Morning
Woke up at 7 AM to do some last minute cramming for the Classical Mechanics exam. Ate a small breakfast, an egg sandwich and some bacon. The Classical Mechanics exam went quite well. I believe I got 4 of the 5 questions completely right, and probably half-credit or less or the other one, so I am hoping to get around 85-90%. However, the test was quite long, and I was very hungry afterwards.
Afternoon
After eating lunch and a quick browse of the World Wide Web, I had Thermodynamics lab which went well. We tried to get a piece of equipment to work that Fisher had bought for nine dollars, but that went nowhere. By piece of equipment, I mean a piece of plastic with four different types of metals glued on it that have LCD thermometers on them so you can measure how they accept heat. Dave and I tried to do the experiment but got nothing worth while for data.
We then tried another experiment Fisher recommended where you pass a current through liquid dish soap measuring how long it takes to change temperature, and then find out the specific heat capacity. We are going to see if we can get data which would point to small changes in the specific heat over a small temperature range (10 - 60 degrees celcius). The power supply went dad after a little bit, so I will do it Saturday or Sunday when I can get access to the intro phys labs which have better power supplies.
Evening
Stayed up and watched most of David Letterman and then about half of Craig Ferguson. Very lethargic at this point.
24 September 2010
23 September 2010
Timeline: 22 September 2010
Morning
As normal a morning as could be. Ate breakfast, surfed the net, then went to classical mechanics. Classical Mechanics is so much different from the first semester of college physics, Physics 225. It really is a whole nother level.
Afternoon
Homework due in Thermodynamics and in Quantum Mechanics. Both of the aforementioned classes were held outside. Quantum mechanics is still a mystery to me, while thermodynamics is getting pretty interesting.
Evening
Steve bought 100 proof Southern Comfort. Tasted it. It was quite thick and had noticeable flavour, somewhat sweet. Reminded me that I need to put up some beer reviews I have notes on somewhere. Stayed up until 2 AM for no real reason. Everyone was in the room talking for a while.
As normal a morning as could be. Ate breakfast, surfed the net, then went to classical mechanics. Classical Mechanics is so much different from the first semester of college physics, Physics 225. It really is a whole nother level.
Afternoon
Homework due in Thermodynamics and in Quantum Mechanics. Both of the aforementioned classes were held outside. Quantum mechanics is still a mystery to me, while thermodynamics is getting pretty interesting.
Evening
Steve bought 100 proof Southern Comfort. Tasted it. It was quite thick and had noticeable flavour, somewhat sweet. Reminded me that I need to put up some beer reviews I have notes on somewhere. Stayed up until 2 AM for no real reason. Everyone was in the room talking for a while.
Timeline: 21 September 2010
Morning
7:45 AM lab was not too bad. Chuck, the lab proctor/teacher just went over information that would be needed for the next two major assignments, the diffraction lab and Solar System Mission Projects. Got out of there after only 45-minutes, whence I went back to me room to sleep until lunch.
Afternoon
Lunch, then work until 4 PM. Nothing special, all was normal.
Evening
Had to go out onto the quad for an hour and show all the Astronomy 101 kids where stars are, specifically Delta Cephei. They are doing a lab where they have to message the relative brightness of Delta Cephei over time because it is a variable star. At the end of the semester their results will be graphed. Then, bed.
7:45 AM lab was not too bad. Chuck, the lab proctor/teacher just went over information that would be needed for the next two major assignments, the diffraction lab and Solar System Mission Projects. Got out of there after only 45-minutes, whence I went back to me room to sleep until lunch.
Afternoon
Lunch, then work until 4 PM. Nothing special, all was normal.
Evening
Had to go out onto the quad for an hour and show all the Astronomy 101 kids where stars are, specifically Delta Cephei. They are doing a lab where they have to message the relative brightness of Delta Cephei over time because it is a variable star. At the end of the semester their results will be graphed. Then, bed.
21 September 2010
Evolution Trumps Creationism (Again)
I was searching for papers on thermodynamics on ArXiv last night, and instead of finding what I was looking for I found some papers that were even more interesting. One involves thermodynamics and evolution.
