Showing posts with label Physics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Physics. Show all posts

Thursday, 11 October 2012

Physicists: Q: What now for the LHC?

A: AWESOME STUFF!

It has already proven the existence of the Higgs boson but now the focus is on even more amazing things:

* Is gravity weak because it is acting in more than 4 dimensions?
* What are the extra dimensions and how big are they and how many are there (String theory suggests 11 in our universe - but who knows?)
*Can we make mini-black-holes?

All this in awesome PhD comics animated style below



Sunday, 7 October 2012

M&G with the American DoD

I stumbled upon these videos today.

While they are old they are very good.

They start from the basics and make their way through the 'syllabus' and beyond.

This one between 9:35 and 14:35 is excellent for explaining AC induction motors (3, 2 and 1-phase AC):

AC MOTORS AND GENERATORS



These are also good:

DC MOTORS AND GENERATORS



MODULATION (from Prelim Physics)




BTW - Borderlands 2 is AWESOME!!!!!!
 

Friday, 14 September 2012

Yellow is a Creative Colour

VSauce actually has some good stuff mixed into its videos (but sometimes tries to do too much) – this video below a good example (VERY good for Physics 9.4.1 TV’s) – and it shows how yellow IS a creative colour

BUT before you watch – make sure you have the chance to play the game associated with the picture below(the video gives it away without you having the fun of figuring it out)

Some of you may have seen it already but if you haven’t it is an interesting challenge. The picture shows images of eight sets of famous 'objects'– built from Lego in a very minimalist way. The fun is figuring out what they are!

Hence have a go before watching he video (BTW the 6th one is a little obscure – maybe especially so for your generation – and the 5th one is from a VERY obscure/foreign source (I had no idea))


 
& a LOL moment
 

Thursday, 13 September 2012

Physics & Chem - Journals Vs Media

Below is what I use for Chemistry re accuracy of scientific data presented in mass-media vs scientific - the general idea is the same for Physics - peer reviewed journal articles focus on factual statements, supported by evidence, reporting of error and uncertainty, all sources referenced, Mass media articles usually have a more speculative, sensationalist? approach with little referencing.

For Physics:
Just browse (I don't expect you to read) the following articles (here) and note the differences between the scientific journal articles (these are preprint versions not the final published article on (1) the 'faster-than-light-neutrinos' (2) the paper that suggests that neutrinos are not 'faster-than-light') and the mass media article.

From Chem:
12.4f - Check out the following files. This one is a peer-reviewed journal article. You do not need to read the whole article but note how all statements are supported by evidence, each claim is annotated with a reference (so the reader can check the accuracy of the information and do further research). Note the impartial/factual style of writing and information presented.
Then read this article from a newspaper on a similar topic. Note the style of writing, the lack of references, sensationalist approach. Also note the use of mixed units (ppm and mg/kg). This should always ring alarm bells. They state that the Australian standard for lead is 250mg/kg. They then make a fuss that the Dior lipstick has 0.21ppm lead. Perhaps you should convert 250mg/kg to ppm. Is there need for worry? Why do you think the journalist conveniently decided to change units in the article? For this skill what can you conclude about the accuracy of scientific data presented in mass-media vs scientific journals?

Wednesday, 22 August 2012

Accelerators

Here are some interesting clips of accelerators

1) I couldn't find a good one of a linac - but here is something 'similar'

2) Here are some cyclotron videos - despite the strange voice, the first one is pretty good




3) I couldn't find a good synchrotron clip that was short enough - check here for some previous good CERN videos and if you can stomach it - there is a documentary by Brian Cox about CERN below


4) And here is something that I haven't been able to do in 34 years


Saturday, 14 July 2012

One Minute Physics

I found this You Tube channel today - One Minute Physics - brilliant.

