Good day to all Brain Users,
I want to inform you with the news that I was invited to Davos to take part in the "6th Davos Philanthropic Round Table" hosted by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation. The founder of this foundation is a great man of Ukraine, Mr. Victor Pinchuk. I wish we had people like this in my country. Coming back to my experience, when I reached to the area where the event was going to take place, some journalists took my interview. After them many other people came to interview. Okay now I will skip to the point where I am called on stage. Mr. Victor Pinchuk introduced me most graciously. He made me feel at home. The atmosphere was so friendly and welcoming. I didn't feel that I was the only child among so many adults.The only thing that bothered me was that...<dramatic pause>...MY MOM MADE MY HAIR TOO TIGHT.
Now I will tell what I felt about the all panellists apart from the fact that they were all adults:
Thomas Friedman:
I want to inform you with the news that I was invited to Davos to take part in the "6th Davos Philanthropic Round Table" hosted by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation. The founder of this foundation is a great man of Ukraine, Mr. Victor Pinchuk. I wish we had people like this in my country. Coming back to my experience, when I reached to the area where the event was going to take place, some journalists took my interview. After them many other people came to interview. Okay now I will skip to the point where I am called on stage. Mr. Victor Pinchuk introduced me most graciously. He made me feel at home. The atmosphere was so friendly and welcoming. I didn't feel that I was the only child among so many adults.The only thing that bothered me was that...<dramatic pause>...MY MOM MADE MY HAIR TOO TIGHT.
Now I will tell what I felt about the all panellists apart from the fact that they were all adults:
Thomas Friedman:
- Before I met him, I googled him up(Thank you Google for allowing me to spy on every person, just kidding) and the pictures made him look serious. Then I made an important discovery that he is a jolly person.
- He asked me many question but my favourite one was: "As a young Pakistani girl, did you feel that this is giving you an opportunity that you wouldn't have had as a young girl or woman?"
- She was as sweet as I thought she would be. She was really polite. It was really nice to see another female.
- I really like what she said about the autistic child who rocked the poetry course. P.S. She was looking very pretty.
- I was glad to meet him because he shook my hand when he came on stage and he looks really polite. He looked like a revolutionary. A man with vision.
- I really liked when he said that there is a pressure point in america, because MOOCs will inexpensive education.
Lawrence Summers:
- I liked him because he has cool boots and great cowboy type accent. He also gave lots of good examples.
- The best thing he said was: "When you expect things to take time, they happen quicker." and I loved his football example.
Peter Thiel:
- He looked like the perfect businessman: the immaculate dressing. He looked like a progressive guy who loves taking challenges.
- The best thing he said was: "If you borrow money for college you won't get out even if you get personally bankrupt." and I think it is an eye-opener for everyone.
Sebastian Thrun:
- As he was the only one I knew, I liked everything about him. He is polite and very very Udacious. So stay Udacious and stay awesome.
- The best thing he said was: "Do what you're passionate about, don't aim for a job because the perfect job will find you." I think he is 100% right about that.
Bill Gates:
- I like him because everybody likes him, just kidding. I like him because he founded Microsoft making our life at ease and he(I don't know why) reminded me of Stephen Hawking.
- The best thing he said was :"We do have to eventually reduce cost of education."
Muhammad Yunus and Jimmy Wales:
- They both raised the most important points in this discussion. I loved when Muhammad Yunus said: "This is the way we can design things in a way we do not have any child left out."
This discussion inspired me a lot and gave me new ideas.
I want to spread the message that education is a
blessing and it can bring a meaning to your life.Education should be at the doorsteps of every human being ,it should be accessible for every child ,no matter where they are ,its their right .
Thanks for the taking the time to read this.
And yes it’s a great thing to have great people like Bill Gate and Sebastian Thrun Around
ReplyDeleteHi Niazi
ReplyDeleteIt is really amazing to have such an achievement, I really wonder how you did that at a young age. Like those Udacity courses, even myself have trouble understanding some of the video, yet you could go all the way through so many courses. it's incredible.
Stay amazing, and of course, stay Udacious
Thank you for your nice comments. I hope you do good in your courses and of course. I just love to work hard.
ReplyDeleteStay Udacious
Did you prepare your speech? Just curious)
ReplyDelete@Cашко . No I didn't because they said don't prepare anything. They told me that he would ask random questions, so no need to prepare. They told me that they will ask about my thoughts and opinions.
ReplyDeleteHi, I have a suggestion.
ReplyDeleteIn the post you have listed who is in the forum, what you feel about them and what they had said, but why didn’t you write what did you said
Of course this is just an suggestion, but I trust people would like to see what did you said in Davos
Keep work hard!
Jon
I have posted the video link in the article above. People can click it to view the whole video of what I and the others have said. This is the reason why I did not add it to my blog. BTW it would look strange that I am writing what I like about myself and what is the best thing I said. P.S. I do love myself and I do love what I say. :D
ReplyDeleteYeah it is kinda strange writing about yourself. but actually I have tried to see the video but it keep buffer, due to my extremely slow internet connection, so eventually I give up.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
happy chinese new year! :)
Oh I see ,anyways Happy Chinese new year to you .
ReplyDeleteHello Khadija,
ReplyDeletewhat's the best possible way to get in touch with you, do you have an email?
Please contact me at saadhamid@me.com
ReplyDeletewe just featured you https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=434413743302456&set=a.420037251406772.94825.418726451537852&type=1&theater
--
Curator TEDxIslamabad
Greetings, Khadija!
ReplyDeleteI heard about your weblog over at Coursera in our mutual Astrobiology course. I wanted to say a few things to you.
First, let me say that I have enjoyed the conversations in which we both have participated. Your comments, questions, and other input are well considered and very intelligent. I commend you for this as you are definitely a girl who is much more advanced beyond her youthful years! (I also wish to thank you for said input as it is much more enjoyable than the closed-mindedness that all too many over there have exhibited.) I look forward to future discussions in other mutual Coursera classes.
Second, I congratulate for your educational achievements at such a young age. Being capable of following along in university-level courses when one has not yet reached even junior-high age is definitely noteworthy. This shows wonderful devotion to your schoolwork and exemplary support by your family.
Third, having watched your Davos interview, I see that you are not only a very intelligent young lady but one who is equally well-spoken when placed into an impromptu speaking situation. You definitely have a bright future, especially if decide to pursue a career that leads to interfacing with groups on a regular basis.
You commented in the interview that you wish to be a physicist. Do you know into what realm of the world of physics you would like to pursue your career? Further, would you wish to teach physics or delve into research or, instead, does application of physics interest you?
Keep up the good work! You are definitely an inspiration to those in your generation!
Hello John ,
DeleteThank you for your nice and encouraging comments and I am glad to see we share same interests like Astrobiology, My family is very supportive ,they always appreciated me and never once discouraged me .I wish all families should support their kids instead of criticizing them .
I want to be a physicist and delve into the research area .My favorite physicist is Michio Kaku .I love reading his books.He inspires me a lot .
regards ,
Khadija .
Hello again, Khadija,
DeleteYou and I both honor and respect the same gentleman: Dr. Michio Kaku. At one time, I actually had the opportunity to converse with him (by email) about a matter of theoretical physics that I was pondering for a science fiction story that I was writing. Very nice gentleman and very helpful.
You are correct that not all families are as supportive and encouraging as they should be. You and I have been fortunate to have parents that put others to shame. To be frank, you actually remind me much of myself when I was about your age. I remember back in January 1986 that I wrote a paper for school regarding fiber optics and the difficulties with using them for communication as it was a "highway with many entrances but only one exit" (when all one had to do was discuss visible light and prisms for about two pages; my paper was five pages in length). Of course, a few months later, that was solved and we now live in the era of fiber optic technology as used by the computer, telephone, and cable television industries (among many others).
Nowadays, while I have gone on to achieve my Doctorate in Theology, I actually never have stopped learning as I find information fascinating because it gives an entirely different perspective on the world. My most beloved areas of study are physics and cosmology. What I do for work, however, is very different: I own three businesses, the oldest of which is a computer sales and repair business I started about 24 years ago at the age of 19.
I very much hope that you keep the same desire and drive to learn and explore the world. There is so much that we still don't know and it requires inquiring minds to continue to dig through the layers to find new questions to ask.
