada as the Japan current stopped. Precipitation patterns would abruptly change, making once lush areas into deserts and deserts into well watered land. Armed bands of mutant babooons would roam the wilds, looking for beautiful american women. The sun would turn blood red and vast flocks of aerial swine would darken the sky at noon.
Case Alpha: The Earth stops revolving in relation to the moon.
The Earth and the Moon are tidally locked, each presenting the same face to the other. There would be a permanent high tide on the point of the earth nearest the moon and also farthest from the moon. Minor fluctuation in the tide would follow a daily cycle as the earth moon pair orbit around a common center of gravity in their orbit around the sun, presenting a double cycloid orbital path. The days would be much longer than at present, and fewer per year. Temperature fluctuations between night and day would be far more severe than at present, driving a fiercer weather system. Natural ecosystems would get unbalanced as nocturnal and diurnal animals compete directly for the first time. Higher temperature fluctuations in the tropics due to the longer day/night cycle would kill off some appreciable biomass, perhaps finishing off the rainforests. With the rainforests gone, the animal rights activists would go postal, mowing down the rest of humanity with their vast stores of ordinance hidden in natural limestone caves in south-central Kentucky, finally turning their illegal AK-47s and assault rifles on themselves in a vast convulsion of mindless destruction. Then the cats would have to forcibly evolve some other creature to function as their slaves. Perhaps parrots or kinkajous.
Case Beta: The Earth stops revolving in relation to the sun.
The Earth is tidally locked to the sun, always showing the same face to the sun. There is no more day/night cycle. The point of the earth closest to the sun broils while the dark side freezes. Life would only be possible on the periphery, in the twilight areas. A huge ice cap would cover the cold pole, locking up enormous amounts of water. Sea levels would drop precipitously, with the fertile periphery fed by glacial run-off. The entrances to the hollow center of the earth would be opened by the change in ice cap, and the dinosaurs who had crawled in there to escape the collision with that asteroid would re-emerge, eating the last pitiful human survivors and roaring from the hills their challenges once more.
Case Gamma: The Earth stops revolving in relation to the universe
A day and a year would be synonymous, with enormous temperature swings. Most plant life would die off in the 6 month nights, with only the hardiest able to survive and flourish in the six month days. Animal populations would plummet with most species becoming extinct. Eventually, new species would evolve with adaptationss to the peculiar arrangement, but in the short term look for a massive die-off. If humanity were one of the lucky survivors, look for intensive agriculture during the day and a societal hybernation during the night - a real cocooning. Then, during the night, the ice weasels come....
Or, it could be totally different from this.
I hope this answers your question.
Dr. Beeker
Dear Mr Beaker Sir
After much trying i have recently joined the 4th grade again.And have been endeavoring for some time to acquire a few particular upgrades to my existing jhonny ball chemistry set, the NITON 700 sounds fantastic fun,possibly even better than the time i told my science teacher i had swallowed some mercury for a bet
I told my mother that i had finally found a way to make novelty x-ray specs actually work,to which she just smilled and told me that i'd probably look more distinguished bald anyway.But anyway how many copies of zit will i have to sell to get one,i can do 3 before school and maybe (including my grandma)8 after,and will it be in time for my 28th birthday next month?yours hopefully
optimistic in oxford
Well. Optimistic:
The NITON XL-700 machines are great fun, I agree. Yesterday,
I tried out your idea by taping a NITON XL-700 over each eye and navigating
by reading the spectra. I had a wonderful time until I drove home. We're
going to have to cut down the reading time for that. The fact that the
x-rays attenuated after about 10 meters made for an interesting ride on
the interstate. Talk about blind spots!
The XL-700 is not an inexpensive machine, so based on your receiving
the standard 5 cent commission on Zit, in somewhat less than 200 years,
you'd have one eye of your X-ray specs functional! Imagine the thrill of
waiting at the mailbox for that puppy to show!
Dr. Beeker
Dear Dr. Biker,
I was told you had a show on the WWF channel the other day but I must have missed it. When I tuned in , Hulk Hogan had Bob Sagett in a head lock and the audience was laughing at him.
I have two questions:
A) doesn't it bother you that space heaters don't work in a vacuum?