The clips below (typically 1-2 minutes long) are relevant to HSC Physics (particularly QTQ). While they are designed for 'the person in the street' they go beyond what is strictly required by the HSC syllabus but they are excellent for filling in the gaps and answering the questions that crop up about quantum mechanics (sorry about the messy links - no time to tidy them up)

Neutrino - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAAmAbJvvJg&feature=plcp

Schrodingers cat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOYyCHGWJq4&feature=plcp

Wave/Particle #1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_h4IoPJXZw&feature=plcp

Wave/Particle #2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_riIY-v2Ym8&feature=plcp

Standard Model I: Intro http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVO0HgMi6Lc&feature=plcp

Standard model II: PEP http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fxeb3Pc4PA4&feature=plcp

Standard Model III: Bosons: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_RhISgoXUs&feature=plcp

Standard Model IV: Higgs pt 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Uh5mTxRQcg&feature=plcp

Standard modle V: Higgs pt 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASRpIym_jFM&feature=plcp

Extra stuff - further beyond (but linked to) the syllabus

Spacetime – ARRGGGHH brain hurt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5S-hA9uKEM&feature=plcp 
GPS and relativity: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ky4RgRvVDoA&feature=plcp

Einstein’s famous 1905 papers: Photoelectric Effect: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSgIDgGpRpk&feature=plcp

Einstein’s famous 1905 papers: special relativity: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajhFNcUTJI0&feature=plcp

Einstein’s famous 1905 papers: E=mc2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW7DW9NIO9M&feature=plcp

Einstein’s famous 1905 papers: atoms: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrUBPO6zZ40&feature=relmfu

Wednesday, 4 July 2012

Standard Model

It looks like the discovery of the Higgs Boson is going to be confirmed tonight. The standard model is the last focus area of the QTQ elective and thus you should probably know about it.

It would be VERY good to read the following - you don't need to memorise anything at this stage - but being AWARE of what the Standard model is would be very good.

1) From the Sydney Morning Herald - a surprisingly good video explanation: http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/weve-observed-a-new-particle-leaked-video-reveals-apparent-god-particle-confirmation-20120704-21g63.html

2) An outstanding website - read all the links down the left (each one is a small PowerPoint like page) - covers A LOT of the QTQ elective http://www.particleadventure.org/standard-model.html 
3) A brief summary http://superstringtheory.com/experm/exper2.html

4) The standard model summarised into a picture - http://www.pha.jhu.edu/~dfehling/particle.gif

5) & two articles about 'where to next' http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/07/supersymmetry-explained/ & http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/theo-le-bret/higgs-boson-beyond-the-standard-model_b_1641492.html

6) My attempt at a mind map summary of the QTQ elective - you should be able to follow the top half - the bottom half is what is coming up. Click on the pic for the big version or you can find the original (and the website where I made it - its a free login and very easy to use) - here





7) Below is a very interesting video on how the Large Hadron Collider (LHC, ie The Synchrotron at CERN) works.


Here is another 'general population' clip about it

Here are three about what happens during a collision. The 'hairy' looking second & third videos are actually tracks of the paths of all the new matter (particles) created during two real collisions between lead ions at an energy of 574 TeV. That they can make those tiny ions collide at that speed/energy is incredible, that such collions actually MAKE new matter is amazing, that they can detect and track it all at such high speed and in such short timeframes blows my mind.



8) And - fianlly - I'm reposting this because it is so good:
The clips below aren't the best quality - (its the best I could upload to the blog) for the full experience see here (though you should watch the second one on the page first, then the top one).





9) And while we are on the topic of QTQ - you should probably look at this too: http://drblurg.blogspot.com.au/2011/08/cloud-chambers-qtq.html 

Saturday, 16 June 2012

Right Now

As you are probably aware  - the Science we learn in yr 12 was cutting edge about 100 years ago. For a look at the cutting edge of Chemistry/Physics see these excellent animations below. The first is good for everyone to know about. The second is vital for Yr 12 Physics (QTQ) - NB the comic bit starts at 1 min in. More below the clips for the Physicists.

The clips below aren't the best quality - (its the best I could upload to the blog) for the full experience see here (though you should watch the second one on the page first, then the top one).

Also see here, here & here for Newton's Laws as they apply to Science students (to make it more relevant to you, you could replace graduation/thesis/PhD with 'completing an assessment', and grad student with 'HSC student')

BTW PhD (piled higher and deeper) Comics is a very clever & very funny site - though you might appreciate it more once you've had a taste of university life.