First off, many creationists[1] and intelligent design proponents[2] claim that evolution is in contradiction of the Second Law of Thermodynamics. For the most part, any discrepancy seen by and ID proponent or creationist can be contributed to their lack of understanding of thermodynamics in general, and both evolution and the Second Law of Thermodynamics in particular.
I happened to find a paper by Emory F. Bunn titled "Evolution and the Second Law of Thermodynamics"[3] which was published in the American Journal of Physics and elaborates on points made by Styer in the paper "Entropy and Evolution"[4] which was also published in the American Journal of Physics, but at an earlier date.
What is so frequently misunderstood by creationists who argue that the Second Law of Thermodynamics cannot coexist with the Theory of Evolution is entropy cannot decrease in a closed system. They would be right to say, assuming its true, evolution decreases entropy here on Earth. However, Earth is not a closed system. The only closed system is the Universe, where entropy never decreases.
Styer lays out a very simple argument in his paper with a level of math and physics not usually seen in a professional physics journal: that of high school. The paper should be read by anyone who does not fully understand why the Second Law of Thermodynamics is not broken by Evolution. However, there is a faulty assumption made by Styer and pointed out by Bunn, namely Equation 2 in Styer's paper. Bunn corrects it in his paper based on a number of better assumptions, however the result is still the same. Evolution is still safe and creationists have failed.
Other common misconceptions of the Second Law of Thermodynamics, debunked by Styer:
Most of the propaganda and name-calling seems to be on the side of the creation/ID people this time. They have no facts and are not backed up by science. The only reason they seem to cling to this debunked idea is faith. Using faith in the matters of science is quite detestable and will only further the USA's slide down the worldwide academic ladder.
References
[1] Christian Answers Network. "Second Law of Thermodynamics: Does This Basic Law of Nature Prevent Evolution?" http://bit.ly/2kCsy Accessed 21 September 2010
[2] Sewel, Granville. "Evolution's Thermodynamic Failure." The American Spectator. Online. http://bit.ly/bovgrb Accessed 21 September 2010
[3] Bunn, Emory F. "Evolution and the Second Law of Thermodynamics." Accepted for publication in the American Journal of Physics. E-print version - http://bit.ly/d7UWHu
[4] Styer, Daniel F. "Entropy and Evolution." American Journal of Physics, Volume 76, Issue 11. Pages 1031-3. E-print - http://bit.ly/cI10cU
First off, many creationists[1] and intelligent design proponents[2] claim that evolution is in contradiction of the Second Law of Thermodynamics. For the most part, any discrepancy seen by and ID proponent or creationist can be contributed to their lack of understanding of thermodynamics in general, and both evolution and the Second Law of Thermodynamics in particular.
I happened to find a paper by Emory F. Bunn titled "Evolution and the Second Law of Thermodynamics"[3] which was published in the American Journal of Physics and elaborates on points made by Styer in the paper "Entropy and Evolution"[4] which was also published in the American Journal of Physics, but at an earlier date.
What is so frequently misunderstood by creationists who argue that the Second Law of Thermodynamics cannot coexist with the Theory of Evolution is entropy cannot decrease in a closed system. They would be right to say, assuming its true, evolution decreases entropy here on Earth. However, Earth is not a closed system. The only closed system is the Universe, where entropy never decreases.
He correctly explained that this claim rests on misunderstandings about the nature of entropy and the second law. The second law states that the total entropy of a closed system must never decrease. However, the Earth is not a closed system and is constantly absorbing sunlight, resulting in an enormous increase in entropy, which can counteract the decrease presumed to be required for evolution. [3]
Styer lays out a very simple argument in his paper with a level of math and physics not usually seen in a professional physics journal: that of high school. The paper should be read by anyone who does not fully understand why the Second Law of Thermodynamics is not broken by Evolution. However, there is a faulty assumption made by Styer and pointed out by Bunn, namely Equation 2 in Styer's paper. Bunn corrects it in his paper based on a number of better assumptions, however the result is still the same. Evolution is still safe and creationists have failed.