2) If I put 1 grain of sand on the first square of a chess board, 2 on the second, 4 on the 3rd, 8 grains on the 4th, etc, how the hell do I fit the rook on the 64th square?
and another thing. what the heck is this box we are supposed to think outside of?It's cold outside. Shouldn't somebody rephrase that for people who live up north?
D) One word.......Sourdough..... I hear they keep the same batch going in San Francisco for years., Why doesnt it go bad?
V) Do you think you could reorganize your list alphabetically by number? Otherwise Im going to have a hard time reading your response to my letter.
6) Don't you agree that George Michael doesn't sing the same way at all since he left the Beatles?
Thanks for your time,
Sincerely,
Tubthumping in Texas
P.B.S. Has anyone else mentioned that you look a lot like Colonel Sanders?
My Dear Tubthumping:
Your Answers:
A) Not at all, as I do not live in a vacuum. I know a few plasma physicists who lament the lack, but it never bothered me.
2) Put the rook on before you put on the grain. If you've already put on the grain, you'll have to do a time axis transform, and as you know, those can get sticky.
The box is the famous Schroedinger's Cat Box, now located in Shroedinger's Cat House.
D) Who says it didn't? Did you ever taste bread from the original batch?
V) At present, It's arranged alphanumerically by date, And I prefer it that way. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.
6) You're thinking of George McDonald Fraser, who is currently starring on the sitcom of the same name, where he sings the title song "Cross Dallas and Scram, Bull Tex". His voice *has* gotten deeper over the years, and he'd lost that silly Brit accent, but overall, I haven't noticed a large drop in quality.
Hope that Helps,
Dr. Beeker
Dr. Beeker,
I must take issue with the statement you made in response to Electric in Elm City (I'm glad somebody is.):
"So, you see, the sun does not actually 'come up', nor does it 'go down'. It stays in basically the same place with respect to the earth. It is the *earth* which, rotating on its axis, causes the illusion that the sun is moving. "
Only if one chooses the reference frame of the sun does the sun stay in one place while the earth revolves around it. One presumes that Elm City is on the earth, in which case it makes perfect sense to define the problem in terms of the reference frame of the earth, in which the sun is indeed moving. Don't let the scientific establishment bully you into accepting their arbitrary frames of reference.
Critical Cricket
My Dear Cricket
When one weighs one scientific viewpoint against another, one must look closely at the facts. Here we have two ponts of view, equally valid, yet apparently opposed. One held in common with the scientific community (of which I am an important member), one held in common by Troglodites, New Age Whackos, and Wandering Sheep-Shearers.
In weighing these two opposing viewpoints, one must ask oneself one important, overriding question, to wit:
"Will holding this viewpoint help me or harm me in gaining grant money?"
If the answer to the above is "it will help", then bucking the scientific establishment is indeed in order. If not, well, one can see that sticking one's head out would be no use.
It is apparent, Cricket, that while you have a questioning, discerning mind, that you are just not cut out to be a scientist.
Dr. Beeker
Hi, Dr. Beeker,
I have a Physics question. It is about relativity, and I don't have the math background that it takes, but here it goes anyway.
Many people say that gravity and acceleration, given the right circumstances (Einstein's elevator), are indistinguishable.
Well, every relativity book (even Einstein's - who was a terrible explainer in my opinion) mentions the tidal effects of gravity. Wouldn't the stretching effect be measureable and, therefore, distinguish between being in a gravity "field" and been accelerated?
Also, with the twins paradox not being a paradox because one of the twins was accelerated, doesn't that give acceleration a certain "absoluteness" (versus relativity)?
Thanks!
Ontological in Ontario
My Dear Ontological
Goodness! Relativity seemss relatively popular lately!
It is true that the tidal effects of gravity are measurable, unfortunately acceleration induces it's own similar tidal effects, thus negating the use of measuring said effects. I once knew a manager who's head was so dense that it induced severe tidal effects on everyone in his department. Eventually, his head imploded to a point singularity. We assume he merely drifted through the earth, but it is possible he's still there sucking magma at the core. He always did before.