Best Wishes Always,
John
Cool, you conversed with him. That's awesome! I hope I can also get the chance to talk to him. It must be really interesting to learn about Theology. And yes I agree learning never stops because everyday new things pop up and those new things need to be explored. I wish you all the very best in your life because you are also an inspiration for the young generation. :)
DeleteIt was fun speaking with Michio Kaku. Specifically, I was asking him about how to conceptualize a fictional world in which it was not gravity that was fractionalized but, rather, one of the other component forces of the "superforce." I figured that if gravity were not fractionalized, things would be much more compact than they are currently (for obvious reasons), so I proposed that maybe it would be the weak nuclear force that was fractionalized instead. I still don't have a very clear idea of how to visualize that alternate universe and use it in my story but, then again, I haven't given it too much priority recently either. ;-)
DeleteTheology was interesting to study. I will admit that I am an atheist, though, so when I was ordained upon graduation with my undergraduate degree (I was attending a seminary for my studies as they had the particular classes in which I was interested), I found it rather amusing: an ordained atheist. What a contradiction!
My interest in theology was actually not from being interested in religion itself but, rather, the belief systems of various societies to help understand them better from a scientific and sociological point of view. I enjoy travelling when I have the opportunity and, as such, I like to have at least a passing knowledge of the language and the mindset of the society so as to be able to fit in better while there.
The teachers had no idea that I was an atheist until it was time for me to defend my dissertation for my Doctorate. I made the title into a very simple algebraic equation:
Religion = Mythology
I showed that the only difference between a religion and a mythology is that one is still practiced while the other is not. To say the least, that did not win me any friends on the review committee and, in fact, some were so upset at me that they actually refused to speak with me for several years after the granting of my Ph.D. and D.D. At this point, they have come around but aren't as close as they were previously.
Anyway, as we both agree, there are always new things to learn and new aspects of our world and universe to explore in a multitude of ways. There is no way for any one person to "know it all" nowadays as our knowledgebase is just too vast. Thus, each person should learn as much as he can so as to help inspire others to pick up the slack where he leaves off. The world can only improve when we work together in such a general fashion. (Of course, it would also help if certain governmental agencies such as the US Department of Education would not continually lower educational standards to "allow more to succeed" but that is a different topic for another time.)
Well, as it is 1:35 in the morning here, I should probably get to bed. If I am correct, you are about five hours ahead of GMT and, thus, about 11 hours ahead of me. Therefore, as I write this, it should be about half past noon for you. I wish you a good day and will enjoy speaking with you again soon. :-)
Best Wishes,
John
People shouldn't judge on religion from my point of view. It was nice talking to you too. Best of luck in all your goals. :)
DeleteKhadija, you are correct that people should not judge others based on religion nor should anyone stand in the way of another's religious pursuits. I have personally decided to be an atheist but I do not have any animosity or prejudgement/prejudice toward those who choose differently just as I have no similar intentions in regard to political views or anything else.
DeleteAs I said, I approached my academic research into religion from a sociological point of view as religions tend to give societies the morals and values that they hold dear and this gives one insight into the collective psychology of the society. This knowledge allows one who wishes to visit the society a better view as to how to fit in and not stick out like the stereotypical "rude American." It also allows one who wishes to read the literature of that society a better understanding of the influences upon said literature.
I truly hope, given the short reply from a few minutes ago, that you do not take offense as none was intended. Each person has his own right to decide what religion (or lack thereof) to follow. This is a choice that is very personal and upon which no other person has the right to tread.
If you were bothered by the title of my dissertation, let me say that it may have been misconstrued. It was not to indicate that there is anything false about religion. Rather, the point was that all religions, whether now considered mythologies or not, have value to the cultures in which they are practiced and the only reason that one becomes a mythology is that the society that practiced it is extinct. This was by no means a judgement call on the validity of any religion. I hope you can understand what I am trying to communicate here. :-)
No I was never offended by your post, actually you give me a different perspective of things. I actually needed to prepare for a test coming up tomorrow. Its a long one and teacher gave a short notice. :). School is rigorous. I am also very interested in history and mythology as you can see from the courses I have taken. It's another thing how I will cope with these courses. :D Coz I am taking three courses at udacity too and I am getting more homework. Tough things. You can always write coz is interesting to know your point of view. :D
DeleteYou are a good person and a great achiever. People should learn and respect you. I learn a lot from you. You never judge me because of my age. :)
DeleteVery good. I am glad that I did not offend you with my longer message. Some people do take offense and the shortness of your reply made me concerned that might have been the case once again. It is a relief to find that was not the case. :-)
DeleteAs for age, it is nothing more than a number. What makes the person is the curiosity, maturity, and ability to consider other points of view. I know all too many who are my age who I would deem not yet ready for Kindergarten and others who are 20 years or more my junior who would rival some of those from whom I have learned. When two discuss matters of intellectual interest, what matters is that they are able to communicate, not what age they are. :-)
On another note, if you wish to check out what I do on a daily basis, feel free to check out my business website at www.bdcusa.com
Good luck in your studies and write again soon!
Best Wishes,
John
Awesome site, you are a self made man and its nice to see you have expanded your business.you are right in a discussion the only thing matter is the interests and also the flexibility to admit when you are convinced. I hope you inspire everyone around.
DeleteHow do you take time out from your busy work to do online courses?
DeleteI try to inspire those who I can by having interesting, thought-provoking discussions with them. However, as you have seen in the Astrobiology discussions, not everyone is as open to bona fide scientific knowledge as they should be. There are two particular individuals with whom I have had discussions who have been very closed-minded and unwilling/unable to back up their positions (such as one who said that there have been experiments proving "emergent intelligence" in machines but when asked for links to the papers, news reports, videos, etc., he was unable to supply even a single one). I feel nothing but sorrow for them as there is so much to the world from which they close themselves off because of their inability to accept the truth, learn from real research, and keep themselves updated as to the latest theories and discoveries.
DeleteAs for how I take the time from my busy schedule, to be frank, the times when I do the most studying are around this time of year due to the business being slowest between Thanksgiving and the end of February. As such, I do what I can to brush up on one subject or another, keep my mind active with various problem-solving puzzles (whether it be something as logical as Sudoku puzzles or designing a house floor plan to resolve some issue that I have created: an example was designing a house that was built completely underground and how to keep it within the building codes so as to be legal to build).
Besides using the slow time of year to take classes or otherwise keep my mind active, I also make sure that the business does not occupy all my time. My business is open from 10am to 8pm Monday through Saturday, so my time from 8pm to 10am on those days as well as all day Sunday is mine. I may do some minor things for the business such as filing or paying bills during those hours but for the most part, the business is closed in fact and in spirit. After all, everyone needs time "away from the office" (though my office is within my home and it is where I spend most of my waking hours whether working or not; I have my gaming computer, TV, and other things in here as well).
I am glad you like my business website. If you think of any computer-related articles that I should write or of any Internet- or computer-related terms that you think should be in the online glossary, definitely let me know. :-)
On another note, if you want to email me directly sometime, feel free to do so. To prevent any spammers from easily getting my address, I won't type it here but it is on my website. (By the way, Jon, the same invitation is open to you.)
The business has been through many changes over the years but I am glad that I have gotten it back to its roots of being a locally-based, publicly-available business rather than just going after the big contracts. There is considerably less stress and it allows me to set up a stable home with solid roots rather than having to move around so much of the time as I did for over a decade. The only thing is that I wish I had decided to do that a bit sooner so that I could have kept the nice SUV and big house with swimming pool but, alas, I sold those to pursue a different opportunity and this is where I am now. :-)
I really don't know how to play Sudoku but I like puzzles a lot. What are building codes?
DeleteThere is also an option on google+ to email a person. For example if you go and check some profiles right below his/her circles there is an option "send __ an email".
Everything happens for the good. :) Alas we can't change history. Though I hope I get the chance to travel back in time. :D
Building codes are the government requirements and laws for construction of a building, whether it be an office complex or a home. The collective body of laws and requirements are referred to as the Building Code.
DeleteHmmm, I haven't really explored Google+, so I am not familiar with the options there. However, I am not seeing either the circles or anything about sending emails at this point. I'll probably have to look at it a bit more later. :-)
Sudoku is a numeric puzzle game in which you have a grid that is nine squares across by nine down. In each grid of three by three must appear the numbers one through nine. In each row across there must be numbers one through nine. The same is true for each column and the two corner-to-corner diagonals. The trick is that there can be no repeats (such as two 4s) in the same 3x3 grid, row, column, or diagonal. Certain squares in the puzzle are given and you must logically deduce which numbers go in which squares.
