Archive for the 'Science' CategoryPage 2 of 3

Ruben’s Tube – A Visual Sound Wave

Published
by
Ray Fowler
on May 22, 2008
in Science
. 3 Comments

    Ruben’s Tube

My son is taking physics this year, and we came across these neat video demonstrations of the Ruben’s Tube, also known as the Standing Wave Flame Tube. The first Rubens tube was created in 1904 by German physicist Heinrich Rubens. Rubens drilled 200 small holes at 2 centimeter intervals into a 4-meter-long tube and filled it with a flammable gas. After lighting the gas, he noted that a sound produced at one end of the tube created a standing wave the same wavelength as the sound being made.

Seeing we couldn’t do this experiment ourselves safely at home, these videos were the next best thing. Enjoy!

Here is one from Flash Forward (video length: 2:48):

 
And here is one from Mythbusters (video length: 1:57):

Ben Stein Expelled Roundup

Published
by
Ray Fowler
on April 19, 2008
in Movies and Science
. 12 Comments

Updated with new links:

Ben Stein’s new movie, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, came out this weekend, and the reviews are all over the map. Here is a roundup of links both positive and negative, and somewhere in between!

The Good:

The Bad:

The Ugly:

Have you seen the movie? What did you think?

Albert Einstein on the Evidence of a Creator

Published
by
Ray Fowler
on January 17, 2008
in Creation, Quotes and Science
. 0 Comments

Albert Einstein’s response when asked by an interviewer if he was an atheist:

Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955)“I’m not an atheist. The problem involved is too vast for our limited minds. We are in the position of a little child entering a huge library filled with books in many languages. The child knows someone must have written those books. It does not know how. It does not understand the languages in which they are written. The child dimly suspects a mysterious order in the arrangement of the books but doesn’t know what it is. That, it seems to me, is the attitude of even the most intelligent human being toward God. We see the universe marvelously arranged and obeying certain laws but only dimly understand these laws.” (First published as “What Life Means to Einstein,” Saturday Evening Post, October 26, 1929. Quoted in Walter Isaacson, Einstein: His Life and Universe; New York: Simon & Schuster, 2007, p. 386.)

Source: Kairos Journal (subscription required)

At Least It’s Not Condition 1 Weather!

Published
by
Ray Fowler
on December 13, 2007
in Personal, Science and Video
. 10 Comments

I live in New England where we are expecting our first major snow storm of the season — 6 to 10 inches of the heavy, white sticky stuff coming our way this afternoon. Today as I am shoveling and throughout the winter, I will just keep reminding myself, “At least it’s not Condition 1 Weather!”

What is Condition 1 Weather, you ask? Just take a look at this video of a weather station in Antarctica.

(Video length: 1:03)

Official Definitions:

  • Condition ONE – any one of the following is true:
    • Wind speed greater than 55 knots
    • Visibility less than 100 feet
    • Wind-chill worse than -100F
  • Condition TWO – any one of the following is true:
    • Wind speed between 48 and 55 knots
    • Visibility better than 100 feet but less than 1/4 mile
    • Wind-chill between -70F and -100F
  • Condition THREE – anything that is better than Condition TWO.
    • Condition THREE means normal, good weather!

Related posts:

HT: Presurfer

The Inner Life of a Cell

Published
by
Ray Fowler
on October 31, 2007
in Science and Video
. 0 Comments

Here is a fascinating video called The Inner Life of a Cell. (This is the shorter version with accompanying music. There is also a longer version available with narration.) I first saw this video about a year ago and was glad to find it on the Internet again.

(Video length: 3:09)

The animation was produced by BioVisions at Harvard University. BioVisions is based on a collaborative community of Harvard scientists, teaching faculty, students, and multimedia professionals. It is directed by Dr. Robert A. Lue, who founded BioVisions with support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Harvard University.

The potential of multimedia in the area of biology education has yet to be fulfilled. Indeed, multimedia as a means of imparting biological information is years behind its use in other areas such as entertainment. BioVisions is meant to close this gap by combining the highest quality multimedia development with rigorous scientific models of how biological processes occur.

You can find more information about the project at Studio Daily.

HT: The Presurfer (which has the longer version with narration)

Dynamic Periodic Table of Elements

Published
by
Ray Fowler
on October 15, 2007
in Science
. 0 Comments

If you are taking chemistry (like my son is), then you may find the Dynamic Periodic Table of Elements interesting. It is an interactive table with many helpful features.

HT: Evangelical Outpost

10 Worst Disasters of the Century

Published
by
Ray Fowler
on August 3, 2007
in History and Science
. 2 Comments

Popular Mechanics lists the 10 worst disasters of the century (occurring in the United States):

Continue reading ‘10 Worst Disasters of the Century’

God, Quantum Mechanics, and Chaos Theory

Published
by
Ray Fowler
on June 28, 2007
in God and Science
. 9 Comments

Mr. Dawntreader has another excellent post today in his series of articles on the book, Science & Faith: Friends or Foes? by Dr. C. John Collins.

Whereas quantum mechanics and chaos theory both suggest randomness in the world, the Bible reveals a sovereign God who is in control of the universe. So how does one reconcile the findings of quantum mechanics and chaos theory with a sovereign God?

My own hunch – and it is not much stronger than that – is that quantum mechanics is a model, and that it shows what the world acts like at its lowest level; but that we may well have reached the limits of our ability to know things with more precision than quantum mechanics allows.

But in any case quantum mechanics in itself . . . does not undermine the traditional Christian picture of the world with knowable natural properties behaving in a predictable and understandable way, under the rule of a wise and holy Creator. This is true for at least two reasons.

First, however spooky quantum theory may sound, it is highly mathematical: and this shows that the world is still intelligible, since that is just what mathematics is for.

Second, we experience the world at a much larger scale than the one quantum mechanics describes. And at this level, “ordinary physics” – Newton’s laws and all that – describes everything quite well. So we experience the world at a level that combines the tiny quantum effects, and all the goofiness gets washed out. (Collins, Science & Faith, p.223)

Mr. Dawntreader then goes on to discuss chaos theory using weather as an example.

It is terribly difficult to predict weather. There are simply too many factors. The initial condition is far to difficult to measure. The output is nonlinear. Weather is therefore a chaotic system. Hence we use predictions based on probability instead of knowing exactly what will happen based on natural laws.

Does this undermine a biblical worldview?

Hardly. This is nothing more than a math problem that is too difficult for us to solve at present. Nothing more, nothing less. If we could precisely measure the initial conditions and every single factor, we could precisely say what tomorrow’s weather would be.

In conclusion, neither quantum theory or chaos theory presents a serious challenge to a biblical worldview.

I encourage you to read the full article at the Dawn Treader site.

Related post: God’s Providence and Scientific Investigation

God’s Providence and Scientific Investigation

Published
by
Ray Fowler
on June 25, 2007
in Faith, God and Science
. 5 Comments

I am enjoying reading Mr. Dawntreader’s articles on the book, Science & Faith: Friends or Foes? by Dr. C. John Collins. Dr. Collins is an Old Testament professor at Covenant Theological Seminary. He has his undergraduate and first graduate degrees in engineering from MIT, and a Ph.D. in lingusitics from the university of Liverpool. He is also an expert in Hebrew.

I especially liked this article on the topic of God’s involvement in this world and its effect on science.

In theological terms, this falls in the area of study called providence. How involved is God in the natural world? If he is heavily involved, does it make the study of science pointless?

Collins unpacks God’s involvement in the world by stating the classic Christian understanding of God’s providence. God created real things with real properties (i.e. natures) each with the possibility of causing things. God ceased creating but goes on maintaining and governing. That is, he keeps his creation doing what it is supposed to be doing …

This raises a question. Does God do everything?

In a sense, yes. In a sense, no. God directly governs this world. His purposes are holy, wise and thoroughly good; and he sees to it, that in the end, his purposes stand. The reason the laws of physics work is because God keeps them working day after day. They serve his purpose. So God is directly involved in all of creation daily. However, God created a universe with a web of cause and effect and things that have natures … and one of the properties of those natures is to cause things. In that sense, God did not write this blog post. Mr. Dawntreader did …

Is it still possible for Christians to study and learn about the natural world if God is so involved in it? Of course it is, and we should learn as much as we can. In fact, it is because God sustains this world and gives it order that forms the basis and foundation for studying it.

I encourage you to visit the Dawn Treader site to read the full article, plus the earlier articles on the book as well. This looks like an excellent book on science and faith, and I have added it to my “books to read” list.

Related post: The Bible is to Theology as Creation is to Science

Creating Embryonic Stem Cells from Skin Cells

Published
by
Ray Fowler
on June 11, 2007
in Abortion and Science
. 0 Comments

The New York Times reported last week on some hopeful advances in the whole area of embryonic stem cell research.

The advance is an easy-to-use technique for reprogramming a skin cell of a mouse back to the embryonic state. Embryonic cells can be induced in the laboratory to develop into many of the body’s major tissues.

If the technique can be adapted to human cells, researchers could use a patient’s skin cells to generate new heart, liver or kidney cells that might be transplantable and would not be rejected by the patient’s immune system …

The technique, if adaptable to human cells … would not involve the expensive and controversial use of human eggs, and should avoid all or almost all of the ethical criticism directed at the use of embryonic stem cells.

This seems to me like the best of both worlds – the benefits of embryonic stem cells without the destruction of human embryos. This would allow for medical research to continue while preserving the sanctity of human life in the womb.

Can a marching band make a bridge collapse?

Published
by
Ray Fowler
on May 17, 2007
in Fun, Science and Video
. 2 Comments

Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapsing
  (Tacoma Narrows Bridge – video below)

My three sons and I were talking about this the other day. I was explaining to them how a marching band can potentially set up a standing wave in a bridge setting up a feedback loop in the bridge’s construction eventually causing it to collapse. (Who says physics can’t be fun?)

There are historical examples where this has actually happened. In 1831 cavalry troops marched in step over a suspension bridge near Manchester, England causing the bridge to collapse. In 1850 the Angers Bridge in France collapsed when 478 soldiers marched across it in lockstep. Because of instances like these, groups marching in formation are now instructed to break step when crossing bridges.

So what is the science behind all this? Here is an answer from the physics department at the University of Wisconsin-Stout.

When troopers march in cadence across a bridge, the marching may match a natural resonance frequency of the bridge. Although only a small amount of energy is added with each step, because of the resonance effect this energy will be stored. As a result, the bridge will cumulatively absorb energy from the marching men, increasing the oscillation amplitude in the bridge (just as pushing someone on a swing, in cadence, increase the amplitude of the swing). Enough energy may be added this way to damage or destroy the bridge. (from: How to Cross a Bridge)

The Tacoma Narrows Bridge over Puget Sound in Washington is a famous example of a bridge that was destroyed by resonance vibrations. The original Tacoma Narrows Bridge, also known as “Galloping Gertie,” was a concrete and steel suspension bridge. It was the third longest span bridge in the world when it was built. Construction on the bridge began in 1939, and the bridge was put into service on July 1, 1940. Just four months later, on November 7, 1940, the bridge was destroyed by resonance vibrations set up by winds acting on the bridge. The bridge that had taken a year to build was destroyed in a matter of hours.

Here is actual video footage from 1940 of the bridge’s vibrations and eventual collapse. I remember seeing the footage of this concrete bridge bouncing up and down like a piece of rubber back in high school, and it was fun to find it online again. (Click below for video.)

Continue reading ‘Can a marching band make a bridge collapse?’

Wikisky – Fun with Stars

Published
by
Ray Fowler
on April 5, 2007
in Science and Space
. 1 Comment

My Dad is an avid astronomer. In fact I grew up with a planetarium and observatory in the back yard complete with high power telescope. Dad still has the observatory and telescope, but had to give up the planetarium when he and Mom moved a number of years ago. I have great memories of looking up through Dad’s telescope as a child at the craters of the moon or the rings of Saturn or far away star clusters in the sky. My only regret is that I did not spend more time using this incredible resource in my own back yard.

Wikisky Browser

So I was excited to see this neat online site called Wikisky. This is like a Google Earth for outer space. It looks like an updated version of an old software program I used to have for the kids but has now been made available online. You can pan across the night sky, zoom in on different objects, or view the stars above a given location at a certain time. You can turn on constellation overlays or hover over a particular star to get information such as name, distance, magnitude and constellation. You can even switch from normal browsing mode to SDSS mode (Sloan Digital Sky Survey) to see actual photographs of the sky while you browse.

If you have any interest in astronomy I encourage you to check this site out. Parents, this is a great site for your kids, too.

HT: Lifehacker