We all share some common-sense notions about the world. One is that a second in London is a second in Melbourne - time passes at the same rate for everyone. Another is that the length of a rigid object such as a car, does not change. The truth is that space and time are not absolute but they stretch and warp depending in relative viewpoint. What is more, the presence of matter distorts BOTH space and time. If Earth wasn't where it is then there would be no GRAVITATIONAL PULL present. Look at it this way, SPACE IS A GIANT BLANKET AND STARS AND PLANETS "dent" this blanket when present, this "dent" is their gravitational influence on space and time.
Wednesday, 30 May 2012
Tuesday, 29 May 2012
It does MATTER!!
Everything around you - your phone/computer/body, even the air you're breathing - it's all MATTER. Matter is the word for ATOMS whether it be a single Hydrogen atom or a huge POLYMER - this is a vast collection of atoms that are BONDED together by the ELECTROMAGNETIC force. In fact, you, me and evryone else are all POLYMERS as our bodies are BONDED together by the ELECTROMAGNETIC force.
Matter is the ATOM!
from Hydrogen:
To Uranium:
Both atoms are from opposite ends of the PERIODIC TABLE - Hydrogen:1, Uranium:92. The number is a refernce as to how many PROTONS the atom has.
Every single piece of MATTER anywhere in the entire Universe is made of the SAME 92 types of MATTER. Some ATOMS are more common than others E.G you won't find some of them in the human body but as far as we know, these ELEMENTS have laws to abide by such as BONDING, MELTING POINTS, ELECTRONEGATIVITY etc. These laws are the SAME ANYWHERE in the Universe.
So the next time someone says to you "it doesn't matter! Maybe it doesn't, unless its made of ATOMS.
Thankyou.
Adam King
Much love. XX
Matter is the ATOM!
from Hydrogen:
To Uranium:
Both atoms are from opposite ends of the PERIODIC TABLE - Hydrogen:1, Uranium:92. The number is a refernce as to how many PROTONS the atom has.
Every single piece of MATTER anywhere in the entire Universe is made of the SAME 92 types of MATTER. Some ATOMS are more common than others E.G you won't find some of them in the human body but as far as we know, these ELEMENTS have laws to abide by such as BONDING, MELTING POINTS, ELECTRONEGATIVITY etc. These laws are the SAME ANYWHERE in the Universe.
So the next time someone says to you "it doesn't matter! Maybe it doesn't, unless its made of ATOMS.
Thankyou.
Adam King
Much love. XX
Why does it get hot in my car?
If you've read any of my previous blogs you will now be accustomed with the knowledge that LIGHT comes in the shape of PHOTONS. PHOTONS come in different wavelengths which denotes their "type" - IE really long wavelength is a RADIO wave and really short wavelength are GAMMA waves.
Next up - how PHOTONS are ABSORBED by ELECTRONS. Electrons absorb photons then emit them. When a PHOTON is absorbed by the ELECTRON, the electron "jumps" to an atomic orbital of higher energy and then "drops" back down when it emits the PHOTON - this happens exceptionally fast.
If you've read my BLOG on GLASS you'll know why it's transparent and why PHOTONS pass straight through the GLASS.
So picture a PHOTON - a massless particle travelling from the Sun to Earth. This PHOTON is of the VISIBLE LIGHT WAVELENGTH. Now picture the PHOTON passing through the windscreen of your PARKED car. It is then absorbed by an electron in an atom of the drivers seat. The PHOTON is then emitted by the ELECTRON but it CANNOT pass back through the GLASS! WHY?
If a PHOTON gives an ELECTRON ENERGY, that means it must be CARRYING energy - PHOTONS ARE ENERGY! So if the PHOTON gives its energy to an electron who then "uses" it to move up and down then gives the energy back - PART of the energy has been USED. The PHOTON that is emitted is of a LONGER WAVELENGTH as it has "lost" energy. The PHOTON is now of the INFRA-RED category. This means that the PHOTON HAS LESS ENERGY and is not able to PENETRATE the windscreen. The PHOTON CANNOT "leave" the car and causes HEAT build-up as it is absorbed and re-emitted by atoms in the inside of the car.
This principle is the SAME for GREENHOUSES and many other similar scenarios.
Thanks.
Much love, Adam. XX
Next up - how PHOTONS are ABSORBED by ELECTRONS. Electrons absorb photons then emit them. When a PHOTON is absorbed by the ELECTRON, the electron "jumps" to an atomic orbital of higher energy and then "drops" back down when it emits the PHOTON - this happens exceptionally fast.