At first, the puzzles can take awhile but once you learn to work them, they can take as little as just a few minutes. My best time for a puzzle is about three minutes for an easy rating and about five minutes for a moderate rating.
If you are curious to try a Sudoku, then you can go to:
http://www.sudoku9x9.com/
and see what you think. :-)
Yes, it is true that we cannot (yet) change history but when we can travel in time, maybe we can do something like that. (LAUGH) It sure would be fun to go back in time and see various things happen such as watching the fall of Hitler in World War II and maybe even going back so far as to see just how accurate our concepts of the dinosaurs truly are. Who knows? Maybe the tyrannosaurus rex skeletons that various museums have constructed are actually several different skeletons put together haphazardly. (BIG LAUGH)
Of course, going forward in time would be intriguing as well to see just when we meet our first alien race and determine whether the meeting is beneficial to mankind. Maybe even watching our sun become a red giant would be interesting...if done from an appropriate distance away, of course.
It's a shame that we cannot yet travel in time. Hmmm, where is The Doctor and his TARDIS when you need him? ;-)
I think I had seen Machio Kaku in a TV program call Nova sometime ago, when I was 12, and I’m ashamed to say that I don’t know who he is, what he has done nor what is the program is about at that time…but I figure he is good in physic isn’t it?
ReplyDeleteJon
You don't need to be ashamed. I also don't know many names of the scientists. Yes he is good in physics, astronomy and astrophysics.
DeleteYou are right,
DeleteI really hope I could be as intelligent as you.
you are amazing
:)
J.S. T, everyone has the ability to be as intelligent as possible. Just work hard, remain curious about the world and whatever aspects interest you, and you will succeed in your personal academic endeavors.
DeleteAs for Michio Kaku, he is a theoretical physicist who teaches at the City University of New York as well as an author of various books on the same subject and has often been a guest in various documentaries. Further, he had his own television show for a short time titled "Sci Fi Science: Physics of the Impossible" in which he discussed the physics of time travel, force fields, interstellar travel, Star Wars lightsabers, and much more. He tried to explain to the audience in those shows what aspects of the technology were within the realm of possibility and what are not.
Very interesting man and very knowledgeable. If you have an interest in this area of science, you might want to see if you can find some of his books or catch some of the shows in which he makes an appearance.
Yes, urge for knowledge is indeed a crucial part at being intelligent.
DeleteHard work + curiosity=intelligent.
Look like a very sound and promising formula toward succeed in science endeavor,
Indeed if we notice things around us we may found many things, many phenomenon, that are interesting. Whether they have already been known to us, it is worth to explore.
As for Michio kaku, I think I had only saw one of his work, (time travelling would be very interesting, do you thing it is possible to travel through time?).
It seem that Michio kaku(I can’t remember his name but I recognized him in the program) had been invited to a program about cosmology and mathematic, which I believe was quite interesting, however it involve some more advance theory and I didn’t understand at that time.
Today, I think I can comprehend, but, I never saw the program again, c'est la vie!
It’s nice to talk to both of you:)
Jon
Jon, reading books not only expand your way of thinking they also enables you how to communicate effectively. I am so busy with my school but I still make sure I read few pages of my book daily.Its fun to read.
Delete(Part 1 of 2)
DeleteJon, I concur with our dear friend Khadija: reading not only helps one to keep his mind sharp but also helps one communicate better through learning of new words to expand one's vocabulary, potentially discovering new tidbits about how the world works such as learning bits about how interrogators evaluate if one is telling the truth or lying when a statement is made (a hint: if the person is lying, he will often look to the lower left corner of his eye as he tells the lie), and more. It does not always need to be textbooks or books of fact that one reads to learn this new information; it can easily be works of fiction as well. Just keep your mind sharp by doing reading that you enjoy a little bit every day. Currently, I am going back over my Geometry textbook so as to refresh my math knowledge on the way to getting back to Pre-Calculus and Calculus I.
I must admit that I took Calc I back in high school (the 1988-1989 schoolyear) and that was the first time I had ever received a grade less than 100 percent in any math class: up to that time, I had achieved 100 percent on all homework assignments, quizzes, tests, and final examinations. However, I could not get my head wrapped around the (seemingly) illogic of Calculus. So, my first semester of university (Fall 1989), I took it again and earned an even lower grade. I tried again in my second semester. I enrolled in a class with a different instructor and he was using a different book. Further, I got a tutor. This time, I failed the class. Now, here it is about 25 years later and I am going to tackle it again now that I have the time to get back up to speed and the desire to do so in an attempt to move on and understand more of the math behind quantum mechanics and theoretical physics. It might also help me figure out some of the ideas I am trying to explore for some stories that I wish to write.
Now, as for your question about whether I think that time travel is possible, I must say that I think that there may be a way to subvert time but I am not sure how effective it would be. I see it as kind of being similar to the idea of interstellar travel. In normal space, to get from here to Alpha Centauri, we would have to travel 4.3 light-years but with our current technology, that would take way too long for us to achieve. Even if we were able to accelerate to even one-tenth the speed of light (18,627.2 miles per second aka 30,000 kilometers per second), it would still take us 43 years to reach our destination. So, it has been theorized that there could be wormholes through which we could travel through space and if we could find one that would connect us to Alpha Centauri, the course between here and there, like a worm's tunnel through the ground, could potentially get us to where we are going in a fraction of that time, maybe it would take only a few months instead of decades. If so, then the apparent speed that we would be travelling would be faster than the speed of light but, in actuality, we would be travelling at sublight speeds but along a different path in a different dimension or "subspace" or whatever you want to call it.
So, how does this relate to time travel? Well, space and time are an interwoven fabric, so if there is a wormhole that allows us to travel through space in a more direct fashion, then there is the potential for similar wormholes that may roll the clock forward or backward. Now, the issue is "by how much" and there is no way to know as this is only theorized as being possible rather than being verifiable fact. We do know that time travel in normal space, just like travelling faster than the speed of light, is not likely (most would say impossible) due to the enormous amounts of energy required to be able to effectively "stop" time, let alone roll it backward.
(Part 2 of 2)
DeleteHere is an interesting bit of trivia for you: did you realize that astronauts (aka cosmonauts when from Russia and other former Soviet states) have actually experienced time dilation? They have actually had their lives slowed by a small fraction of time due to the speed at which they were travelling while in space. One particular American astronaut (whose name I have forgotten) has spent more time in space than any other (I think it has been a total of something like 18 months in his various trips) and his "time travel" has amounted to him being slowed by as little as three milliseconds cumulatively from all that time in space. Only three measly milliseconds!
Time slows more and more as the object approaches the speed of light and stops only when one reaches the speed of light. The hurdle then becomes being able to approach the speed of light and achieve it. The amount of energy to make that happen is actually infinite.
To explain this, I am sure that you are familiar with the familiar Einstein equation of:
E = Mc^2
This says that Energy is equal to Mass multiplied by square of the speed of light. We know that the speed of light is 300,000 kilometers/second but for this equation, which expresses the speed of light in meters/second, that number becomes 300,000,000. If we substitute a mass of one kilogram (and the unit of kilograms is what is used for the M variable in this equation), then we can see that for that small amount of mass, the equivalent amount of energy would be 90,000,000,000,000,000 (aka 9.0 x 10^16) joules. To put this in perspective, this is the amount of energy produced from 568 million gallons of gasoline or nearly 22 million tons of TNT. All that for just a single kilogram of mass. An average human is 64 kilograms and the space shuttle itself is 2027558 kilograms. Until we develop something that is light, compact, and has a massive punch in regard to the amount of energy produced, achieving lightspeed travel and dilating time appreciably will definitely be outside of our reach with our only hope being the discovery of natural "time wormholes" or the artificial creation of the same.
By the way, one possible energy source that is being explored is antimatter. It is a very clean reaction in that nothing remains after the collision of matter and antimatter: both are converted completely into energy. The problem is controlling the reactions and converting that massive amount of energy into usable power such as propulsion. Of course, there is another problem that we need to overcome prior to that: the ability to create antimatter economically. Years ago, I did the math and it would take the entire world's economy hundreds of times over to be able to afford a mere 100 kilograms (if I remember correctly) of antimatter.