Other common misconceptions of the Second Law of Thermodynamics, debunked by Styer:
Disorder is a metaphor for entropy, not a definition for entropy. Metaphors are valuable only when they are not identical in all respects to their targets. For example, a map of Caracas is a metaphor for the surface of the Earth at Caracas, in that the map has a similar arrangement but a dissimilar scale. If the map had the same arrangement and scale as Caracas, it would be no easier to navigate using the map than it would be to navigate by going directly to Caracas and wandering the streets. The metaphor of disorder for entropy is valuable and thus imperfect. For example, take some ice cubes out of your freezer, smash them, toss the shards into a bowl, and then allow the ice to melt. The jumble of ice shards certainly seems more disorderly
than the bowl of smooth liquid water, yet the liquid water has the greater entropy.
Although the entropy of the universe increases with time, the entropy of any part of the universe can decrease with time, so long as that decrease is compensated by an even larger increase in some other part of the universe. For example, any hot cup of coffee left to its own devices on a
tabletop decreases in entropy. [4]
Most of the propaganda and name-calling seems to be on the side of the creation/ID people this time. They have no facts and are not backed up by science. The only reason they seem to cling to this debunked idea is faith. Using faith in the matters of science is quite detestable and will only further the USA's slide down the worldwide academic ladder.
References
[1] Christian Answers Network. "Second Law of Thermodynamics: Does This Basic Law of Nature Prevent Evolution?" http://bit.ly/2kCsy Accessed 21 September 2010
[2] Sewel, Granville. "Evolution's Thermodynamic Failure." The American Spectator. Online. http://bit.ly/bovgrb Accessed 21 September 2010
[3] Bunn, Emory F. "Evolution and the Second Law of Thermodynamics." Accepted for publication in the American Journal of Physics. E-print version - http://bit.ly/d7UWHu
[4] Styer, Daniel F. "Entropy and Evolution." American Journal of Physics, Volume 76, Issue 11. Pages 1031-3. E-print - http://bit.ly/cI10cU
Timeline: 20 September 2010
Morning
Finishing touches to the Thermodynamics lab number 2 were completed in the morning. Mostly analyzing the data followed by a terse conclusion. The lab can be viewed here: Lab 02 (.pdf)
In the first class of the day, Classical Mechanics, a homework set was due involving projectile motion and drag forces. I have noticed that most of the problems are not plug and chug, in fact I have not come across a problem that could be solved as such yet. Most problems need to be solved by deriving theorems and formulas from first principles. This gets tough sometimes, but I get the answer right most of the time.
Afternoon
Turned in a lab and some homework. All classes went as schedule. The first of the Planetarium Techniques mini-shows have started, I will be giving mine on Friday. It will be quite easy as long as I find my stars in the dome beforehand so that I know where to look. One of the stars I will be focusing on is in Perseus, so I do not think that one will be a problem.
Evening
Nap after work, then homework until 1 AM.
Finishing touches to the Thermodynamics lab number 2 were completed in the morning. Mostly analyzing the data followed by a terse conclusion. The lab can be viewed here: Lab 02 (.pdf)
In the first class of the day, Classical Mechanics, a homework set was due involving projectile motion and drag forces. I have noticed that most of the problems are not plug and chug, in fact I have not come across a problem that could be solved as such yet. Most problems need to be solved by deriving theorems and formulas from first principles. This gets tough sometimes, but I get the answer right most of the time.
Afternoon
Turned in a lab and some homework. All classes went as schedule. The first of the Planetarium Techniques mini-shows have started, I will be giving mine on Friday. It will be quite easy as long as I find my stars in the dome beforehand so that I know where to look. One of the stars I will be focusing on is in Perseus, so I do not think that one will be a problem.
Evening
Nap after work, then homework until 1 AM.
Timeline: 18, 19 September 2010
Played Mass Effect for 6 hours on Saturday. The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing and doing homeowork, nothing of note.
