“ I can live with doubt, and uncertainty, and not knowing. I think it’s much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers which might be wrong. I have approximate answers, and possible beliefs, and different degrees of certainty about different things, but I’m not absolutely sure of anything, and then many things I don’t know anything about, such as whether it means anything to ask why we’re here, and what the question might mean. I might think about it a little, but if I can’t figure it out, then I go on to something else. But I don’t have to know an answer. I don’t feel frightened by not knowing things, by being lost in a mysterious universe without having any purpose, which is the way it really is, as far as I can tell, possibly. It doesn’t frighten me. ”
~ Richard Feynman; (Born 95 years ago today, May 11, 1918)
~ Richard Feynman; (Born 95 years ago today, May 11, 1918)
“ It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living. ”
~ David Attenborough; (Born 87 years ago today, May 8, 1926)
~ David Attenborough; (Born 87 years ago today, May 8, 1926)
As you read this, you are subtly moving the muscles in your tongue and throat associated with speaking the same words aloud. This is called subvocalization. It is largely undetectable without the aid of machines, even by the subjects themselves, and impossible to fully repress. Subvocalization is thought to occur in order to reduce cognitive load while reading or thinking, and allows the brain to take in and process information more naturally and more effectively. Since it is possible to detect and interpret these signals electronically, projects are currently underway to create silent forms of communication, where participants need only think about speaking to communicate.
It is frequently pointed out that the magnetic north pole lies slightly outside the geographic North Pole. This is not technically correct. In fact, the opposite is true. The Earth’s magnetic south pole lies just outside the geographic North Pole. In geography, North is defined by the direction that attracts the north end of a compass, but in physics, the north end of any magnet will always be pulled toward the southern direction of an external magnetic field. What this means is that the magnetic pole that lies in what we call the Northern Hemisphere is actually a magnetic south pole. In precise scientific terms, the “north magnetic pole” and the “magnetic north pole” are exact opposites. Thankfully, these needlessly confusing semantics are usually ignored in favor of the colloquial understanding.
Three years ago today, March 22, 2010, communications with the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit were lost. Ten months prior, Spirit found itself stuck in soft soil, and after eight months of unsuccessful attempts to free its wheels, it was repurposed as a stationary research platform. But in the midst of a stressful Martian winter with little sun to recharge its batteries and no way to reorient itself in preparation for hibernation, the rover was unable to maintain its minimal power requirement, and on sol 2210 of its 90 sol mission, Spirit died.
“ As human beings, our job in life is to help people realize how rare and valuable each one of us really is, that each of us has something that no one else has—or ever will have—something inside that is unique to all time. It’s our job to encourage each other to discover that uniqueness and to provide ways of developing its expression. ”
~ Fred Rogers; (Born 85 years ago today, March 20, 1928)
~ Fred Rogers; (Born 85 years ago today, March 20, 1928)
On March 15, 2009, a free-tailed bat, injured and unable to fly, clung to the external fuel tank of the Space Shuttle Discovery during liftoff at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. It is unknown how long the bat held on, but NASA photos confirm the stowaway remained in place as Discovery cleared the launch tower. This final flight undoubtedly cost the creature its life as the Shuttle climbed, most likely incinerated in the heat of the boosters. Today, the bat lives on in the collective memory of the Internet, inspiring memorial webpages, video tributes, artwork, songs, and memes. Space Bat, as the animal is now known, joins Laika as one of the unwitting participants in the human endeavor of space flight.
The record for calculating pi currently stands at ten trillion decimal digits. The calculation took 191 days to complete using a custom-built desktop computer attached to 44 terabytes of external storage. The number itself, stored as an uncompressed text file, is over 16.6 terabytes. This calculation was a followup by the same two individuals who, a year prior, set the previous record of five trillion digits.
“ Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. The mediocre mind is incapable of understanding the man who refuses to bow blindly to conventional prejudices and chooses instead to express his opinions courageously and honestly. ”
~ Albert Einstein; (Born 134 years ago today, March 14, 1879)
~ Albert Einstein; (Born 134 years ago today, March 14, 1879)
![“ To the natural philosopher there is no natural object unimportant or trifling. From the least of nature’s works he may learn the greatest lessons. […] And this is, in fact, one of the great sources of delight which the study of natural science imparts to its votaries. A mind which has once imbibed a taste for scientific enquiry, and has learnt the habit of applying its principles readily to the cases which occur, has within itself an inexhaustible source of pure and exciting contemplations. […] Accustomed to trace the operation of general causes, and the exemplification of general laws, in circumstances where the uninformed and unenquiring eye perceives neither novelty nor beauty, he walks in the midst of wonders. ” ~ John Herschel; (Born 221 years ago today, March 7, 1792)](http://25.media.tumblr.com/1d7ed21f5d7026a4181761433af5bc7b/tumblr_mjbgzqt35r1rpe42jo1_1280.jpg)
“ To the natural philosopher there is no natural object unimportant or trifling. From the least of nature’s works he may learn the greatest lessons. […] And this is, in fact, one of the great sources of delight which the study of natural science imparts to its votaries. A mind which has once imbibed a taste for scientific enquiry, and has learnt the habit of applying its principles readily to the cases which occur, has within itself an inexhaustible source of pure and exciting contemplations. […] Accustomed to trace the operation of general causes, and the exemplification of general laws, in circumstances where the uninformed and unenquiring eye perceives neither novelty nor beauty, he walks in the midst of wonders. ”
~ John Herschel; (Born 221 years ago today, March 7, 1792)
~ John Herschel; (Born 221 years ago today, March 7, 1792)
The fastest object ever recorded was likely a proton that struck the atmosphere over Utah in 1991 known as the “Oh-My-God particle.” It was traveling only 1.5 quadrillionths of a meter per second less than the speed of light, or 0.9999999999999999999999951c. This is so near the speed of light that it would take a photon traveling with a particle about 220,000 years to gain a one-centimeter lead. It is estimated that the Oh-My-God particle carried about 50 joules of kinetic energy, 40 million times that of the highest energy proton ever produced in a man-made particle accelerator. That’s roughly equivalent to the energy of a baseball thrown at 100 kilometers per hour – packed into a single proton about 85 septillion times less massive. The source of these ultra-high-energy cosmic rays is a mystery, but they seem to emanate from the general direction of extragalactic supermassive black holes at the center of nearby galactic nuclei.
It’s common knowledge that the universal speed limit is equal to the speed of light in a vacuum, but it’s not accurate to say that it’s impossible to travel faster than light. For example, if a beta particle, a high-energy, high-speed electron emitted by certain types of radioactive nuclei, passes through a dielectric medium, such as water, it’s possible for that particle to travel faster than the light it emits. This is because the speed of light through a medium is slower than it is through a vacuum. In the case of water, about 25% slower, slow enough that these particles can outpace it. The result is something akin to a sonic boom of light called Cherenkov radiation. This is visualized as an eerie blue glow, characteristic of nuclear reactors.
Today marks exactly one year since I started Sci-Facts! Seems like a good time for a quick update. As of right now, we’re coming up on 300 posts and the blog will hit 1,000 followers any day now. Not bad. Posts have also been getting many more notes than they have in the past, which is great. As always, thanks to everyone who has reblogged and liked, and a special thanks to everyone who has helped promote the page or has written in. If you’ve been following the blog for long, you’ll probably know that I’m a physics major, and you may also have noticed that posts have come a bit more sporadically since the new semester has started — I’m sure you understand. Yes, yes, lots of quotes and anniversary posts - I believe this makes three for today – but you know how it is. If you’re new to the blog, I recommend taking a look back at some of the older posts you may have missed, and maybe give the random link a whirl for a while. Anyway, be patient, and soon I’ll know free time once more and I can get back to reading and researching, and rustling up some new Sci-Facts for you all. — Thanks again everyone!
- Aaron
“ In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual. ”
~ Galileo Galilei; (Born 449 years ago today, February 15, 1564)
~ Galileo Galilei; (Born 449 years ago today, February 15, 1564)
“ I’d hate to die twice. It’s so boring. ”
~ Richard Feynman, last words; (Died 25 years ago today, February 15, 1988)
~ Richard Feynman, last words; (Died 25 years ago today, February 15, 1988)