So, there are various stumbling blocks that keep time travel out of our reach but there is nothing that says that it is actually impossible if we can find a way to "bend" the laws of physics in some fashion. ;-)
I had to divide up this post because it has a limitation of 4 kilobytes per post and this response was nearly 7 kilobytes in size.
Reply to Part 1/2:
Delete"if the person is lying, he will often look to the lower left corner of his eye as he tells the lie" Thanks for that it will definitely help me. :) I think that maybe sometimes time goes slower for us and sometimes it goes faster.
Yes, our perception of time seems to vary depending on what we are doing. For example, I have been trying to get to sleep for the past couple of hours but have been tossing and turning because of too many things running through my mind. I had no idea that it had been two hours, though. It seemed as if only about 30 minutes had passed!
DeleteI do hope that the left corner tidbit helps you. I'll be sure to pass along other such jewels as I think of them. :-)
Well, time for me to try to go get some sleep again. I have to be getting up in two hours (at 6am my time). BLAH! I hate mornings, especially early mornings! (In fact, what I like to tell people is that if the clock reads AM, then it is still too early to be awake! (LAUGH))
By the way, did I ever tell you that I was quite verbose? ;-) I blame my father: he is now a retired Professor of English, having taught at a local university for 30 years. His specialty was British Literature. I also cite him as my influence for some of the worst puns you might ever hear. (LAUGH)
DeleteI just googled verbose. I think it's cool to use more words than are needed. I like to do so when I am explaining something to my fellow students but often end up making them confused. :) lolzz
DeleteHello john and Khadija, Thankyou, for your detailed explanation, it’s very interesting.
DeleteHowever, since I’m not very familiar with quantum physic, there are a few point that I do not understand.
Firstly, why and how space and time are related?(I mean, why interstellar travelling has something to do with time dilation and time travelling?)
Second, what is antimatter?
And Lastly, as you has point out in the last post, an enormous amount of energy are required just to accelerate 1 kg of mass to speed of light. Which is virtually impossible, at least for technology that currently available to us.
But what would happen if we do have sufficient energy? Does it mean that we could theoretically stop time?
This is a very interesting topic, thanks for helping.:)
Jon
Hi Khadija and John,
DeleteSorry for this late reply
I agree that reading is a very good habit, I read very often too.
I used to pick up a book when ever I have time; read a few page(or many page if I have many free time), then go to check the dictionary if there is any word that I don’t know; This way, it not only increased my vocabulary, it also helped in structuring sentences, and improved my grammar.
I read many sort of book, on several topic; from textbook to fiction, science to history. But knowledge are not the only reason that I read; I agree with Niazi, books are fun.
I happy to found out that on top of physic, we have another common interest.
P.S. as for the interrogation trick, I’ve also heard that if a person is lying he would hide his hand behind his back, flush, rolling his eye around, but afraid to stare into your eye(or let your eye stare into his)…but if you know all this why we would do it when we actually lie? And I wonder how accurate it is.
Jon
(Part 1 of 3)
DeleteJon,
Now it is I who must apologize for my delay in replying to you. I got caught up with my business, being a consultant for another business, and with a new course that has just started on Coursera, so my time escaped from me for a few days.
To answer your first question, at a practical level, we need to think about the enormous distances between us here in the Solar System and even our nearest neighbor star, Alpha Centauri. At the speed that light travels, it still takes 4.3 years for the light to reach us. With our current speeds as provided by rockets, it would take us thousands of years to reach that "nearby" star. At one-tenth the speed of light, it would still take 43 years. Thus, we do need to find a way to travel faster and faster so as to be able to achieve interstellar in a reasonable amount of time.
As for the other half of your first question, it is shown that the faster one travels, the slower that time passes. The closer that one reaches toward travelling at the speed of light, the closer that time comes to stopping completely. Only at the speed of light does time completely stop. This is something that I cannot easily explain other than to say that it has been proven and measured. Specifically, this was done a few decades ago by having two clocks synchronized and measuring the time that passed. One stayed on the ground while the other went up in a jet at high altitude (to achieve the fastest possible speed) and came back down some time later. The experiment showed that time dilated ever so slightly even at the speed of a few hundreds of miles per hour. If I remember correctly, the difference was only a few nanoseconds but it was still measurable and conceivable. This is part of Einstein's Theory of Relativity.
For your second question, in the world that we know, there is matter and energy. We also know that matter and energy are related because if matter reaches the speed of light, it actually converts into energy, just like if energy slows down from the speed of light, it becomes matter. Now, we know that the universe is not without its balance, so we know that if there is something such as matter, we can hypothesize that there is something called antimatter. Well, the hypothesis no longer is valid because it is proven and we create minute amounts of antimatter in places such as the Large Hadron Collider at CERN.
To explain, antimatter is equal in size and weight to matter (atoms, protons, neutrons, electrons, quarks, etc.) but have opposite charges. Specifically, while electrons have negative charges in matter, their counterparts in antimatter (called positrons) are positively charged.
There are a few things to know about antimatter, however. First, it is very expensive to produce antimatter of any appreciable amount, especially if one is trying to utilize it as a form of propulsion. Second, it will annihilate any--and I mean ANY--matter with which it comes into contact and do so completely: no by-products or other remains of the transaction. The total result of a matter-antimatter collision is pure energy. Third, the only way to keep antimatter from interacting is by keeping it tightly contained in a magnetic field that isolates it from all the matter common to our universe, essentially keeping it in a perfect vacuum. Fourth, those big numbers that I mentioned in an earlier post about getting a kilogram to travel the speed of light come into play here: when the matter and antimatter collide, a proportionally equal amount of energy is released from that reaction. If the mass in question is a kilogram, then all those joules would be released and I would hope that the insane fools doing so have some way to control the reaction. Otherwise, we could just about kiss this planet goodbye.
This comment has been removed by the author.
Delete(Part 2 of 3)
DeleteFortunately, the scientists who work with antimatter typically are using only a single positron to generate the energy and considering that an electron's (or positron's) mass is only 9.1 x 10^-28 grams (in other words, barely measurable), the amount of energy created from such an interaction is much more controllable as it is around 9 x 10^-16 joules (a very small faction of a single joule of energy). To put it in comparison of something more meaningful, it would require 72,222,222,333,333,333.333 (that is, 72 quadrillion) reactions to power a modern Core i5 processor for a single hour. In that time, the amount of antimatter that would be used would total only 6.572 x 10^-11 grams (six-thousandths of one nanogram). A human skin cell, by comparison, is approximately one nanogram in mass.
Thus, you can see that antimatter reactions are extremely efficient in that they produce enormous amounts of power for such a small amount of reactant. Therefore, it is the reason that there is so much research being done on making it into a viable power (and propulsion) source.
This pretty much leads me into your final question. If we presume that we can master antimatter reactions and make them into a useful propulsion system such as is shown in the various Star Trek television series and movies, then it is conceivable that (at some point in the future), we will be able to accelerate various amounts of mass toward the speed of light and, thus, dilate time enough so that it would nearly stop. However, be aware that when we speak of "slowing" or "stopping" time, we are talking about the passage of time as it is relative to the one who is undergoing such high velocities. To us here on planet Earth still hurtling through space at a slow 67,000 miles per hour around the sun, time would still pass second by second. However, what would be years for us would be only a matter of seconds to our vastly accelerated theoretical astronaut.
Now, if I may slip out of science fact mode for a moment and mention a personal (but very unproven) hypothesis, I would say that if we were somehow able to travel faster than the speed of light, then the apparent passage of time for the "fast astronaut" would potentially be going backward. Logically, if time moves forward at full speed when we are essentially going zero times the speed of light and time stops at the speed of light, then I propose that if a traveller were able to accelerate to twice the speed of light, light would be running at normal speed again but in reverse. As I said, this is completely hypothetical but seems logical.