18 September 2010
Thoughts on Mass Effect
James V. Brown Library has a section where you can take out video games (for free!) so I was browsing it and saw Mass Effect, the game that really catapulted video game developer Bioware to fame. I had not yet even seen this game in action, but the game being a sci-fi space opera was really all I needed to ever know for me to be interested.
I popped the game into my Xbox and as usual with new games I let all of the before-game cutscenes roll. What was most obvious at the beginning is the Start Screen. It is a panoramic view of an unknown planet that slowly rotates under the camera. It is stunningly beautiful and the music that plays makes the scene even better.
After starting a new game, the create character screen comes up. I never put too much time into created characters, but since the menu was so easy to navigate and because changing the parameters actually did something (coughOBLIVIONcough), I made a character which I think looks tough.
For all the talk of Mass Effect's story, one would be led to believe that it is excellent. Well, it is. In a matter of seconds, the entire scope of the story is laid out. The characters are deep with intricate back-stories just begging to be explored. At the beginning of the game, in the create-a-character section of the game, you can actually choose from multiple back-stories for yourself and characters will react to this progressively throughout the game. It molds how they act towards you, and you can react back with an expected response, or in a way that would not usually be you.
One last major plus that is immediately obvious is that the graphics are amazing. This game is gorgeous and the environments are expansive and for the most part are quite expansive.
Well, those are the major things I could gather from the first two hours with the game.
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Backup for video is here: LINK (.flv)
I popped the game into my Xbox and as usual with new games I let all of the before-game cutscenes roll. What was most obvious at the beginning is the Start Screen. It is a panoramic view of an unknown planet that slowly rotates under the camera. It is stunningly beautiful and the music that plays makes the scene even better.
After starting a new game, the create character screen comes up. I never put too much time into created characters, but since the menu was so easy to navigate and because changing the parameters actually did something (coughOBLIVIONcough), I made a character which I think looks tough.
For all the talk of Mass Effect's story, one would be led to believe that it is excellent. Well, it is. In a matter of seconds, the entire scope of the story is laid out. The characters are deep with intricate back-stories just begging to be explored. At the beginning of the game, in the create-a-character section of the game, you can actually choose from multiple back-stories for yourself and characters will react to this progressively throughout the game. It molds how they act towards you, and you can react back with an expected response, or in a way that would not usually be you.
One last major plus that is immediately obvious is that the graphics are amazing. This game is gorgeous and the environments are expansive and for the most part are quite expansive.
Well, those are the major things I could gather from the first two hours with the game.
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Backup for video is here: LINK (.flv)
Timeline: 17 September 2010
Morning
Ah, Friday morning. The start of a day where everyone is thinking about the end of the day and wouldn't care less if the hours of 9 AM to 5 PM were sucked into a black hole that only affected time. Anyway, my classes were for the most part fine. I found out that I got a 100 on my Classical Mechanics lab, which sort of surprised me. I was only informed via email, so I do not know if any corrections were made.
Afternoon
Finished off some homework involving entropy for Thermodynamics and attended my three classes. Nothing of note went on.
Evening
Work from 3:30 - 8 PM, where I started out in the basement and was then moved up to the hell hole that is the Tween/Teen section. Needless to say, the hours drag on as slow as they possibly could. The rest of the night was full of finishing off homework after browsing Netflix Instant Queue which had nothing on it.
Ah, Friday morning. The start of a day where everyone is thinking about the end of the day and wouldn't care less if the hours of 9 AM to 5 PM were sucked into a black hole that only affected time. Anyway, my classes were for the most part fine. I found out that I got a 100 on my Classical Mechanics lab, which sort of surprised me. I was only informed via email, so I do not know if any corrections were made.
Afternoon
Finished off some homework involving entropy for Thermodynamics and attended my three classes. Nothing of note went on.
Evening
Work from 3:30 - 8 PM, where I started out in the basement and was then moved up to the hell hole that is the Tween/Teen section. Needless to say, the hours drag on as slow as they possibly could. The rest of the night was full of finishing off homework after browsing Netflix Instant Queue which had nothing on it.
