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Satire on DEI
(Not Fake News) Though we often disagree strenuously, I thank Ron, my third cousin – twice removed, for allowing me to post on his blog. We try to maintain civility in the family…. The issue is DEI, diversity, equity, and inclusion. I’ll start with equity. Now I maintain with some backup of well-known historians that Thomas Jefferson had been…
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Science Lesson on Autocratic Rule
There is an immutable law in physics, the second law of thermodynamics, that any isolated system not receiving the input of energy (work) from the outside will tend toward states of greater disorder. Examining human history, one might suspect another immutable law: that societies will progress to autocratic rule if there is no effort (work)…
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Pharmacology today and in ancient natural medicine
This essay illustrates the discovery of a few drugs from the hundreds used today. Some emerged from laboratory studies while others progressed from traditional ancient remedies to modern pharmaceuticals. From these many therapeutics, seven are described: artemisinin, a modern treatment for malaria; quinine, another malarial treatment; digitalis, for congestive heart disease; statins, for high cholesterol…
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Motivations and Reactions in Human Behavior
When I began this science blog, the goal was to highlight historical figures who had contributed significantly to the physical sciences. The subject matter of the resulting essays spanned up to, and included, the mid-20th century, coinciding in time with the end of my formal education in physics. Recently, I began pondering motivations of these…
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How do we place ourselves in the universe?
During our lifetimes, NASA has deployed exceptionally powerful astronomical instruments, such as the Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). These instruments are designed to examine extremely distant celestial objects. The Hubble telescope operates within the visible spectrum of light, whereas the JWST uses the infrared spectrum; sophisticated equipment is necessary to…
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Basic Physiology for High School Students
Organ Systems Physiology pertains to the study of biological functions. To facilitate the comprehension of physiology, it is often beneficial to initially categorize the subject into organ systems. This method of categorization proves useful across various scientific disciplines that students may encounter during their high school and college education. After segmenting into organ systems, it…
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Where Physics and Biology Intersect
Life and the Second Law of Thermodynamics Life is orderly, contrasting the second law of thermodynamics, which states that systems naturally become more disordered over time. A few examples of the second law are that sandcastles erode, leaves scatter, perfume evaporates, a cup of coffee and the universe cool. Despite this law, living organisms maintain…
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VI. Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity: History and Mathematics
A Basic Introduction to the Gravitational Field Equation One learns in elementary physics that g represents the acceleration of gravity having units of distance/(time)2 and that E represents the electric field having units of Newtons/Coulomb. We may not have appreciated when first encountering these two important vectors that the mathematical fields associated with them take identical forms, and that they…
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II. Angles and their role in Special Relativity
Introduction Right angles help define the space around us. In addition to their usefulness for local space, right angles are necessary for understanding “inertial reference frames” used in Einstein’s theory of special (and general) relativity. Four thousand years before Einstein, the Egyptians knew how to use geometry and four equally spaced right (90˚) angles for…
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Science Essays for College Students 