There is a problem with such massive acceleration, however: the apparent effect it has on the mass of the traveller. Think about it like this: when one is at rest in a car at a stop light, there is no stress on the person. However, once the light turns green and the car is accelerated, the person is pushed back into the seat by an apparent increase in weight. This may seem small but so is the speed. Multiply that by tens of thousands of times and you can see that much force would all but atomize the person and we would have a less than successful launch toward even a small fraction of the speed of light due to the immediate death of the astronaut. Therefore, we need to come up with a technology to protect the inhabitant from the affect of the momentum on his body and this is the biggest issue that we have right now as we have no way to counteract such a basic law of physics at this time. Due to this, manned interstellar travel is going to be way off in the future rather than something that we can comprehend happening in the next decade or two. :-)
Jon, I am always glad to give what information I can and even mention some ideas that I have in my head based on this information. Feel free to keep the questions coming and always feel free to interject anything that you feel pertains to the discussions.
(Last, but not least, Part 3 of 3)
DeleteOn another note, Khadija, it's been a few days since we've seen you here. I hope that your studies are going well. As for me, I've started a new course about the history and security of the Internet at Coursera and have recently gotten a couple of new books on the topics of Quantum Mechanics and Cosmology that I am reading as I get some free time. Be sure to chime in when you have a moment. We'll be looking for your words of wisdom and your bright spirit. :-)
Well, as I finish this up, I realize that I will have to divide it into sections again, so bear with me.
By the way, something that I just realized that I find rather interesting and comical at the same time is that, as I said above, it would take six-thousandths of a nanogram to power a Core i5 processor for an hour and that a human skin cell is one nanogram, so that means that the processor could be powered for an entire week (well, about 90 minutes short thereof) on the amount of mass in one human skin cell. Now that (to me) is fascinating! :-)
DeleteThat,s an interesting fact, two new classes have started and doing Udacity too, so very busy. School is tough now a days with lot of tests. Lot of syllabus to cover in school.
DeleteHi John,
DeleteSorry for being late again; I had been rather busy recently preparing to take a Coursera class.
Let’s get back to our original topic of time travelling.
Well, having accepted the theory of relativity as a proved and verified fact, and had gotten a grasp on what an antimatter is. I’d a few question(again…):
First, as far as I know, no matter can be “create” (please correct me if I’m mistaken, since mass and matter are a bit confusing.) so how could we “create” antimatter at CERN?
And also, according to the theory of conservation of energy, no energy could be made either, so if antimatter can emit such enormous energy, is it follow that we need an equally great amount of energy to create the antimatter, thus balance out the energy that we would obtain by it?
Second, (this is only my own thought) as we need a great amount of energy to accelerate a object toward speed of light, and thus attain our goal of stopping time, could we use the energy produced by the sun? I had read recently that the sun lose 4 millions tons of its mass every second, if we use the equal E=mc^2 by our friend Albert, is it mean that the sun emit 1.2 x 10^15 J (4 x 10^6 x c, the speed of light) of energy every second?(please correct me again, if I’m wrong in my rationale…for I’m not adept in the equation) if so, could we use the energy as the power to propel our 1kg mass?
And finally, we have discussed about slowing, stopping, and perhaps going back in time, could we add one more function to our time machine? Namely future travelling.
We could perhaps travel at the speed of light, but could we travel at negative speed, and thus travel to the future?
I know all of these sound like a science fiction, but maybe we could think of someway to do all this someday?
Jon
Hi Jon and Khadija,
DeleteSorry about being away for awhile. Things have been busy with the new class at Coursera and with some interesting developments with my business.
The developments with the business are that one company with whom I formed an affiliation about six months ago wants to expand on that and send more business my way. (More customers = more money = bigger smile on my face! :-) ) The other turn of events is that yet another local company wants to farm out work to me as a subcontractor, so once again, more clients and more money. I just hope that both grow as much as I expect.
Something else that happened just this week that was fun was that I got my first tech support call from the Democratic Republic of Congo (a country in central Africa). The client called internationally by a satellite phone and used my services for about 45 minutes to solve problems on his laptop.
Anyway, Jon, let me address your post from nearly three weeks ago.
First, you are correct that neither matter nor energy can be created or destroyed but only changed in form. To create the antimatter, it does require a large amount of energy, yes, and that is one of the problems with it being a viable power source at this time. Add to that the high cost of the energy used to create such an infinitesimally small amount of antimatter and you can see why it is something that will not come along for quite some time. Once we are able to get the "costs of manufacturing" down to something more reasonable, then the use of antimatter as a power source will be more feasible, just as happened with production of gasoline, natural gas (methane), hydrogen, and nuclear power.
As for how the antimatter is created, to be frank, I am not sure about the specifics of the process but I do know that it is done by accelerating particles to extremely high speeds and then smashing them together. This is also how the Higgs boson was recently discovered and, further, how additional research into the theorized sub-particles contained within a Higgs boson will be discovered (not to mention the four other types of Higgs bosons that are now theorized to exist). At this time, the LHC is offline while additional upgrades are made to it to allow higher states of energy to be introduced for these future experiments. The Large Hadron Collider is scheduled to return to operation in 2015.
As for your second question, the problem is that if we try to accelerate a mass to a relativistic speed (in other words, a measurable portion of the speed of light), we need a nearly immeasurable amount of fuel to make that happen. If we find a way to do this with a massless energy source, then all we need to do is accelerate the mass of the astronaut and his vessel. However, if this is done by some sort of nuclear fuel (such as the mass that keeps being converted within the sun or the antimatter that we have previously discussed), then we need to add that mass to the amount that needs to be accelerated, which means that there is more energy that needs to be used to obtain the same speed. It is a vicious endless upward spiral. Thus, if we use something as "limited" in energy potential as nuclear fusion or fission (the sun is an example of fusion while our nuclear reactors are examples of fission), then we will never achieve any significant acceleration toward the speed of light.
Continuation...
DeleteIn regard to travelling forward in time by travelling at negative speeds, that is not a possibility. Speed is an absolute value and referred to as a scalar quantity. Scalar quantities do not care about direction, only about the amount of change over time. What I mean is that let's say that two racers start at the same zero point on a numeric scale. One runner goes left and travels over equally spaced numbers with ever-increasing negative values. The other racer runs to the right with ever-increasing positive values. If both run at the same speed and move five units away from the zero point in a minute, both will have achieved five units per minute despite whether the numbers are positive or negative. The lowest value for any speed is to be at rest, which has a value of zero.
One cannot run negatively so as to move faster through time. The only way to move faster through time is to quit moving completely. If one were able to be completely at rest, one would move ever so slightly faster through time than those of us who are just sitting in our recliners at home while on this revolving, orbiting planet that is hurtling through space. How much difference would it make? Probably about as much difference as it did for the astronaut who actually was slowed by a few milliseconds with all the time that he spent in orbit up in space.
I hope this helps with your understanding of the physics of the ideas that we discuss. Please feel free to let me know when you have more questions and I will try to answer them much more quickly than I did this time.
Best wishes to both of you, Jon and Khadija! :-)
Hello John! Nice to hear from you again!
DeleteLet’s us not worry (and apologize) for being late, as we all know that all of us are busy and had lot of things (and studies) to do.
I’m glad to hear that you’re doing well in your business and that you still study and attain class even while you are busy. (By the way it’s indeed exciting to have a client from the other part of the world, from a entirely different background)
Since the last time we chat, I had joined two Coursera courses – a chemistry and a special relativity course (Khadija has enrolled in both courses too.) – after our friend Khadija kindly informed me that Coursera Do Not charge student for their course (which I don't know why I always thought they does). I found the courses very interesting.
The special relativity course that I mentioned above is a course by Stanford University “Understanding Einstein: The Special Theory of Relativity” Although the first week’s video is mainly about the life of Einstein prior 1905 (in which year he published his theory of Special relativity) the course would , as the professor stated in the intro video, discuss in later lectures about space-time, interstellar travelling, and the exciting subject that we had discussed for the past several weeks, the possibility of Time travelling, The course had just officially started 4 day ago, maybe you could come and join us?
As for the subject about time travelling that we had discussed for the past several week, I must thank you again for sharing your thought.
Indeed it is very difficult for antimatter to develop as a viable source of energy for practical use. I fact, I don’t think we can overcome the problem of “cost of manufacturing”. Let me explain:
From the earliest instance of human kind we had used energy, and the first sort energy that we use, I believe, was in the form of food. Later, we master the technique of creating fire, we burn wood, animal oil etc. etc, and this practice had maintained for millenniums without much advancement.