17 September 2010
Books I saw in the Library
I have a lot of off time to walk in the library and every time I traverse the worn aisles of the institution, I find books I have either never heard of or at one time I wanted to read. I usually forget about the books I saw after awhile and then never get the chance to read them. So for this feature, which I hope to have regularly, I will present 4 books per article, for my record and maybe to promote discussion.
Apathy and Other Small Victories by Paul Neilan
Saw this on the shelf and was appealed to the title and the content according to the inside cover-flap. A guy who doesn't care about anything is charged with a murder he did not commit but cares too little to defend the good name he never had. Well, that is enough to get me intrigued. Plus, all the reviews presented in the book talk about how funny it is, and I have yet to come across too many books that are funny. I read Pnin by Nabokov which has some jokes, but Catch-22 never did a thing for me.
Consider Phlebas by Ian M. Banks
Ah, science fiction. I am always looking for a good sci-fi tale and I do not think this one will fail me. Of course I am interested in this book because of the author and synopsis, but also somewhat because of the cover. All that crap everyone says about not judging a book by its cover is just that, crap. I have been judging books by their cover for as long back as I can remember and the only time it failed me was when I read Tad William's craptastic Otherland: City of the Golden Shadow. Once out of a few hundred times is not that bad if you ask me. Of course there are books out there with poorly designed covers or none at all and I do read books from that category, but I will not shy away from judging a book by its cover.
The Last Theorem by Arthur C. Clarke and Frederik Pohl
I am actually less interested in the storyline of this book and more interested in the mathematics it is based on. The title alludes to Fermat's Last Theorem, which is probably one of the most well known problems (which was eventually solved) in mathematics and perplexed mathematicians for centuries. Fermat wrote in the margins of a book he was reading that he had a theorem to prove the Fermat Theorem, but he died before ever publishing a proof. Debate has raged for centuries over whether or not Fermat ever had a proof. Regardless, this book seems to wrap a good story around the math and that is something I can respect.
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
Umberto Eco is quite possibly the best author to ever live. He wrote the massive tome I read called Foucault's Pendulum which may have been the best book I have ever read. The Name of the Rose was written before Foucault's Pendulum and according to many academics, The Name of the Rose is better. The only thing I am worried about is that Foucault's Pendulum is supposed to be more accessible, and it was a book that was quite challenging with so many allusions even the most educated will be lost sometimes.
Apathy and Other Small Victories by Paul NeilanSaw this on the shelf and was appealed to the title and the content according to the inside cover-flap. A guy who doesn't care about anything is charged with a murder he did not commit but cares too little to defend the good name he never had. Well, that is enough to get me intrigued. Plus, all the reviews presented in the book talk about how funny it is, and I have yet to come across too many books that are funny. I read Pnin by Nabokov which has some jokes, but Catch-22 never did a thing for me.
Ah, science fiction. I am always looking for a good sci-fi tale and I do not think this one will fail me. Of course I am interested in this book because of the author and synopsis, but also somewhat because of the cover. All that crap everyone says about not judging a book by its cover is just that, crap. I have been judging books by their cover for as long back as I can remember and the only time it failed me was when I read Tad William's craptastic Otherland: City of the Golden Shadow. Once out of a few hundred times is not that bad if you ask me. Of course there are books out there with poorly designed covers or none at all and I do read books from that category, but I will not shy away from judging a book by its cover.
I am actually less interested in the storyline of this book and more interested in the mathematics it is based on. The title alludes to Fermat's Last Theorem, which is probably one of the most well known problems (which was eventually solved) in mathematics and perplexed mathematicians for centuries. Fermat wrote in the margins of a book he was reading that he had a theorem to prove the Fermat Theorem, but he died before ever publishing a proof. Debate has raged for centuries over whether or not Fermat ever had a proof. Regardless, this book seems to wrap a good story around the math and that is something I can respect.
The Name of the Rose by Umberto EcoUmberto Eco is quite possibly the best author to ever live. He wrote the massive tome I read called Foucault's Pendulum which may have been the best book I have ever read. The Name of the Rose was written before Foucault's Pendulum and according to many academics, The Name of the Rose is better. The only thing I am worried about is that Foucault's Pendulum is supposed to be more accessible, and it was a book that was quite challenging with so many allusions even the most educated will be lost sometimes.