Your point in re: the absoluteness of acceleration is valid. Unlike time and distance, which depend upon the frame of reference used, acceleration is indeed absolute. This was proven by the famous "Siamese Twins Paradox" of Herr Doktor Doktor Werner von Fliedermaus-Bellaufsatz.
Dr. Beeker
Hi(gh), Dr. Beeker,
if an electron would have a mind, then 1 second would be experienced as an eternity by this electron because of its high speed spinning. So it is known that the life of a fly or even a dog is significantly shorter that the life of a human being. Is the day-night rhthm experienced by a dog also slower than the daynight rhythm for human beings? If yes, what could happen with creatures that have such a long life that the day-night cycle is like a stroboscope?
Astnogloricus in adanecuminiter
My Dear Anto, um Astro uh, Fellow!
The experience of time is always relative to the frame of reference of the observer (yes, people, more relativity!). Thus the frame of reference of your hypothetical intellegent electron would also have to be known. We see that humans conceive of eternity as beyond their own time frame, i.e. eternity=all_time_that_there_is, but *experience* eternity as (eternity=all_my_time), as reference your own perceptions of time as a child, when an hour was a very long time indeed measured by your own internal frame of reference, and a summer vacation seemed almost forever.
Thus, from the only evidence we have on how intellegent creatures *experience* time, I would say that any finite period of time would be experienced as a direct proportion of that period to the individual's entire *personal* eternity, their own total temporal experience.
This experiental time is, of course, modified by the temporal sampling rate of the individual in question. Thus a physicist concentrating upon a problem would devote less of her resources to *perception* of temporal flow, and would perceive time as passing rather quickly, whereas if the physicist in question were in the presence of an attractive, red-bearded, impressively nosed male physicist, she would perceive time as passing all too slowly, because her resources would be all focused upon the here_and_now.
Thus, to sum up:
experiential_time=(period_of_time/all_of_my_time)/sampling_rate_at_moment
This would apply to humans, and by extension, to any intellegent being, until more data on the temporal experience of non-human intellegent beings can be obtained. Spurred by your question, I am now applying for research funding on obtaining this valuable data. I hope it will not be a long (experiential) time before the funding comes through, as I need some electronic toys that can be justified under such funding!
Dr. Beeker
Dr. Beeker:
Where can I find out about Norweigian modern and olden day clothing???
Non-Norwegian in Nome
My Dear Non:
Though not technically a physics question, I'll do my best. Most modern day Norwegians of my aquaintance wear thick cable-knit wool sweaters and blue or black denim pants with heavy leather steel-toed work boots, all liberally spangled with fish guts and scales. Of course, the fact that all the Norwegians of my aquaintance are professional fishermen may have influenced that just a bit. As far as "olden day" Norwegian, I would suppose horned helmets, chainmail, big axes and leather boots laced on the outside would fill the bill. You could also try http://www.nq.com/nordic/norway/norbus_textiles.html
Dr. Beeker
Dear Doc,
Please Help! If I am making ice by running water continually over a refrigerated surface divided into cubed sections, how many BTU/hr do I need to make a pound of ice in, say, 15 minutes? Does it make any difference how fast the water runs over the refrigerated surface? If you have any equations that I can put to work for different volumes of ice and different speeds of water flow, I'll gladly send you all the ice you could ever want. Thanks a million
Valiant in Venezuela
My Dear Valiant,
In answer to your first question, way too many. Running water is not
easily made into ice. By running the water, you introduce unnecessary heat
into the equation. By the way, I see you still use BTU's in Venezuela -
in the USA, we converted to the Metric system in 1976. Have you heard of
the metric system? It is a very useful measurement system which doesn't
depend upon how long the king's nose is or whether you mean horse as in
quarterhorse or horse as in Percheron. To answer your question, I first
had to look up BTU, or British Thermal Unit, which is defined as sufficient
heat to raise one pound of water one degree Farenheit, which caused me
to look up the definition of a pound, and finally, the definition of a
degree Farenheit. Why are you using that crazy Farenheit scale? Personally
I prefer Kelvin, but Celsius has a certain charm, also.