It was until the Industrial revolution that we had any significant achievement in discovering a more efficient way of using energy, we burn coal to generate the giant steam engine, we used whale oil to power our street lamp… the whale oil soon ran out, and we found out that natural gas is a good source of energy too, and we replace whale oil with it. As the technology advanced, we discover more way to dig up more fossil fuel such as oil etc…
Remarkably, the various form of energy that I had described above, all come from the same source directly or indirectly: the Sun.
It was until very recently, through the effort of several bright scientist of the last century that we are able to get away from the sun to satisfy our high demand of energy. We discovered the nuclear energy, in other word, we utilised the energy that are stored inside individual atom (although I’m not sure of the actual process).
Fundamentally, all the energy that I had described, share one common ground, all of them are energy that had existed, all that we need to do is just to gather it through various technique.
(Continue)
DeleteAntimatter is somewhat different in this aspect, in that we need to “create” it before we can use it. And by creating it, we need to accelerate it to extremely high speed, which again, require extremely large amount of energy.
Thus, the possibility of developing antimatters as a source of energy (in my opinion) was extremely tiny.
It’s unfortunate that we cannot travel forward in time, imagine all the exciting things that we would see in the future. But actually if we can travel in time faster just for a very small fraction of a second(such as the method that you had describe in your previous post) I think this is already a breakthrough.
One last question, I know that we could convert mass to energy by simply multiplying it by the square of the speed of light, but in reality, what actually is the process to transform a mass to energy and vice versa?
Thank you for posting your idea on these interesting subject. I would like to hear more of your opinions.
Best wish,
Jon/
P.S. do you have a twitter account? You can find me at “www.twitter.com/Jon_S_T” , our friend Khadija and her twin brother Muhammad has a twitter account too.
Hello once again, Jon and Khadija!
DeleteAs always, it is an honor and a pleasure to talk with you both.
Jon, thank you for telling me about the Einstein course. I knew nothing about it but am glad to be enrolled in it now. I have already completed the first week's sample quizzes and the real quiz but have not started on the second week as of yet. I looked at the videos for the first week only after challenging the quizzes. First time, without watching the material, I got 100 percent. Of course I have a bit of foreknowledge about this subject as Einstein has been an idol for decades and I even used some of his work when I wrote a physics paper back in high school. I am definitely looking forward to the upcoming lectures.
I will admit that I dropped the Introduction to Logic course today. I didn't feel like the instructor was making the subject very understandable to me, so I figure that I will try it again when it is offered by someone else, presuming that another does pick up the course for a later offering. Besides, with my enrollment in Einstein and my soon-to-start Intro to Psychology course, I figure that three classes running concurrently is enough as I am taking these in my spare time, which is becoming more limited now with the onset of my busier time of the year. ;-)
Now to get to the discussion of Physics. :-)
I do think that in time, we will be able to produce antimatter much more cheaply (in regard to monetary costs) than we can right now but I still am unsure as to whether we would be able to produce it in sufficient quantity to make it a viable energy source. Of course, people have said the same thing about other sources of energy in the past such as coal, natural gas, crude oil, solar power, etc. With advances in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and other such technological pursuits, the prices have dropped so that those power sources can reach the masses much more easily. The same could be true for antimatter in the future. Time will tell.
As for your idea that everything that we have used for a source of energy up to this point has been from the sun whether directly or indirectly, that is true. Well, maybe not our sun known as Sol and the center of our solar system but from a sun. You see, anything that is a higher-order element such as metals (e.g. gold, silver, platinum, titanium) are all created in the nuclear furnace of a star. The same is true about the elements that we enrich to create our nuclear power plants (and weapons for that matter), specifically uranium and plutonium. It is possible (though I am not sure if this has ever been tested) that there is also antimatter created inside a star but with all the natural-order matter around it, it will annihilate itself almost as soon as it is created, thus creating more energy from the conversion/mutual annihilation of the antimatter and whatever matter it encountered. Given the amount of heat, the gravitation forces, and the sheer amount of mass inside a star, I find it very conceivable that we could be looking at a massive source of antimatter if we could find a way to isolate it as it is created and keep it away from all the matter surroundings its "birthplace."
At this point, we go to great lengths so that we can produce an insanely small amount of antimatter so as to run experiments (or conduct PET scans, as they use the antimatter particle called the Positron, which is a positively charged electron) and understand the physics that exist in the "antimatter realm." We did similar highly expensive experiments when we were first learning about atomic (also known as nuclear) energy. We do this to insure the safety of the scientists and to protect against anything unforeseen. After all, we don't want to create and endless chain reaction of antimatter annihilation that could wipe out our planet, solar system, or universe. ;-)
To be continued...
Continuing...
DeleteI agree that realizing that "time is suspect" is quite a wonderful breakthrough. That is what goes right along with what I was saying recently about how sitting still actually allows one to travel through time more quickly than if one moves.
The process of turning matter into energy is to accelerate it to the point at which its entire mass is travelling at the speed of light. The problem is that the mass of an object continues to increase exponentially as it achieves higher and higher relativistic speeds. Thus, the issue is that we cannot break through that "light barrier" as of yet.
To the contrary, what one needs to do to turn energy into matter is slow it down to just slightly less than the speed of light. Once that occurs, physics will take care of the rest of the process. You see, once something is travelling at less than the speed of light, it picks up mass and, thus, can no longer sustain such high speeds. Therefore, the only thing it can do is slow down.
This actually has a bit to do with the fairly recent discovery of the Higgs boson. It is known that there is something called the Higgs field which actually gives the Higgs boson its mass. However, the interesting thing is that there appear to be different types of Higgs bosons and, in theory, different types of Higgs fields. Specifically, according to latest theories, there are five different Higgs bosons, one for each of the known superforces (electromagnetism, gravity, strong nuclear force, and weak nuclear force) and one that is hypothesized that is currently referred to as the technicolor force. This fifth superforce is used to explain how various subatomic particles, when arranged in one way, create a Higgs boson but when arranged another way create, for example, a dark matter particle. (By the way, this could also be another way to create antimatter in a more economical and controllable fashion, once we understand the scientific principles behind the technicolor force.)
The reason for the five Higgs fields is so as to have a way to affect each of the types of Higgs bosons. You see, each field acts on only one type of Higgs boson, allowing all others to pass through. Think of it kind of like exit ramps on a highway. A ramp could require all commercial trucks to get off for inspection. This is like a Higgs field: it traps and slows down the appropriate Higgs bosons just enough to give them mass while the others pass on by without any effect whatsoever.
In regard to your final question, I did put up a post yesterday in which I said that no, I do not have a Twitter account but it seems that either it got removed or that I did something wrong and didn't actually get it posted like I thought I did. So, whatever the case, I say again that no, I don't have a Twitter account. It is one of those social media things for which I just don't see the need. Besides, I have better things to do with my time, such as take classes and have deep intellectual discussions with good people from across the world. :-)
Well, I am sure this is too long, so time to divide it up and post it. Talk with you two again soon!
Best Wishes,
John
sorry to bother your time again,
ReplyDeleteBut I just curious what is a blog member? why would you be one?
(I mean like the 10 member at this blog)
These are those people who will be updated whenever I post. :)
DeleteI see, Thanks Khadija:)
DeleteSorry guys,was very busy. Two new courses plus school assessments, anyways it was nice reading your posts.
ReplyDeleteHmmm, a studious young lady who not only wants to excel but does excel in her studies putting the aforementioned studies before having fun chatting online. Who would have thought it? ;-)
DeleteSeriously, Khadija, I am glad to hear from you again. Keep your nose in the books and achieve your goals! :-)
On another note, I had what I feel is a grand success today. About two weeks ago, I sent an email to someone about whom I learned through a new reality show called King of the Nerds who just so happens to be a Planetary Protection Engineer working at the National Aeronautical and Space Administration Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA JPL). Her name is Moogega (pronounced Moo-ji-gay) Cooper. Today, at long last, she wrote back. What I asked her was whether she would be interested and willing to be a guest presenter in Dr. Cockell's Astrobiology class to which she replied yes. However, as this section of the class has already closed up, I did propose that she be a guest presenter when he teaches the next section and/or when he teaches more advanced classes in Astrobiology. To follow this up, I have just sent an email to Dr. Cockell advising him of her interest and asked him to contact her directly. I am quite hopeful that this will lead to even more interest in future classes and, I must say, I would sign up for Astrobiology I again if she were slated to make a presentation at some point.
