Wednesday, 10 June 2009

Here's a documentary that the BBC did on Albert Einstein

Saturday, 23 May 2009

Particle Physics Part 2 This article follows up from my previous introductory article on Particle Physics. In this, I will write about Fermions and Bosons, expand on the information that I gave in An introduction to Particle Physics about Quarks and Leptons and I will also touch upon how Albert Einstein made significant contributions to Physics. To begin with however, I will write about Fermions and Bosons. Physicists believe that all things are either a Fermion or a Boson. Fermions are particles that can't occupy the same space at one time which is why we can't walk through walls as we're made up of fermions. Bosons how ever, are forces (gravity, electromagnetism etc. etc.) which can occupy the same space at one time. For instance, gravity affects everything on Earth and electromagnetism is still present in on Earth as well. But now back to the fundamental particles. As far as we know, there are 12 fundamental particles (24 if you include anti-particles.)But it is at CERN where the Large Hadron Collider (the largest particle accelerator in the world) is trying to find some more particles. By smashing the quarks together, they may brake down into smaller particles. This is an example of an accelerator. However, there is no point in doing this if you can't see the particles which are created. Detectors do this. Although we can't actually see a particle, these detectors pick up on the tracks they leave behind after the collision and where they have travelled. Tiny details like these can piece together what happened during the collision. Finally, I will end with Albert Einstein - the greatest scientist in the history of mankind. To begin with, you must know that Einstein was very religious. He believed that God had created a universe where everything had an answer. With his General Theory of Relativity, Einstein had (accidentally) created a new field of Physics, Quantum Mechanics. However, Einstein hated the Quantum Theory as it was based on probability which Einstein didn't believe in. This led to a debate which lasted for years with Niels Bohr - another brilliant scientist who led Quantum Mechanics of that time. Einstein's achievements include: - Special Relativity (which states that the speed of light is always constant and that everything else depends on the speed that you are travelling.) - General Relativity (his theory on gravity which made him a celebrity) - The Theory of Everything (which he never completed. He was trying to discover an equation which would prove that everything was predictable (as goes with his religious belief that everything had an answer) and that Quantum Mechanics was wrong.) - His nobel prize for his contributions to Physics and for his photoelectric effect (the idea that photons(light) could also be particles as well as waves.)

Saturday, 11 April 2009

Introduction to Particle Physics Particle Physics is a branch of physics that studies the fundamental constitutes of matter and energy. The fundamental constitutes of our universe (as far as we know) are 12 particles that can't be broken down any further. These particles and the four fundamental forces, come together to create what we call "The Standard Model." Before we look at the Standard Model however, I should explain in greater depth what the fundamental particles are. They consist of 6 so-called leptons and 6 so-called quarks. But to explain these, I must explain how the atom is structured. An atom consists of a nucleus which in it has electrically charged protons and neutral neutrons. Both these sub-atomic particles are made of up and down quarks.Then there are electrons that orbit the nucleus. These leptons are tiny compared with quarks. Then there are the four fundamental forces. These are Gravity (one you probably already know about), Electromagnetism (which affects the electrically charged subatomic particles), Strong Force (which acts like an elastic band upon the protons and the neutrons), and Weak Force (which is responsible for radioactivity.) The Standard Model shows the fundamental particles and which forces affect them (Look Right) As you can see, the Weak Force affects all the particles, the Strong Force affects all the quarks and Electromagnetism affects half of the Leptons (including the Electron) and all the quarks. It is because of the strong force affecting the quarks that we have a nucleus in our atoms. So this concludes my introduction to Particle Physics. Soon, I will be following this up with a "Particle Physics continued" post.

Friday, 10 April 2009

A Brief Bio of Niels Bohr By Cameron Webb He was born the son of a University professor, won the Nobel Prize in Physics, worked with Einstein and had a son who would also go on to win the Nobel Prize - his name was Niels Bohr. In 1885, Niels Bohr was born to a professor named Christian Bohr in Copenhagen. It was his father that would go on to nourish his interest in Physics. From an early age, Bohr loved Physics. In 1909, he gained a masters degree in Physics and two years latter he earned his Ph.D. Ten years later, after becoming a professor at the Copenhagen, he was allowed to set up the Institute of Theoretical Physics with the assistance of the Danish Government. It was this and his research in "...the investigation of the structure of atoms and of the radiation emanating from them," that earned him his Nobel prize in 1922. During his time at the Uni of Copenhagen, he became best friends with Albert Einstein. They both wanted to solve the mystery of the Universe and were constantly giving each other "problems" to solve. These became known as the "Bohr-Einstein Debates." It was these debates that led to Bohr publishing the "Copenhagen Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics," that explained things like wave functions (see my article on Parallel Universes.) Even in the Manhattan Project (the project that developed the first atomic bomb) Einstein and Bohr were working together. Einstein had been sent in to exile at the start of Hitler's reign. He then moved to America and told the Americans that Germany were developing an atomic bomb. It was his warning that allowed Winston Churchill to make an informed decision during the operation that prevented the Nazi's from finishing their atomic bomb and that pointed out how essential it was to develop the bomb first. During the project both Einstein and Bohr were directly involved in the production. As well as these incredible contributions, he also was the father of another Nobel Prize winner - Aage Niels Bohr. If this wasn't enough, he spent the final years of his life towards research in molecular biology.