Timeline: 16 September 2010
Morning
Woke up at 7 AM, which has become the new norm for me. I worked on finishing touches to a lab report due for Classical Mechanics. At Classical Mechanics lab we worked on using Mathematica 7 to solve projectile motion problems with both linear drag resistance and quadratic drag resistance with differential equations. The output of Mathematica from this lab can be viewed here in PDF format: Lab
Afternoon
My afternoon consisted of working on various homework sets for Thermodynamics and Classical Mechanics. I do not have anything due for Quantum until next week. I then had Thermo lab but decided not to work on it then and will probably due it this weekend.
Evening
Relaxed and did homework.
Woke up at 7 AM, which has become the new norm for me. I worked on finishing touches to a lab report due for Classical Mechanics. At Classical Mechanics lab we worked on using Mathematica 7 to solve projectile motion problems with both linear drag resistance and quadratic drag resistance with differential equations. The output of Mathematica from this lab can be viewed here in PDF format: Lab
Afternoon
My afternoon consisted of working on various homework sets for Thermodynamics and Classical Mechanics. I do not have anything due for Quantum until next week. I then had Thermo lab but decided not to work on it then and will probably due it this weekend.
Evening
Relaxed and did homework.
16 September 2010
Video Fest - Tim Heidecker Prank Call
This is Tim Heidecker from Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! doing a prank call on a telemarketer whom called him. I have done things similar to telemarketers before, but this is just so much better than anything I have ever done.
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Backup download link for video: LINK (.flv)
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Backup download link for video: LINK (.flv)
15 September 2010
Timeline: 15 September 2010
Morning
Awoke at 7 AM to finish the Quantum Mechanics homework assigned two days before. Of course, the professor said it would be an elementary assignment, but it did give us some challenge. The problem was to find <x>, <p>, <p^2>, <E> of the Psi function:
Took some work but most answers came out to around the cube of the Sine function in some form.
Afternoon
Went to Quantum Mechanics, Planetarium Techniques, and Thermodynamics (in that order) and all classes went as one would come to expect. Nothing was really out of the ordinary, and most of the math seems somewhat manageable as opposed to the past few days where the most fundamental of the quantum theories were derived and physically explained (to the extent that was possible).
Colloquium was quite good, if not almost completely over my head. The speaker, Dr. Rudeger (Derek) Wilke, talked about his work at the Materials Research Institute at Penn State University. The topic was how he is using peizoelectric materials to correct the lenses on an upcoming X-Ray observatory satellite. Here is the description from the Lycoming College website:
Evening
Took a nap, missed dinner, and played some Mass Effect. I will be typing up a lab report tonight for Classical Mechanics and I think I have a Thermodynamics homework due tomorrow. Quite beat and cannot wait for the weekend to catch up on reading and recharge the batteries.
Awoke at 7 AM to finish the Quantum Mechanics homework assigned two days before. Of course, the professor said it would be an elementary assignment, but it did give us some challenge. The problem was to find <x>, <p>, <p^2>, <E> of the Psi function:
Afternoon
Went to Quantum Mechanics, Planetarium Techniques, and Thermodynamics (in that order) and all classes went as one would come to expect. Nothing was really out of the ordinary, and most of the math seems somewhat manageable as opposed to the past few days where the most fundamental of the quantum theories were derived and physically explained (to the extent that was possible).
Colloquium was quite good, if not almost completely over my head. The speaker, Dr. Rudeger (Derek) Wilke, talked about his work at the Materials Research Institute at Penn State University. The topic was how he is using peizoelectric materials to correct the lenses on an upcoming X-Ray observatory satellite. Here is the description from the Lycoming College website:
Post-Doctoral Scholar and Visiting Scientist in the Materials Research Laboratory at The Pennsylvania State University, will discuss, “Piezoelectric Lead, Zirconium, Titanium (PZT) Films on Glass Substrates for Gen-X Imaging Systems.” This gala event will take place in the Academic Center Lecture Hall C-303. Students, faculty, staff, and the public are invited.