I didn't say anything to Dr. Cockell about her until this time because I didn't want to mention it until I heard from her regarding her interest level. I am glad to know that she is interested as I am sure that she could add much great information to the class.
Anyway, I should wrap up for now as I have an appointment in 20 minutes and then lots of (boring!) chores to do. Talk with you again soon! :-)
Hey Khadija!
DeleteLong time, no hear. I hope that all continues to go well with your studies. Don't forget that you have your fans and supporters here online rooting for you to be the rock star in all your classes, both in real-time and online.
Looking forward to catching up with you again soon!
Best Wishes Always,
John
yes, Khadija, you got your fans here! :)
DeleteHi, John and J.S.t, very very busy lately, hope you both doing fine, got my final exam next month in May and got other courses too. I have been reading your posts but was unable to reply for one reason or the other. plus extreme electricity load shedding here, light comes for one hr and goes for two hrs. I can hardly manage my studies. It is so tough now a days.
DeleteKhadija, don't worry, my dear friend. Stay busy with your studies and know that when you are able to chat it up, we are here looking for you and awaiting your words of wisdom and camaraderie.
DeleteI understand about the power issues. Here in the United States, on occasion we have such load balancing events which we call "rolling blackouts." Usually, the slight cut in delivered power (amounting to what is termed a "brownout") is enough of a reduction for my part of the country that we don't have to go to full-fledged rolling blackouts but that is not always true. For this reason, I have all my computer equipment in my office attached to battery backups. This way, if the power goes out for a few minutes, I can keep working normally. If it will go out for longer, then I have the time necessary to shut down the computers appropriately to prevent data loss. Further, to help at least a little bit, I have one laptop that I keep plugged in and fully charged at all times, so if the power does go out, I still do have one way or another to keep on working.
Along a similar vein, I remember when I lived in one part of Russia about a decade ago, the neighborhood in which I lived had to ration water, so all the apartments and houses in the area had to come with buckets, coolers, and anything else that they could to get the water that they needed in a central location every two or three days. Of course, this was at the height of the summer, so that made things very interesting to say the least. That is one experience I am glad does not happen around the US.
Well, m'lady, take good care of yourself and keep expanding your mind. Keep in touch!
Best Wishes always,
John
Khadija, I just read your comment on Twitter in which you said, "Girls can excel in science, in anything, if they are treated fairly and encouraged." This is very true. It also reminds me of the sentiment of a bumper sticker I have seen frequently. It says, "Quiet women have never made history." What I say to you and to any other gals who read this is to keep on reaching for the heights of your potential and each time you reach a goal, set one just a bit higher. Make the most of yourself at every opportunity and seek out those who can give you guidance, encouragement, and assistance along the way.
ReplyDeleteAs for you specifically, Khadija, I am always in your corner and will gladly do what I can to help you though about half the world being between us means that the help will have to be by virtual means. You are quite intelligent and I wish to see you succeed. Maybe you will be the next "Einstein" and discover the way to cross the "light barrier" or find out how one can block gravity, thus allowing antigravity propulsion. ;-)
Khadija and Jon, my fellow Einstein students, if either of you have any questions about the material that I can help answer, please feel free to drop me a note either here or by email. I am glad to assist any way I can.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, in case the two of you haven't seen the announcement yet, it seems that the fourth week's material is already up, so I'm going to dive into that probably in a little bit after going to grab some dinner. As Larry himself said, this week "the weirdness begins." It should be quite fun! :-)
Best Wishes as always,
John
Hello again!
DeleteThank you for offering your help, and it had come very timely, as I do have something that I do not understand about the observation of the Stellar Aberration. I had posted the problem on the forum, but so far I haven’t got any satisfying answer yet.
Here’s the Link: https://class.coursera.org/einstein-001/forum/thread?thread_id=538&post_id=3060#comment-2263
In case the link doesn’t work well, my post is titled: “Stellar aberration: how do we know it’s tilted?” you should be able to find it through the search function.
Thank you again!
Jon/
I believe week 4 should be interesting, I'm loading the video will watch it soon:)
DeleteGreetings Jon and Khadija!
DeleteJon, to answer your question about stellar aberration, I will see if I can do so to make it understandable.
First of all, let's discuss how stars are observed. Do we just take a picture of them one time and move on? The answer, of course, is no. Instead, we photograph them (whether by actual visual pictures or by radio telemetry) repeatedly to get a consistent view of the star in question.
Having established that, let's say that we have no ether between us and the starlight. As we move in a predictable fashion, we would expect the star itself to move in a predictable fashion in an equal but opposite direction. (In other words, if we move to the right at magnitude X, then the star should move to the left at magnitude X.) This is what we observe as being the truth.
Now, let's throw in the proposal of ether, a gaseous anomaly that can move in any direction at varying speeds. If we look at the light from our perspective and we know that we move in a predictable fashion, then we would expect the motion from the starlight to be more random due to the interference of the ether. In other words, even though we might have moved to the right with magnitude X, the starlight might have moved up with some other magnitude rather than having moved to the left with magnitude X. This would indicate that there was the proposed ether fouling our view of the heavens and, therefore, we would need to find a way to determine its motion and be able to factor it out. However, this is not what we have observed actually happens in nature.
So, the next question that I can see possibly coming up is, what about the effect of gravity wells (gravity caused by other stars) while the light is on its way to us? How can we know that it happened? Very simply because, as I previously mentioned, we do not take just a single picture of each star but, instead, look at each star over a long period of time and take multiple pictures. Oftentimes, scientists will spend several years or even decades studying a tiny region of space just to get the information they seek. Given that amount of detail, we can easily see the effect of another star, black hole, etc. and where its effects end just like we can see the difference between the heated air rising from a barbecue grill and the air at regular ambient temperature on either side of it. The view in the heated air is distorted but once we move past it, we can see things as we expect once again.
As I ask in the discussion forums in our beloved Einstein class, does this help?
I am already about halfway through the week 4 lectures and must say that they are quite fascinating so far and actually make sense to me since I have thought along those lines previously but never knew whether they were accurate or not (though I figured that they were).
(To be continued...)
(Continuing...)
DeleteOn another note, my good friends, I have a question for you: do either of you have any idea why some people in our class have such a hard time removing themselves from the issue of "frame of reference" and looking at things from the perspective by which they should? For example, there is a guy named Andrew Anthony C. Angus who refuses to acknowledge that when we look at Bob in his frame of reference, he is not moving but when viewed from Alice's frame of reference, he is moving. He says that Bob is moving, so any questions regarding the flashes of light must be the same as the answers for Alice's perspective. Why is it so hard for people to see that they are looking at things in the wrong context even when given examples and explanation ad nauseum by multiple people? Are people really so dense and closed-minded/stubborn as to refuse to grasp something so utterly simplistic?
I actually spoke with my mother about this last night as we were getting ready for a party. She is a retired scientist from the field of microbiology, so she understands keeping an open mind. One thing that she said to me is that I have always done well with helping others understand topics and that I would have been very successful if I had pursued an academic career but then she said what I feel is probably the greatest reason that I decided not to teach: "John, you always enjoy the company of people as intelligent as you but you do not suffer fools easily." This, I think, is all too true and probably is why I get so frustrated by those who refuse to learn to view the situations from the proper perspective.
I must say that I feel pity for those folks who cannot grasp something as simple as that at this stage because, as Dr. Lagerstrom, this week "the weirdness begins." These people will be ever so lost at this point if they got lost by something as simple as frames of reference.
Hey Khadija,
ReplyDeleteI've been reading the discussion between you and Genady over in the class forum and I wanted to give you my input. I have no interest in getting into another word game with Genady as he has shown himself to be incapable of admitting when proven wrong, so that is why I speak with you here.