If you've read my BLOG on GLASS you'll know why it's transparent and why PHOTONS pass straight through the GLASS.
So picture a PHOTON - a massless particle travelling from the Sun to Earth. This PHOTON is of the VISIBLE LIGHT WAVELENGTH. Now picture the PHOTON passing through the windscreen of your PARKED car. It is then absorbed by an electron in an atom of the drivers seat. The PHOTON is then emitted by the ELECTRON but it CANNOT pass back through the GLASS! WHY?
If a PHOTON gives an ELECTRON ENERGY, that means it must be CARRYING energy - PHOTONS ARE ENERGY! So if the PHOTON gives its energy to an electron who then "uses" it to move up and down then gives the energy back - PART of the energy has been USED. The PHOTON that is emitted is of a LONGER WAVELENGTH as it has "lost" energy. The PHOTON is now of the INFRA-RED category. This means that the PHOTON HAS LESS ENERGY and is not able to PENETRATE the windscreen. The PHOTON CANNOT "leave" the car and causes HEAT build-up as it is absorbed and re-emitted by atoms in the inside of the car.
This principle is the SAME for GREENHOUSES and many other similar scenarios.
Thanks.
Much love, Adam. XX
Saturday, 26 May 2012
FAT = ENERGY
Yes it's true! Your body wants and need ENERGY to function - whether it be OXYGEN or CARBOHYDRATES, PROTEIN OR LIPIDS (FATS).
Your body will "borrow" calcium from parts of your body and transport it to a site where it is needed. It's all done for you and you don't have to even think about it. Your part in the process of meeting ENERGY needs is taking in food that will GIVE you energy then BURNING it off (exercising) or just generally living your life.
Most people think that FAT is bad, truth is you need some for a balnced BMI and for your body to function and be protected. There's nothing wrong with a bit of "cushioning"to protect your organs.
Here's the main point - YOUR BODY MAKES FAT. Fat is ENERGY that is STORED by your body. FAT is the only form that ENERGY can take if it is going to be stored for the LONG-TERM. Your body will have a SHORT-TERM supply and a LONG-TERM supply. It is obvious that if you TAKE IN a lot of energy 9food etc0 and don't BURN it off, your body will MAKE FAT as it is storing this energy - that is how people gain FAT to their body.
Genetics DOES have an influence as METABOLISM ans natural MASS/WEIGHT are hereditary to an extent.
Next time you see/meet a person that you may observe as having a bit of excess FAT (I'm sorry if that isn't PC), you can instead think to yourself - WOW this person has lots of STORED ENERGY.
Adam King XX
Your body will "borrow" calcium from parts of your body and transport it to a site where it is needed. It's all done for you and you don't have to even think about it. Your part in the process of meeting ENERGY needs is taking in food that will GIVE you energy then BURNING it off (exercising) or just generally living your life.
Most people think that FAT is bad, truth is you need some for a balnced BMI and for your body to function and be protected. There's nothing wrong with a bit of "cushioning"to protect your organs.
Here's the main point - YOUR BODY MAKES FAT. Fat is ENERGY that is STORED by your body. FAT is the only form that ENERGY can take if it is going to be stored for the LONG-TERM. Your body will have a SHORT-TERM supply and a LONG-TERM supply. It is obvious that if you TAKE IN a lot of energy 9food etc0 and don't BURN it off, your body will MAKE FAT as it is storing this energy - that is how people gain FAT to their body.
Genetics DOES have an influence as METABOLISM ans natural MASS/WEIGHT are hereditary to an extent.
Next time you see/meet a person that you may observe as having a bit of excess FAT (I'm sorry if that isn't PC), you can instead think to yourself - WOW this person has lots of STORED ENERGY.
Adam King XX
Some relevant temperatures
Here is a short list of temperatures that are applicable to our Earth, Solar System and Universe (in Celsius)
6000: Surface of the Sun
2861: Iron boils
1538: Iron melts
230: Paper catches fire
100: Water boils
58: Hottest weather on Earth
0: Water freezes
-39: Mercury freezes
-89: Coldest weather on Earth
-196: Air becomes liquid
-219: Air freezes
-270: Outer space
-273: Absolute zero
Absolute zero:
This is the lowest temperature possible, atoms have no kinetic energy and stop moving. It's impossible to get to -273 but you can get close. Very strange things happen within a millionth of a degree of absolute zero. Atoms lose their individuality and slide into each other, forming a single atom-sized "blob" - this is referred to as a state of matter known as "Bose-Einstein condensate".
