...This site investigates and
documents some
experiments and
interesting ideas
in math, physics, astronomy and earth science.
I'm motivated
by the notion that I'm here to learn; it seems to be a pretty
fun game plan. This is also why I do science for a living and
teach whenever I get the chance.
Why
physics? Why math? Why astronomy? Why earth science?
Fun? You
wish for fun??? It doesn't
get much better than this! I think science
and
math are the coolest things ever... and as a good novel is an
instance of language, astronomy and geoscience are instances of physics
and
mathematics. In fact really
good novels shape and affect language and here the simile holds as
well; we can't discuss starlight in any depth without nuclear physics
and the temperature of a glacier isn't just 'cold', it's an idea
defined using the mathematics of probability.
Science is a tremendously
successful system of
thought and an endless landscape of connected results and
ideas to
explore. Of course 'fun exploration' can require some effort but
this is a small paradox I can live with.
Who
is this web site built for?
First answer: Curious persons who agree that science and math do not
have to be taken on
faith. "Nullius
in Verba"... don't take anybody's word for it, that's the
motto adopted by a famous science club back when all this began in
earnest
around 1660. New ideas should be backed by
evidence and context whenever possible so Nullius in Verba is the operative
motto here too. And I confess I have a lot of questions to ask. How do
we
know the earth goes about the sun and not vice versa? Why should we
accept atoms as real? Electrons exist you say? And they all have
precisely the same charge? And an intrinsic magnetic moment? And these
electrons can be knocked loose from a piece
of zinc by a particle of blue light? But green light doesn't work? And
you say
this blue light
particle obeys
laws of probability, electricity, magnetism, special relativity,
statistical physics and gravity? This sounds like a tangled mess.
These pages are
written for persons
looking for amazing and beautiful things
hidden
inside the tangled mess.
How
is this web site organized?
The 'main sequence' is a follow-my-nose sequential
pathway of web pages, each concerning an experiment or set of ideas.
Each page leads to the next according to some combination of haphazard
logic and arbitrary whim. There
are
also developing side-branches and digressions off the Main
Sequence.
I'll say at the outset: The most important things built into these
pages are book titles. In my view there is no substitute for books and
for direct
conversation with other people. Web
resouces such as this one or hyperphysics
or wikipedia or cut-the-knot are intrinsically
shallow; they can provide some scaffolding and entertainment but no
substitute for the depth of comprehension to be found in books. The
aim here is to start from such scaffolding and try to
produce a coherent narrative. The other aim is to give myself the
freedom to say, as much as possible, "I don't believe X until I see it
for myself."
Where
to begin?
Oh let's just pick an outrageous claim from
physics and dive in. How about this one: "Many small--in
fact invisible--objects called subatomic particles (or perhaps 'cosmic
rays') are soaring about the
universe, so
numerous that zillions of them shoot
right through us every second."
Bricks
Interests
Map
Glossary
Index
Bibliography
Links
The author can be contacted: rob at robfatland dot net.