As the 2nd clip implied, it's interesting to compare modern Particle Physicists to the Chemists of 100 years ago trying to piece together the periodic table. What they are putting together now is the 'Standard Model' - which is like a Periodic Table of subatomic particles. It is incredible to think of the advances in Chemistry that have come about since the ordering of the elements and developing a deeper understanding of their structure. One can only image where a greater understanding of the subatomic world will take us.

Wednesday, 23 May 2012

Transistors and Breakthroughs

Just clarifying some stuff from today - the valves (thermionic devices) we saw are now replaced by  semiconductors (solid state devices) - one of the most recent Radeon graphic cards  has a Graphics Processing Unit  (GPU)  with 4.3 billion transistors in ~350 square millimetres. That is approaching 12 million transistors per square millimetre.

If that GPU was made out of the smallest valves we saw in class today it would cover an area of about 1 square kilometre.

And  - because I want to keep pushing you into a Science based career (photonics, quantum computing, fusion power...) here are the links to those articles we discussed today:

Red photons to yellow photon for solar cells here

The universe sized computer made of 300 atoms here

And a comic (LOL-worthy, for me anyway) about quantum computing (from here originally)

Thursday, 17 May 2012

Khan Academy for Prelim and HSC Physics

The Khan Academy is an online educational resource with short (up to 10 minute) lectures on different topics. Below are the Khan Academy videos relevant to Preliminary & HSC Physics.

So - if you didn't quite get something in the last two years and you want it explained again,
Or - if you want some extra worked examples for numerical calculations
Or - you want to hear things explained in a new way,

I recommend you watch the videos below.

But please, no matter how well-intentioned, please don't say "Thanks, I never understood xxxxx before - but now I do thanks to those videos" - even though I will be really happy for you, my professional pride will be wounded.

THE WORLD COMMUNICATES

  1. Introduction to Waves
  2. Amplitude, Period, Frequency and Wavelength of Periodic Waves
  3. Introduction to the Doppler Effect
  4. Specular and Diffuse Reflection
  5. Specular and Diffuse Reflection 2
  6. Refraction and Snell's Law
  7. Refraction in Water
  8. Snell's Law Examples 1
  9. Snell's Law Example 2
  10. Total Internal Reflection
ELECTRICAL ENERGY IN THE HOME

  1. Electrostatics (part 1): Introduction to Charge and Coulomb's Law
  2. Electrostatics (part 2)
  3. Electric Potential Energy
  4. Voltage
  5. Circuits (part 1)
  6. Circuits (part 2)
  7. Circuits (part 3)
  8. Circuits (part 4)
  9. Introduction to Magnetism
MOVING ABOUT

  1. Introduction to Vectors and Scalars
  2. Calculating Average Velocity or Speed
  3. Solving for Time
  4. Displacement from Time and Velocity Example
  5. Acceleration
  6. Newton's First Law of Motion
  7. Newton's Second Law of Motion
  8. Newton's Third Law of Motion
  9. Airbus A380 Take-off Time
  10. Airbus A380 Take-off Distance
  11. Why Distance is Area under Velocity-Time Line
  12. Average Velocity for Constant Acceleration
  13. Acceleration of Aircraft Carrier Takeoff
  14. Race Cars with Constant Speed Around Curve
  15. Deriving Displacement as a Function of Time, Acceleration and Initial Velocity
  16. Visualizing Vectors in 2 Dimensions
  17. Normal Force and Contact Force
  18. Normal Force in an Elevator
  19. Inclined Plane Force Components
  20. Ice Accelerating Down an Incline
  21. Force of Friction Keeping the Block Stationary
  22. Correction to Force of Friction Keeping the Block Stationary
  23. Force of Friction Keeping Velocity Constant
  24. Introduction to Momentum
  25. Momentum: Ice skater throws a ball
  26. 2-dimensional momentum problem
  27. 2-dimensional momentum problem (part 2)
  28. Introduction to work and energy
  29. Work and Energy (part 2)
  30. Conservation of Energy
  31. Work/Energy problem with Friction
COSMIC ENGINE