6000: Surface of the Sun
2861: Iron boils
1538: Iron melts
230: Paper catches fire
100: Water boils
58: Hottest weather on Earth
0: Water freezes
-39: Mercury freezes
-89: Coldest weather on Earth
-196: Air becomes liquid
-219: Air freezes
-270: Outer space
-273: Absolute zero
Absolute zero:
This is the lowest temperature possible, atoms have no kinetic energy and stop moving. It's impossible to get to -273 but you can get close. Very strange things happen within a millionth of a degree of absolute zero. Atoms lose their individuality and slide into each other, forming a single atom-sized "blob" - this is referred to as a state of matter known as "Bose-Einstein condensate".
Friday, 25 May 2012
Dark Energy and Dark Matter
Something must be out there amongst the blackness of space? Something must be making the Universe expand?
Current composition of the Universe:
Dark Energy : 70%
Dark Matter : 25%
Free Hydrogen and Helium : 4%
Stars : 0.5%
Neutrinos : 0.3%
Heavy Elements : 0.03%
Here's a pic to help:
You'll probably notice that these %'s don't add up to 100%. However, I fully trust this reliable source and this is the FACT.
Current composition of the Universe:
Dark Energy : 70%
Dark Matter : 25%
Free Hydrogen and Helium : 4%
Stars : 0.5%
Neutrinos : 0.3%
Heavy Elements : 0.03%
Here's a pic to help:
You'll probably notice that these %'s don't add up to 100%. However, I fully trust this reliable source and this is the FACT.
THE BIG BANG
Not quite the big bang - more like the BIG EXPANSION.
If all the numerical aspects of this seem a bit much, then PLEASE READ the end of this blog as I will summarise everything, thanks.
The theory about the origin of the Universe has been debated and debated over and over again. Today we have a team of scientists plugging away at the LHC in Geneva, trying to find particles such as the HIGGS BOSON that will establish how our Universe went from a SINGULARITY to all that you see around you.
The Big Bang was not an explosion of space but an EXPANSION of spac, which happened everywhere. Quite possibly a slight imperfection within the singularity would cause this expansion, kind of like order out of disorder.
The Big Bang is split into eras which are more like time scales, periods in which change was occurring. I think it only idealistic to begin with the beginning!
The Planck Era: 10-43 seconds
No-one as of yet truly knows what could have happened during this period.
Max Planck was a very renowned physicist, his surname is attached to many types of measurement, in fact usually it's attached to the shortest possible distance/time/length. It is often referred to as the "smallest possible amount worth measuring".
The Inflation Era: -10-35 seconds - a hundred-billionth of a second!
Diameter of Universe:
It is believed that at the end of this period, GRAVITY split from the other forces of nature, followed by the STRONG nuclear force. It is widely accepted that this event triggered INFLATION - a short but rapid expansion. If INFLATION did occur, it helps to explain why the Universe seems so smooth and flat. During inflation, a fantastic amount of mass-energy came into existence, in tandem with an equal but negative amount of gravitational energy. By the end of inflation, matter had begun to appear.
The Quark Era: 10-32 seconds
Diameter of Universe: 10m
Temperature:1,000 trillion trillion °C
Sometimes called the elctroweak era, this period saw vast numbers of quark and antiquark pairs forming from energy and then annihilating back to energy. Gluons and other more exotic particles appeared.
Separation of the electroweak force: 10 seconds
Diameter of Universe:1 billion km/620 million miles
Temperature: 1,000 trillion °C
Near the end of the quark era, the electroweak force separated into the elctromagnetic force and the weak interaction. From then on, the forces of nature and physical laws were as they are now experienced.
Hadron Era: 10-6 seconds
Diameter of Universe: 60 billion miles
Temperture: 10 trillion °C
Around the beginning of this era, quarks and antiquarks began combining to form particles called hadrons. These included baryons (protons and neutrons), antibaryons and mesons.
Lepton Era: 10-3 seconds
Diameter of Universe: 600 billion miles
Temperature: 1,000 billion °C
Leptons are - electrons, neutrinos and their antiparticles. The Leptons were very numerous. By the end of this period, the electrons annihilated with positrons (antielectrons).
