EULER’S ELEGANCE
IN A SEARCH for elegance in mathematics, look no further than Euler’s Formula, e i π = -1. This equation takes three perhaps obscure mathematical constants, e, i and π, … Continue reading
ARE SURVEYS LEGIT?
THE PHRASE “According to a Pew Survey…” typically instills confidence in the conclusions that follow. However, two ex-Pew researchers have reported on controversial analyses suggesting that some broad-range surveys may … Continue reading
CHAOTIC PENDULUMS
A SIMPLE PENDULUM’s measured behavior is a marvelous thing. A clock with one doesn’t need batteries. It doesn’t need a plug. There’s no solar panel or other wizardry. All pendulums, … Continue reading
THE WEBB—AN AMAZING SCIENTIFIC ENDEAVOR
TWO AND A HALF years from now, the James Webb Telescope will surge into space to replace the current best eye in the sky, the Hubble Telescope. The Hubble has … Continue reading
CHINA’S FAST TELESCOPE TO ENHANCE MANKIND’S LISTENING
CHINA IS well along in constructing the world’s largest radio telescope, scheduled to be completed in September 2016. Known as FAST, for 500-meter aperture spherical telescope, the project is making … Continue reading
SAY AGAIN, PLEASE, SYNTHETICALLY IF YOU LIKE
AMONG VOICES I might recognize are those of HAL 9000, Siri, Stephen Hawking, our Honda’s nav system, IBM “Jeopardy!” Watson and the Tokyo Subway’s Elmer Fudd. All are examples of … Continue reading
BABYLONIAN CALCULUS?
IT’S RARE THAT calculus makes the cover of Science, the weekly magazine of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Nor is ancient Babylon an expected Science cover subject. … Continue reading
IS IT THE GOOD TURTLE SOUP OR MERELY THE SLOTH?
A WONDERFUL HOAX was played on members of New York City’s exclusive Explorer’s Club back in 1951. To paraphrase Cole Porter’s “At Long Last Love,” a legendary meal at the … Continue reading
QUICK, THE MOSQUITO SPRAY! NO, THE UNDERARM DEODORANT!
WHAT WITH the horrible Zika virus being mosquito-borne, an item in AAAS Science, January 4, 2016, caught my attention. Elizabeth Pennisi’s article “Orchids Give Off Human ‘Body Odor’ to Attract … Continue reading
HAVE I BEEN UNCERTAIN OF ENTANGLEMENTS?
THIS ITEM began with my trying to learn about quantum entanglement. This physics term describes the way particles can interact from afar, something that Albert Einstein referred to as “spooky … Continue reading
