Topic 5: History of Mass and Density
Einstein's contribution to our understanding of mass was undoubtedly significant, I believe that his ultimate goal was not to create a weapon of mass destruction but to create a deeper understanding of human perception of nature. Einstein's discovery was in many ways good and bad at the same time. For example,the nuclear reactor helped to generate energy to feed our ever growing need of electricity but this source of energy also proved to be a unstable one as proven in Japan in 2011 during the tsunami which damaged the nuclear reactors which caused huge amounts of radiation to leak out and many living in the surrounding area were displaced. Another example was the development and deployment of the atomic bomb in World War 2 which was highly controversial for some said it was a fast and effective way to end the war but others questioned the huge number of lives lost was worth it and if there was a way of ending the war without sacrificing countless lives if we were more patient. Einstein really helped us in our advancement in technology.
Topic 6: 4th and 5th states of matter
Plasma
Who: The existence of plasma was first discovered by Sir William Crookes using an assembly that is today known as a “Crookes tube”, an experimental electrical discharge tube in which air is ionized by the application of a high voltage through a voltage coil.
What: Lightning and electric sparks are everyday examples of phenomena made from plasma. Neon lights could more accurately be called "plasma lights", as the light comes from the plasma inside of them. A plasma globe, illustrates some of the more complex phenomena of a plasma, including filamentation. The colors are a result of relaxation of electrons in excited states to lower energy states after they have recombined with ions. These processes emit light in a spectrum characteristic of the gas being excited
When:1879
Where: Britain
Why: discovered by chance
How: Crookes tube
Bose Einstein Condensate
Who: This state of matter was first predicted, generally, by Satyendra Nath Bose and Albert Einstein
What: A Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) is a state of matter of a dilute gas of bosons cooled to temperatures very close to absolute zero (that is, very near 0 K or −273.15 °C). Under such conditions, a large fraction of the bosons occupy the lowest quantum state, at which point quantum effects become apparent on a macroscopic scale. These effects are called macroscopic quantum phenomenon.
When: 1924-1925
Where
Why:
How: In 1995 the first gaseous condensate was produced by Eric Cornell and Carl Weiman at the University of Colorado lab, using a gas of rubidium atoms cooled to 170 nano kelvin (nK) (1.7×10−7 K).
B: Critical Reviews
The shocking truth about electric fish: Genomic basis for the convergent evolution of electric organs
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/06/140626141652.htm
This article is about a scientist identifying the regulatory molecules involved in the genetic and developmental pathways that electric fish have used to convert a simple muscle into an organ capable of generating a potent electrical field.
This article describes the inner workings of the glans which allows it to generate a potent electrical field.
I think that this discovery will benefit humankind to help invent new technology that will make our lives better.
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