I did the math in gram-calories/hour, and adapted it to your pounds/hour
scheme. From this, you can change it to bushels per fortnight, or even
hogsheads per lunar month as you wish. The equation is:
(delta)H = 79.67 gram-calories/g * 1.8 (((BTU/lb) /gram-calories) /gram) = 143.4 BTU/lb
This is sufficient to freeze one pound of water already at the freezing
point (which is, for you Venezuelans, 32 degrees on the Farenheit scale.)
To reach the freezing point from some arbitrary other point requires one
BTU/lb for each degree (F) of difference.
The preceeding formula is, of course, for an infinitely large freezing
surface, with cubes just large enough for a single water molecule to fit
in. The water is assumed to be introduced simultaneously over the entire
freezing surface, and the freezing surface is, naturally, equipped with
an infinitely thick insulator. You should introduce the appropriate loss
variables depending upon how much your implementation details vary from
these. Speed of water flow should remain a constant - zero - except for
the simultaneous introduction of the water onto the freezing surface.
Dr. Beeker
Dear Doc,
A police shooting instructor has a high level of lead in his blood.
We did wipe sample on the surface in the room and it seems like there is
lead all over the place.
Do you have a suggestion for cleaning up the room and to prevent any
future contamination?
Thank you
Handbasket in Hull
My Dear Handbasket,
You might take a lesson from Hercules and divert a river through it,
but that would contaminate the river. I suppose vaporizing the place in
containment and filtering the ashes is out of the question, too. Hmm.
The next best solution would be a thorough cleaning with HEPA Filter
vacuums, sealing any pourous areas with epoxy-based paints. Nasty places,
these indoor shooting ranges.
There are two types of lead poisoning which can occur in shooting ranges.
The first being acute lead poisoning, such as when a bullet accidentally
enters the body. Proper safety training and procedures do much to minimize
this danger.
The second type of lead poisoning is chronic, caused by breathing in
the lead vaporized by the detonation of the primer. In an indoor shooting
range the most important thing is ventilation! Adequate ventilation is
necessary for good hygiene practices. Shooters should avoid inhaling the
fumes while firing.
Dr. Beeker
Hey Doc,
Not really a physics question. Or maybe it is...
Just how much lead does it take to affect a person?
Our office just tested positive for Lead particles (dust). Should the Boys and I get out blood tested?
Joe from Kokomo
My Dear Joe,
A very interesting question, indeed. An intersting question deserve
a complex answer: it depends.
Some people have been able to tolerate *enormous* quantities of lead
in their bodies, but the the typical adult metabolizes about 5% of ingested
lead. Children are an order of magnitude better at metabolizing ingested
lead, at about 50%.
Blood lead levels of approximately 15 micrograms per dl have been shown
to be harmful. For a small child, that comes to about 300 micrograms of
lead. For an idea of how small that is, take a packet of Nutra-sweet and
divide it in half. Then divide one of the halfs by half. Contine this process
until a total of nine divisions have occured. Not very much, is it? For
an adult, the equivalent would be a total of seven divisions. better, but
still not very much.
The smart thing to do would be to get a blood test. It's easy, simple,
and keeps the vampires off the streets and in the hospitals, where they
belong.
Dr. Beeker
Yo! Doc!
is there anythnig in the world that doesnt relate to chemistry?
Junior Chemist in Juneau
My dear Junior
If I remember correctly, my assistant Mike never related to Chemistry at all. In every exam, he would've done better picking answers randomly.
Aside from that, I'm not sure how you mean the question. Chemistry is not a rule set under which everything can be explained, As Godel proved, there cannot be such a rule set. Certainly attempting to explain - say - Quantum Mechanics in terms of Chemistry is an absurdity. Attempting to explain Automobile Mechanics may be similarly absurd - certainly I can find no terms in which my latest repair bill can be adequately explained. Fortunately while my car was in the shop I was able to commute by electron tunneling - probably, at least.
However the term you use, related, can be severely stretched to include a very great deal. This makes "relates" a poor scientific word, but a great word for winning bar bets. I'm sure there is a tenuous connection between chemistry and anything, just as there is a tenuous connection between any movie actor and Kevin Bacon, so your bar bet is safe.
Dr. Beeker
return
to Flying Mice Home Page