  1. Scale of Earth and Sun
  2. Scale of Solar System
  3. Scale of Distance to Closest Stars
  4. Scale of the Galaxy
  5. Intergalactic Scale
  6. Hubble Image of Galaxies
  7. Big Bang Introduction
  8. Radius of Observable Universe
  9. (Correction) Radius of Observable Universe
  10. Red Shift
  11. Cosmic Background Radiation
  12. Cosmic Background Radiation 2
  13. Cosmological Time Scale 1
  14. Cosmological Time Scale 2
  15. Birth of Stars
  16. Becoming a Red Giant
  17. White and Black Dwarfs
  18. Hubble's Law
  19. Lifecycle of Massive Stars
  20. Supernova (Supernovae)
  21. Supernova clarification
  22. Black Holes
SPACE

  1. Introduction to Gravity
  2. Mass and Weight Clarification
  3. Viewing g as the value of Earth's Gravitational Field Near the
  4. Gravity for Astronauts in Orbit
  5. Would a Brick or Feather Fall Faster
  6. Normal Force and Contact Force
  7. Normal Force in an Elevator
  8. Plotting Projectile Displacement, Acceleration, and Velocity
  9. Projectile Height Given Time
  10. Deriving Max Projectile Displacement Given Time
  11. Impact Velocity From Given Height
  12. Visualizing Vectors in 2 Dimensions
  13. Projectile at an Angle
  14. Different Way to Determine Time in Air
  15. Launching and Landing on Different Elevations
  16. Total Displacement for Projectile
  17. Total Final Velocity for Projectile
  18. Correction to Total Final Velocity for Projectile
  19. Centripetal Force and Acceleration Intuition
  20. Visual Understanding of Centripetal Acceleration Formula
  21. Loop De Loop Question
  22. Loop De Loop Answer part 1
  23. Loop De Loop Answer part 2
  24. Acceleration Due to Gravity at the Space Station
  25. Space Station Speed in Orbit
  26. Introduction to Newton's Law of Gravitation
  27. Gravitation (part 2)
MOTORS & GENERATORS

  1. Introduction to Torque
  2. Moments
  3. Magnetism 2
  4. Magnetism 3
  5. Magnetism 4
  6. Magnetism 5
  7. Magnetism 6: Magnetic field due to current
  8. Magnetism 7
  9. Magnetism 8
  10. Magnetism 9: Electric Motors
  11. Magnetism 10: Electric Motors
  12. Magnetism 11: Electric Motors
  13. Magnetism 12: Induced Current in a Wire
  14. Introduction to Magnetism
IDEAS TO IMPEMENTATION

  1. Magnetism 2
  2. Magnetism 3
  3. Magnetism 4
  4. Magnetism 5
QUANTA TO QUARKS

  1. Four Fundamental Forces
  2. Types of Decay
  3. Half-Life

Wednesday, 16 May 2012

Einstein and Planck stuff

Every year I get to this dot point (which by then I have forgotten) and the cogs of my brain start turning again and I eventually have some new revelations

This year I'm thinking on these lines:

1) Planck - was science research removed from society? – NO. Science should serve the society of ones nation (nationalist) -  in his case Germany (which in war time meant supporting the German war effort).

2) Planck - was Science research removed from politics? – NO. Sscience research should be dictated by political powers to direct the research to serve the nation - the ultimate decision/responsibility about the uses/consequences of the research lay with the political powers.

3) Einstein - was science removed from society? – NO. Science should serve the entirety of humanity - not any particular nation. Scientists had a responsibility to society and had to take responsibility for the consequences of their research.

4) Einstein - was Science research removed from politics? – NO. Scientists had a role in shaping politics and society - they should use their research and findings to sway political and public opinion to better serve all humankind.

Now if I was writing an essay on this I would need to detail what they did in WWI and WWII and provide evidence (in what they did) to support each of my 4 proposals. Which I think I could do.

BUT you might completely disagree with these 4 ideas - THAT IS OK - you can make any claim you like about 'whether science research is removed from social and political forces' - as long as you can construct an argument to support your claim.