Nucleosynthesis Era: 1 second
Diamter of Universe: 5.88 trillion miles/10 light-years
Temperature: 10 billion °C
Neutrons gradually converted into protons as the Universe cooled and slowed down. However, when there was about one neutron for every seven protons, most remaining neutrons combined with protons to make Helium nuclei, each with 2 protons and 2 neutrons.
Opaque Era: 200 seconds
Diameter of Universe: 6,000 light-years/
Temperature: 100 million °C
During this relatively lengthy era, the ocean of matter particles (comprising mainly protons, electrons and helium nuclei) were in a continual state of interaction with photons (radiant energy), this would make the then Universe appear "foggy".
Balance of Elements:
This is the 2nd part of the opaque era. Here, many more free photons existed than helium nuclei, or other atomic nuclei. The scene was set for the first atoms to form. When they did, about 9 Hydrogen atoms were made for each Helium atom. A few Lithium and Deuterium (heavy Hydrogen) atoms also formed.
Matter Era: 300,000 years - present day
Diameter of Universe: 100 million light-years
Temperature: 2,700 °C
At the start of our present era, photons were free to travel through the Universe. Most electrons were bound to atoms until the first stars formed and gave us the PLASMA state of matter and NUCLEAR FUSION - the building of the heavier elements.
Trends of the timeline:
Evidence for the Big Bang:
If you look at everything in the Universe, all the matter is moving away from each other. So surely, you could rewind and bring everything back together. Light is the biggest indication of an expanding Universe - we call that REDSHIFT - I'll BLOG about that soon. A cool easy way to show Redshift and the idea that if something is moving away from you, the wavelength of visible light that it emits gets longer is this: get a balloon that isn't inflated, draw a wavelength on it, any will do. Now inflate the balloon, as it INFLATES the WAVELENGTH gets longer.
Hard to believe that everything you can see is from the something the size of a Proton eh? I find it hard to believe too but it seems the only feasible possibility.
The temperature was so high in the beginning that quarks were able to be formed into protons and neutrons, which is great to understand as it makes sense that protons and neutrons are no longer "made" anywhere in the universe. Plus the fact that an Atom is 99.99999% empty space means that every atom could be so tightly packed together.
A random fact to put in here is that the entire human race could fit inside the volume of a sugar cube if it were possible to compact atoms.
The Big Crunch:
What happens when all the stars have burnt their fuel and there's no more Hydrogen to be used? The Universe will become cold, dark and lifeless.......
I personally think that Gravity will step in because as long as there is matter, Gravity will have a say in what happens next. Although Gravity is weak it has an INFINITE range and that gives it the edge. I think Gravity will overcome anything and bring every atom back to the beginning. Remember Gravity is all about attraction of masses, the more mass Gravity brings together, the greater the Gravity of that mass. Think of it as the snowball effect. Once it starts, it will be difficult to stop. Then maybe the Universe will start again?!
Thanks.
Much love, Adam XX :-)
If all the numerical aspects of this seem a bit much, then PLEASE READ the end of this blog as I will summarise everything, thanks.
The theory about the origin of the Universe has been debated and debated over and over again. Today we have a team of scientists plugging away at the LHC in Geneva, trying to find particles such as the HIGGS BOSON that will establish how our Universe went from a SINGULARITY to all that you see around you.
The Big Bang was not an explosion of space but an EXPANSION of spac, which happened everywhere. Quite possibly a slight imperfection within the singularity would cause this expansion, kind of like order out of disorder.
The Big Bang is split into eras which are more like time scales, periods in which change was occurring. I think it only idealistic to begin with the beginning!
The Planck Era: 10-43 seconds
No-one as of yet truly knows what could have happened during this period.
Max Planck was a very renowned physicist, his surname is attached to many types of measurement, in fact usually it's attached to the shortest possible distance/time/length. It is often referred to as the "smallest possible amount worth measuring".
The Inflation Era: -10-35 seconds - a hundred-billionth of a second!
Diameter of Universe:
10‑26 m
Temperature: 1,000 trillion trillion °CIt is believed that at the end of this period, GRAVITY split from the other forces of nature, followed by the STRONG nuclear force. It is widely accepted that this event triggered INFLATION - a short but rapid expansion. If INFLATION did occur, it helps to explain why the Universe seems so smooth and flat. During inflation, a fantastic amount of mass-energy came into existence, in tandem with an equal but negative amount of gravitational energy. By the end of inflation, matter had begun to appear.
