I like Humor. I caught this on on http://www.th.physik.uni-frankfurt.de/~jr/cartoon.html

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I like Humor. I caught this on on
http//www.th.physik.uni-frankfurt.de/jr/cartoon.
html
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Science A Way of Knowing

• Physics 101
• Physical Science

Be sure to try this http//dingo.care2.com/cards/
flash/5409/galaxy.swf
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Chapter 1. The World Around You. Objects and
Properties

• Now describe this rock as you would do it in the
  year 2006.
• Now describe this rock as someone from Star Trek
  Voyageur might do it! In actuality we probably
  have the technology today.
• In all cases, you would probably describe the
  characteristics or properties of the rock. You
  would probably use referents.

• Concepts. Generalized mental images of objects or
  about intangible things.
• Imagine that you have discovered a meteorite in
  your back yard. A rock that you have never before
  seen. You are convinced that it must be of
  extra-terrestrial origin.
• Describe this rock in a telegraph message to
  someone in the time frame of the 19th century.

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Local Scientist Discovers Mushroom Growing in
Front Yard
In the Spring of 2001 I discovered this mushroom
while mowing the front lawn. I immediately
photographed it with my digital camera and
emailed a jpeg picture to my friend.
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The use of Measurement is important in the
Scientific Process
A teacher never stops learning. I just learned
from Table 1.1 that a jigger is 2 mouthfuls.
Now, on every occasion I will mix a drink for my
friends at a party I will probably say Do you
want two or four mouthfuls!

• The technique of measurement compares a property
  to a well defined referent.
• The concept of length is a simple example of
  applying a referent.
• If I am going to measure my back yard what should
  my referent be? Metric System1?
• If I am going to measure the size of a carbon
  atom what should my referent be?
• The value of the property is determined by
  counting the number of referent units.

• Although we probably have learned the English
  system in our minds, the Metric system is
  probably better.
• Typically Realtors use feet.
• Whoops! I cant use feet here. I would be better
  off in metric with nanometers.
• For example the size of a hydrogen atom is about
  0.5 nanometers.

1The metric system was established by the French
Academy of Sciences in 1791.
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Time What really is time?

• The M.K.S. unit of time is the second which was
  originally defined as 1/86,400 of a solar day.
  But this is not practical since the earths
  rotation is slowing down ever so minutely over
  time. Thus we need a better standard for time.
• Our current standard today is an atomic clockthe
  cesium beam clock in which the second is defined
  to be exactly 9,192,631,770 periods of a
  specified radiation from a uniform collection of
  cesium atoms.
• Your crystal controlled watch is probably good to
  within a couple of seconds a year.
• My 1904 Waltham pocket watch is probably only
  good to with 2 minutes a week. But I just like
  old watches and I like to constantly fiddle with
  it.

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Ballpark Estimations

• Scientists are always doing ballpark or order of
  magnitude guesses.
• One day at breakfast with my friends the question
  came up as to how much volume would a mole of
  grasshoppers ( 6.02 x 1023 ) occupy.
• I actually worked it out on a napkin without a
  calculator by knowing the earths diameter (8,000
  miles) and estimating a grasshoppers dimensions
  as a cylinder 1 ½ inches long and 3/8 inch wide.
• As I remember it comes out to a few feet all
  around the earth Thick!

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The Scientific Method
Science is best defined as a careful,
disciplined, logical search for knowledge about
any and all aspects of the universe, obtained by
examination of the best available evidence and
always subject to correction and improvement upon
discovery of better evidence. What's left is
magic. And it doesn't work. James Randi It
took a long while to determine how is the world
better investigated. One way is to just talk
about it (for example Aristotle, the Greek
philosopher, stated that males and females have
different number of teeth, without bothering to
check he then provided long arguments as to why
this is the way things ought to be). This method
is unreliable arguments cannot determine whether
a statement is correct, this requires proofs1. A
better approach is to do experiments and perform
careful observations.
1http//phyun5.ucr.edu/wudka/Physics7/Notes_www/n
ode5.html
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Many years ago in a Physics 101 class I took a
photo of a ball being dropped while being flashed
with a strobe light
My hypothesis was that object fall on the earths
surface as the square as the time
Meter stick
I then performed an experiment to test this
hypothesis
Ignore these (bounceback)
I used a polaroid camera (today you could use a
digital camera)
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time (units) Time2 Dist. (m)
0 0 -0.08
1 1 -0.07
2 4 -0.05
3 9 0
4 16 0.055
5 25 0.115
6 36 0.2
7 49 0.285
8 64 0.39
9 81 0.52
10 100 0.65
11 121 0.795
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http//www.randi.org/research/
At JREF, we offer a one-million-dollar prize to
anyone who can show, under proper observing
conditions, evidence of any paranormal,
supernatural, or occult power or event. The prize
is in the form of negotiable bonds held in a
special investment account. The JREF does not
involve itself in the testing procedure, other
than helping to design the protocol and approving
the conditions under which a test will take
place. All tests are designed with the
participation and approval of the applicant. In
most cases, the applicant will be asked to
perform a relatively simple preliminary test of
the claim, which if successful, will be followed
by the formal test. Preliminary tests are usually
conducted by associates of the JREF at the site
where the applicant lives. Upon success in the
preliminary testing process, the "applicant"
becomes a "claimant." To date, no one has ever
passed the preliminary tests.
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HYPOTHESIS AND THEORY

• Once we have summarized experimental and
  observational results we can form a hypothesis
  (tentative educational guess) about dropping ping
  pong balls
• After observing many ping pong balls in such
  manner and analyzing data we might establish a
  theory (or law)
• Predictions are always tested
• Every law of nature is subject to change based on
  new observations
• Scientific Results must be reproducible

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Pseudoscience

• Astrology is an example of a pseudoscience
• Why do scientists reject astrology?
• Ans It just doesnt work.
• Daily Overview August 26, 2008
• SCORPIO
• October 23 - November 21
• You are living your dreams -- in more ways than
  one! It's a really good time to exert your power
  in some new way that feels more satisfying and
  leads to more intriguing developments in the real
  world.

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Branches of Science

• Physics (Mechanics, Energy, Forces, Heat, Sound,
  Electromagnetics, Nuclear)
• Chemistry
• Astrophysics
• Geology

• Biology
• Biophysics
• Nanoscience
• Zoology
• Botany
• Molecular Biology

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Some Important Research Laboratories in the
United States1
1From Physics Matters (Trefil)
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Tax dollars can go into either basic research or
applied research
From Physics Matters by Trefil/Hazen
GO TO http//www.nsf.gov/statistics/infbrief/nsf0
8303/ for more information