Abstract: Gen-X is a next generation spaced based x-ray telescope that hopes to study distant, faint objects such as the formation of black holes, distant galaxies, and the early evolution of the universe. They key to achieving the desired goal of 0.1 arcsecond resolution is the implementation of an adaptive optics system that allows on flight corrections of structural or figure errors in the mirror and minor adjustments to alignment. The optics for the telescope consist of "bi-morph" mirrors on flexible glass substrates. These mirrors consist of an iridium/chromium (Ir/Cr) reflective surface on the front side and a piezoelectric Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 (PZT) thin film on the back side. With an active area of ~10,000 m2, developing a scalable approach to depositing PZT of sufficient quality to achieve the necessary actuation presents several processing challenges. The glass chosen for the telescope slumps above 560 oC, far lower than the 700 oC typically used to crystallize PZT films. Additionally, the stresses induced in thin film deposition can significantly warp the substrates due to their flexible nature, potentially introducing more figure errors in the mirror than can be corrected by piezoelectric film. In this talk I will review the fundamentals of piezoelectricity and how piezoelectric films can be used in adaptive optics systems, as well as discussing the progress made to date.It was interesting in I am quite intrigued by the electromagnetic properties involved in the process.
Evening
Took a nap, missed dinner, and played some Mass Effect. I will be typing up a lab report tonight for Classical Mechanics and I think I have a Thermodynamics homework due tomorrow. Quite beat and cannot wait for the weekend to catch up on reading and recharge the batteries.
14 September 2010
Listening to: 4 String Dreams
I found this band on MySpace oh-so-long ago, but this song, called Untitled Lullaby, just this one specific song, resonates with me so well that I always finding myself listening to it. Since I first listening to it, the sheet music and the MP3 have been selling for seven dollars on The World Wide Web and if I was ever to learn an instrument, it would be to play this song.
Timeline: 14 September 2010
Morning
I volunteered to be the TA (teaching assistant) for the 7:45 AM astronomy lab two weeks ago. I do not know what I was thinking. 7:45 AM is now my wake up time on the only day of the week I could I had the possibility of sleeping in and then finishing a load of homework. At least lab was over by 9 AM. Afterward consisted of a nap and a quick lunch in Mary Welch Student Center.
Afternoon
My second job of the day consists of manning the circulation desk of the library from 12 - 4 PM. This is actually fine by me because very few people go down there, and the one's that do mostly know enough to get by without asking me for help. I have access to a computer which is connected to The World Wide Web and can thus update my blog and get some homework done.
Evening
I hit a wall at 4:30PM. Took an hour nap. My schedule is poorly optimized to take advantage of downtime because of the go-go-go. Go to lab and TA, got to work for 4 hours, and then come back and do some homework which is due in mere hours. Due tonight - Thermodynamics problem set. Due tomorrow - Quantum Mechanics problem set.
I volunteered to be the TA (teaching assistant) for the 7:45 AM astronomy lab two weeks ago. I do not know what I was thinking. 7:45 AM is now my wake up time on the only day of the week I could I had the possibility of sleeping in and then finishing a load of homework. At least lab was over by 9 AM. Afterward consisted of a nap and a quick lunch in Mary Welch Student Center.
Afternoon
My second job of the day consists of manning the circulation desk of the library from 12 - 4 PM. This is actually fine by me because very few people go down there, and the one's that do mostly know enough to get by without asking me for help. I have access to a computer which is connected to The World Wide Web and can thus update my blog and get some homework done.
Evening
I hit a wall at 4:30PM. Took an hour nap. My schedule is poorly optimized to take advantage of downtime because of the go-go-go. Go to lab and TA, got to work for 4 hours, and then come back and do some homework which is due in mere hours. Due tonight - Thermodynamics problem set. Due tomorrow - Quantum Mechanics problem set.
Listening to: The Siegel-Schwall Band
From the most amazing album available in blues, I am listening to one of the most amazing blues songs ever crafted by the mind or hands of man. Sunshine Day in My Life is a blues-rock masterpiece unrivaled in pure beauty or boogie-ness. Have a listen...