The Quark Era: 10-32 seconds
Diameter of Universe: 10m
Temperature:1,000 trillion trillion °C
Sometimes called the elctroweak era, this period saw vast numbers of quark and antiquark pairs forming from energy and then annihilating back to energy. Gluons and other more exotic particles appeared.
Separation of the electroweak force: 10 seconds
Diameter of Universe:1 billion km/620 million miles
Temperature: 1,000 trillion °C
Near the end of the quark era, the electroweak force separated into the elctromagnetic force and the weak interaction. From then on, the forces of nature and physical laws were as they are now experienced.
Hadron Era: 10-6 seconds
Diameter of Universe: 60 billion miles
Temperture: 10 trillion °C
Around the beginning of this era, quarks and antiquarks began combining to form particles called hadrons. These included baryons (protons and neutrons), antibaryons and mesons.
Lepton Era: 10-3 seconds
Diameter of Universe: 600 billion miles
Temperature: 1,000 billion °C
Leptons are - electrons, neutrinos and their antiparticles. The Leptons were very numerous. By the end of this period, the electrons annihilated with positrons (antielectrons).
Nucleosynthesis Era: 1 second
Diamter of Universe: 5.88 trillion miles/10 light-years
Temperature: 10 billion °C
Neutrons gradually converted into protons as the Universe cooled and slowed down. However, when there was about one neutron for every seven protons, most remaining neutrons combined with protons to make Helium nuclei, each with 2 protons and 2 neutrons.
Opaque Era: 200 seconds
Diameter of Universe: 6,000 light-years/
Temperature: 100 million °C
During this relatively lengthy era, the ocean of matter particles (comprising mainly protons, electrons and helium nuclei) were in a continual state of interaction with photons (radiant energy), this would make the then Universe appear "foggy".
Balance of Elements:
This is the 2nd part of the opaque era. Here, many more free photons existed than helium nuclei, or other atomic nuclei. The scene was set for the first atoms to form. When they did, about 9 Hydrogen atoms were made for each Helium atom. A few Lithium and Deuterium (heavy Hydrogen) atoms also formed.
Matter Era: 300,000 years - present day
Diameter of Universe: 100 million light-years
Temperature: 2,700 °C
At the start of our present era, photons were free to travel through the Universe. Most electrons were bound to atoms until the first stars formed and gave us the PLASMA state of matter and NUCLEAR FUSION - the building of the heavier elements.
Trends of the timeline:
- The Universe is getting bigger at each phase and is STILL expanding today
- The Universe is getting cooler at each phase and MAY still be cooling today
- TIME is the fourth-dimension and there is no stopping it - often referred to as the "Arrow of Time" - it has take a very long time for the Universe to get to where we are today (13.75 billion years!).
Evidence for the Big Bang:
If you look at everything in the Universe, all the matter is moving away from each other. So surely, you could rewind and bring everything back together. Light is the biggest indication of an expanding Universe - we call that REDSHIFT - I'll BLOG about that soon. A cool easy way to show Redshift and the idea that if something is moving away from you, the wavelength of visible light that it emits gets longer is this: get a balloon that isn't inflated, draw a wavelength on it, any will do. Now inflate the balloon, as it INFLATES the WAVELENGTH gets longer.
Hard to believe that everything you can see is from the something the size of a Proton eh? I find it hard to believe too but it seems the only feasible possibility.
The temperature was so high in the beginning that quarks were able to be formed into protons and neutrons, which is great to understand as it makes sense that protons and neutrons are no longer "made" anywhere in the universe. Plus the fact that an Atom is 99.99999% empty space means that every atom could be so tightly packed together.
A random fact to put in here is that the entire human race could fit inside the volume of a sugar cube if it were possible to compact atoms.
The Big Crunch:
What happens when all the stars have burnt their fuel and there's no more Hydrogen to be used? The Universe will become cold, dark and lifeless.......
I personally think that Gravity will step in because as long as there is matter, Gravity will have a say in what happens next. Although Gravity is weak it has an INFINITE range and that gives it the edge. I think Gravity will overcome anything and bring every atom back to the beginning. Remember Gravity is all about attraction of masses, the more mass Gravity brings together, the greater the Gravity of that mass. Think of it as the snowball effect. Once it starts, it will be difficult to stop. Then maybe the Universe will start again?!
Thanks.
Much love, Adam XX :-)
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