Don’t forget to read the semiconductor article here

Ahem - despite arguments to the contrary my official title is:
Primo Brick, Round Rattle 1 x 1 with Blue Overalls and Animal Face Pattern


Saturday, 28 April 2012

Physics Animations

Here are some Physics applets to play with to prepare for Ideas to Implementation and Quanta to Quarks.

They are presented in chronological order for the course:

IDEAS TO IMPLEMENTATION

1) Revise what an EM wave is here

2) Learn about standing waves - important for Hertz's experiment -  here

3) Learn about blackbody radition by clicking the image below:

Blackbody Spectrum
Click to Run

4) To learn about the photoelectric effect click here and/or on the image below:

Photoelectric Effect
Click to Run

5) Learn more about wave interference here and/or by clicking on the image below:

Wave Interference
Click to Run

QUANTA TO QUARKS

1) Learn about Rutherfords alpha scatteirng experiment by clicking on the image below:

Rutherford Scattering
Click to Run

2) Learn about Bohr's model of hydrogen by clicking here

3) Learn about further models of hydrogen by clicking the image below:

Models of the Hydrogen Atom
Click to Run

4) Learn about the Davisson-Germer experiment by clicking the image below:

Davisson-Germer: Electron Diffraction
Click to Run

5) Learn about alpha decay by clicking the image below:

Alpha Decay
Click to Run

6) Learn about beta decay by clicking the image below:

Beta Decay
Click to Run

7) Learn about nuclear fission by clicking the image below:

Nuclear Fission
Click to Run

On the topic of physics animations and games - Minecraft is amazingly cool retro-feel game. I wrote it off as garbage on first appearance but about 100 hours later - I can verify that it is fun and addictive.



What a feeling to be tunnelling deep into the Earth, carefully making my way past a lava pool, and finding my first diamond ore. It was right up there with defeating my first Enderman, getting my first Blaze Rod and killing a Ghast with its own fireball...


They are even making Minecraft LEGO!!!



On the topic of awesome games - a new level of Kingdom Rush has JUST been released on iTunes!

Wednesday, 28 March 2012

Changing Pressure in a Discharge Tube

See the video below - interesting:






And what has this strange little gnome got to do with HSC Physics?
Click here to find out!


Monday, 26 March 2012

Motors & Generators Assessment - Notes Feedback

Hi - I've just finished checking and correcting (not marking) the notes you submitted for Part 2A. WOW - some very good ideas and a lot of hard work went into those notes. You should be proud. However, there were some frequent areas to improve and a few misconceptions. Your notes will be annotated to show which of these relate to you:

ai)
(A) For all diagram of motors make sure you show the current flow in the coil and the correct direction of torque produced by the motor effect.

aii)
(B) Make sure you say that because the current flows in opposite directions on either side of the coil the motor effect is in opposite directions on either side via the LHR, thus resulting in a torque about the axis.

(C)  You need to relate the torque to the equation t = nBIAcosq and should note that momentum carries the coil past 90 degrees.

aiii)
(D) Increased magnetic field strength can be achieved by increasing the stator magnet strength AND by using a laminated soft iron core. Also - don't say move the magnets closer together - moving them closer to the coil may work (but not as important as the other two mentioned) but suggests that you are going to decrease the size of the coil - which would actually decrease torque.

(E) To increase the current you can decrease the resistance of the coil or increase the supply voltage.
NB in a resistor (any device that cases a voltage drop because electrical energy is being converted to heat, kinetic, light, etc) Ohm's Law applies ie I = V/R. Thus increasing the voltage drop (potential difference) = increased current flow. A transformer is different - it is close to 100% efficient and electrical energy is both input and output - there is no transformation of energy, so the electrical power in must equal the power out VpIp =VsIs thus increasing the secondary voltage causes the secondary current to decrease.

aiv)
(F) Laminations are thin layers of soft iron separated by ferrite (an iron oxide). The ferrite is an insulator but is ferromagnetic so it still enhances the magnetic field strength. The laminations run perpendicular to the COIL. They cannot run perpendicular to the field as they are rotating in the field with the rotor.

av)
(G) You MUST refer to the LHR when talking about a speaker. You must explicitly say that changing the direction of the current changes the direction of the motor effect force and thus AC causes the cone to move in and out - producing a sound wave.