13 September 2010
Video Fest - Atheist/Muslim Debate
During breaks in classes I have been watching this pretty cool debate between a Muslim and an atheist. It has nothing to do with the Park59 community center or the Qur'an burning, it is just a straight up philosophical/theological debate.
The first part starts with about 20 minutes of introductions and some guy laying the groundwork of the debate. To just get into the real stuff, go to about 20:20
Personally, I barely think this Muslim preacher(?) [not really sure what you call them, it may be Imam] is hardly making any arguments based in logical, philosophical grounding. He begs the question left and right and avoids others like the plague.
As of the posting of this, I have not yet watched the third part so I merely provide it for posterity.
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Video Backup Links: Video 1 | Video 2 | Video 3
The first part starts with about 20 minutes of introductions and some guy laying the groundwork of the debate. To just get into the real stuff, go to about 20:20
Personally, I barely think this Muslim preacher(?) [not really sure what you call them, it may be Imam] is hardly making any arguments based in logical, philosophical grounding. He begs the question left and right and avoids others like the plague.
As of the posting of this, I have not yet watched the third part so I merely provide it for posterity.
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Video Backup Links: Video 1 | Video 2 | Video 3
Timeline: 13 September 2010
Morning
Woke up at 7 AM to finish off the first quantum mechanics homework set. I did the first problem which was the easiest, but was a little shady on how to do the other two problems. All of the problems involved involved normalizing functions. The first function was
which was in itself quite easy to try and normalize, though it is un-normalizable, yet apparently useful information can be gained about it, though I do not know what.
The cafeteria was of course empty at such early times in the morning so I had that time to collect my thoughts and ponder the plan for the day.
Classical mechanics involved handing in the first out-of-the-book homework assignment which was challenging to some degree, providing me with some though-provoking questions.
Afternoon
Afternoon was somewhat horrendous because I realize the first lab report for Thermodynamics was due and I had not started typing anything yet. Luckily, it was the first lab of the year and was not very rigorous, thus the first lab report need not be too rigorous. Luckily I punched it out, albeit in multiple parts just to make formatting simpler. If you wish to read it here are the links: Body | Addendum 1 | Addendum 2 | References
Thermodynamics was then attended by me where we starting on the concept of temperature. The past few lectures we reviewed notes from the intro course and now we have started on the meat of the book we use known as Heat and Thermodynamics by Mark Zemansky and Richard Dittman. Pretty good book, though it is quite old and pretty formal with the mathematics.
Evening
My evening consisting of going to to work and then resting the remainder of the night. I have to assist the teaching of the Introduction to Astronomy class at 7:45 AM on 14 September 2010. Already yawning...
Woke up at 7 AM to finish off the first quantum mechanics homework set. I did the first problem which was the easiest, but was a little shady on how to do the other two problems. All of the problems involved involved normalizing functions. The first function was
The cafeteria was of course empty at such early times in the morning so I had that time to collect my thoughts and ponder the plan for the day.
Classical mechanics involved handing in the first out-of-the-book homework assignment which was challenging to some degree, providing me with some though-provoking questions.
Afternoon
Afternoon was somewhat horrendous because I realize the first lab report for Thermodynamics was due and I had not started typing anything yet. Luckily, it was the first lab of the year and was not very rigorous, thus the first lab report need not be too rigorous. Luckily I punched it out, albeit in multiple parts just to make formatting simpler. If you wish to read it here are the links: Body | Addendum 1 | Addendum 2 | References
Thermodynamics was then attended by me where we starting on the concept of temperature. The past few lectures we reviewed notes from the intro course and now we have started on the meat of the book we use known as Heat and Thermodynamics by Mark Zemansky and Richard Dittman. Pretty good book, though it is quite old and pretty formal with the mathematics.
Evening
My evening consisting of going to to work and then resting the remainder of the night. I have to assist the teaching of the Introduction to Astronomy class at 7:45 AM on 14 September 2010. Already yawning...
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