In regard to the scissors issue in which he says that the intersection moves faster than light, he is right in concept: the intersection has no mass, energy, or momentum and, therefore, it is "nothing" which, as physicists have shown can move faster than light, just as the void of our universe did when expanding just after the Big Bang. This is precisely because the intersection is nothing more than a concept: it is not a physical entity. As far as the blades of the scissors are concerned, there is no "intersection." As far as they are concerned (if you will excuse the anthropomorphizing of the blades for a moment), they are just two physical objects travelling at the relativistic speed of 200 kilometers per second in his example. Doing the math, however, shows that his prediction of 500,000 kilometers per second for the speed of the change of the intersection is a bit off, however. Given his setup, the speed would still be higher than c and I give him that but the actual value is about three-quarters of what he predicted: 375,877.048314 kilometers per second. The fastest that the blades could go, though, is not much faster than that. If we presume that the angle between the blades was only two degrees, thus allowing only one degree of separation between the x-axis and the blades, that would impart the vast majority of the speed of the blades to travelling along the x-axis. From that 200,000 kilometers per second, that x-axis speed component would be 199,969.539031 kilometers per second for each blade. This would then result in a speed of 399,969.078062 if no relativistic effects are taken into account, which is still significantly less than his predicted value of 500,000 kilometers per second.
So, can we observe something travelling at that speed? Well, that is a good question. Technologically speaking, I am sure that we can as we have high-speed cameras that can shoot as many as 16 million frames a second. With the human eye, the answer I am pretty sure would be no. ;-)
One further point to consider that disproves his math further is that no two components can be combined to give a result that is higher than the sum of the two said components. For example, 2 + 2 = 4, not 5. ;-) (For someone who claims to have degrees in mathematics, he seems to have overlooked this simple mathematical law.)
Thank you john, you are so right about it, I was unable to fathom his concept. That's why I told him, it is a hypothesis. You explained it very well. I have been reading yours and J.S.T, discussion here but due to my tight schedule I was unable to participate, got my final exams and plus this course and another course of chemistry which I have decided to do at my own pace. It was getting tougher for me.
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome, Khadija. It is a shame that there are some people who are so bull-headed that they cannot stop and think for a moment that they could possibly be wrong. Take, for another example (beyond what we just discussed), the issue of the photons speeding toward the clocks as Alice's ship moves. I said the same thing repeatedly in that discussion and he told me I was wrong despite the fact that I was dead on and even confirmed it with physicists with whom I speak regularly. Of course, only after the third (or was it the fourth) time of saying the same thing, he said that I was right. The only reason was that I watched additional lectures and found that Dr. Lagerstrom was ignoring something that I was adding into the discussion, which was the delay in viewing due to the distance between Alice's and Bob's ships. I mentioned that would cause additional difference in what Bob sees compared to what Alice sees but he refused to accept that. That is a very elementary concept but he, despite his "advanced math degree" and "masters degree in biology" just could not perceive that. Well, great for him to have those academic achievements but that does not mean that he is the omniscient authority of all things related to Physics. He needs to realize that he is in this class to learn, not to try to impress others with his (lack of) knowledge.
ReplyDeleteSomething that truly amazes me, though, is that he gets as many positive votes as he does despite not being all that accurate (or, in some cases, nothing short of inaccurate and/or condescending). His ego needs to be knocked down a few pegs.
But, anyway, enough about that bozo.
I am glad to hear from you again. I've seen you be very busy in the Einstein message forums, so I figured that you were alive and well but I also figured that you were quite busy with your studies. I hope they continue to go well.
My schedule is getting a bit complex now also as this is getting to the busiest time of the year for my business but I am also getting into more Coursera classes. I have the Einstein class in which we are all enrolled, of course, but I am also about to wrap up the Internet History, Technology, and Security class (and still have 100 percent in it with only the final examination to go), am taking a self-study class on relational database design (self-study means no certificate but it also means that I can take it as I have time for it), and Intro to Psychology starts next week. In June, I start a law class (English Common Law) and on the same day, a Computer Networks class starts, so I have a few things starting to pile up. While I look forward to it all, I hope that the classes do not eat up so much of my time that I have to drop some of them. I would like to continue with them all.
The Calculus course that someone recommended in the Einstein forums is on my list of "starred" classes, so I should get an email when it is offered again. In the interim, I have purchased a couple of math textbooks so that I can review my Trigonometry and get ready for the dive into Calculus once again. (It was the identities that threw me for a loop way back in high school when I first took Trig. I had a hard time memorizing them as I had never had to study for math previously. Even the postulates and theorems of Geometry just came to me naturally.)
Well, time to wrap this up and go see what more is happening in the world of Einstein. Talk with you again soon. Keep on studying, my dear friend! :-)
Hello again, Khadija and Jon!
ReplyDeleteWell, Khadija, after my earlier post in regard to the light-speed scissors, I realized something: the entire premise is wrong! The point of intersection is not speeding along even at 1.3c (or thereabouts) at all. I realized this could not be because the two "blades" while moving uniformly (rather than on a hinge) are each moving at 200,000kps. If we return to each blade being only one degree apart from the x-axis that runs between them, then we can see that each blade is advancing at the rate of about 199,969.5 kps. The speeds are not additive in any way. In fact, the point at which they cross is advancing at the same rate and is the only way that they could keep a point of intersection. You see, if one of the blades is slower than the other, then one would fall behind and there would be no point of intersection. Thus, the point of intersection is no faster than the speed of light unlike what Genady postulated and I admit that I was taken in to disproving only his math at first because of his idea that 2+2=5 (simplified to common terms, of course). I completely missed the simple logic that what he said could not be true.
I came to this realization because if the point of intersection were moving ahead at just shy of 400,000kps, said intersection would be moving ahead of the two blades by a factor of 2 to 1. Obviously that is illogical, so it is invalid. I just wish that I had seen that sooner. (CHUCKLE)
Anyway, I just thought I would come back over here and straighten the record out now that I have a chance to do so. I hope that all continues to go well with your studies. Good luck with your finals! Talk with you again soon.
Hello, John and Khadija, :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for helping about Stellar Aberration, you had explained it in a very detailed way. Your mother was rights, you did pretty well in helping other people to understand things (as you did to me in here and what you did in the forum as well) So let me sum up what you said in your last post, and see did I misunderstood anything.
What you meant is we observe our galaxy for a very extended time and therefore we could observe any anomalous behaviour of any starlight, and when we had seen none, we conclude that there are nothing that are causing the expected motion, hence, there are no ether.
I had just finished the week 4 video, some of the issue are rather “weird” and a bit confusing, but still, apart from a few question, I think I had got the main idea.
Still didn’t do the review quiz/ problem set yet, congratulation, John, for your ever perfect score! As for khadija, I see that you are improving too :)
I had gone to read the Andrew C. Angus post after I saw your question in your previous post, I don’t wish to criticize other people, admittedly I fail to understand why they cannot comprehend, but then again, occasionally one would fall in to a blind spot in our brain – a blind alley that, regardless how hard you try, will only send you deeper into the dead end. To describe some of my own experience, I occasionally find myself unable to accept (not that I don’t want to, just can’t) some novel idea, for example some mathematic calculation - I had fall into a dead end. So what do I do, mainly this, read another book that taught the subject in an entirely different style, or ask another person (that use a different style) to teach me, well, that don’t usually work out. So, what then? Simply this: forget about it and go to sleep, maybe for one day, maybe one week, or months, just keep it out of you mind, then when you come back after long enough, voila! You’ve got it.
In addition to the stubbornness of the asker, I found that the people that answer, though clearly are trying their best, are not really helpful too (I don’t mean you, you and a guy called anonymous did pretty well in explaining the issue) what I mean is, most people are just repeating the same thing again and again, without trying to tackle it in other ways i.e. if he (the asker) can’t make sense of the first time he won’t, no matter how many time he was told. And this could only push the guy deeper into the alley.
Now you may ask, “can you do this then?” No I don’t think I can. That show that your mother is a very wise old lady; teaching are not easy.
As for Genady, that is another issue, clearly he do understand most of the things, nor do I think all those degree are fabricated. I think that is pure stubbornness, alas, I, like most other people in our course, are getting into another word game with him,(regarding the scissor issue), I’m not saying I’m certainly right, what I’m saying is that he, is not certainly right as well. What do you think about our argument? I would be glad to hear both of your opinion.
Nice to talk to you!
Jon.
Harrah's Cherokee Casino & Hotel - Mapyro
ReplyDeleteGet directions, reviews and 의정부 출장샵 information for Harrah's Cherokee Casino & 안성 출장안마 Hotel in Cherokee, 제주도 출장마사지 NC. Cherokee, NC. 태백 출장샵 Harrah's Cherokee Casino & Hotel · Address: 777 Casino 김제 출장샵 Drive, Cherokee,