(H) See (B) above and make sure you explain the production of the torque if asked a question about galvanometers.

(I) The radial magnets make the coil always at zero degrees to the field. THUS torque is INDEPENDENT of angle and only PROPORTIONAL TO CURRENT. Thus a LINEAR SCALE can be used to measure the current.

bi)
(J) When drawing generators always show the applied torque and the direction of induced current (and make sure you get it right!)

bii)
(K) The rotating coil in a generator causes an AC emf to be induced in the generator as the direction of flux in the coil is constantly changing as it rotates. The induced emf changes diction when the coil is at 90 degrees to the field. This is when the split ring commutator changes the brush connection so the output current is alwayss in one direction

biii)
(T) Generators work on the principle of induction  - thus you must refer to Faraday's law when discussing how to improve them - everything that increases the induced emf ( and thus the induced current) is based on increasing the flux change or decreasing the time over which the flux change occurs. Laminated iron cores and stronger magnets, and more turns and bigger areas increase flux change. Spinning the generator faster increases the rate of change

biv)
(L) When comparing DC motors and generators you MUST talk about the supply of current (motor) vs the supply of torque (generator). You need to talk about the input vs output energy for both. You must talk about the role of the split ring commutator in either changing the input DC to AC in the coil (for a motor so the torque is in constant direction) OR the coil AC to output DC (in a generator). Finally, you MUST say that motors use the motor effect and generators use Faraday and Lenz's Laws.

bv)
(M) You must explain why there is an AC induced in the coil of a DC generator - see (K) above. Drawing the graphs of flux, rate of flux change, -rate of flux change are great for explaining this as you refer to them. Ie "Faraday's Law and Lenz's Law  says the induced emf opposes the flux change  - thus an AC emf is induced as shown by the graphs..."

ci)
See (J) above

ciii)
(N) BE CAREFUL. Unless you are an Autobot or Deceptacon AC generators are never 'easily transformed'. What you MUST say is that "The AC PRODUCED by an AC Generator is easily transformed...". Also be aware that the Q asked you to compare the pros and cons of the generator. Transformation is one advantage of AC power (and thus generators) but don't neglect the actual pros and cons of the generator structure - ie DC split rings wear  & spark etc.

civ)
(O) Apart from the operational details the other things that you can/should compare between an induction cooker, EM brake and AC generator are:
The source of the flux change (ie AC coil vs motion between conductor and field)
The physics principles in place - all use Faraday's Law and Lenz's Law but EM brakes also use the motor effect and induction cookers also use resistance heating.

cv)
(P) You must be able to explain exactly what Westinghouse did to win. He undercut Edison's bid to power the CHICAGO World Fair - thus showing the success of his system to a global market. he was able to harness hydroelectricity from Niagara and transmit is over 20km away to Buffalo - all because AC was more efficient and ie it could be transformed and sent with low power loss unlike DC.

cvi)
(Q) You must be able to detail the STEP UP voltages at the power station and then each STEP DOWN transformations (and voltages) to the household THEN give at least one example of step up and step down in the household.

cvii)
(R) Don't forget that 'assess' means positives, negatives and JUDGEMENT. It is critical that you examine the effect of CO2 on global environment and that you have at least ONE VERY developed argument (for the top marks they base it on your longest chain of argument ie Fossil fuel burned = CO2 = enhanced greenhouse effect = global warming = sea level rise = loss of habitats = disruptions of ecosystems and displaced people. You MUST provide a judgement - it would be difficult to argue that AC generators have been positive for the environment (society yes, environment no).

cviii)
(S) Many were missing a critical link. Most linked transformers to transmission of power over long distances and thus ready access to electricity and electrical appliances BUT then when it cane to categories like medicine, business etc the link as gone. You can't just say transformers have been 'good' for medical diagnosis. You need to say that "electrically powered medical diagnostic & treatment devices have increased health of society..."

Please don't assume that because these comments are long that the answers were poor. Quite the contrary - they were deep and broad so that a number of issues came to light. Overall the Physics you communicated was fantastic.

BTW - very soon these awesome pics will make sense: