#ESP2017SixEZ

[sheepandsnowflakes-blog]

Six Easy Pieces-LP

After reading Six Easy Pieces: Essentials of Physics Explained by Its Most Brilliant Teacher, I have learned a variety of new theories and processes of which interest me.  Of the reading, the section which I am most compelled to is near the beginning, page two to be exact, where the author explains that the laws of physics cannot merely be comprehended easily, for it is still being explored today.  I am intrigued by Feynman’s explanation of learning physics as he states, “We can only do it piece by piece” (2).  This statement is particularly interesting to me, as it leads me to construe the notion that the laws of physics, and science in general, are much like the pieces of a puzzle.  This thought appeals to me as it implies that one’s education does not stop after one class or even years of schooling, but rather, such concepts are built upon and explored deeper, expanding and constructing the puzzle, with the common goal of seeing the bigger picture.  This is both motivational and exciting, as one can never learn too much, as new content is always being discovered, yet each seed of knowledge which is mastered adds another piece to their puzzle.  This idea is by far my favorite portion of the reading because it almost places everyone on the same playing field.  By stating that physics and science are still being explored, it shows that no person has complete comprehension of all of the various laws and facts of physics, there is no genius who has learned it all.  This puts everyone in the same boat, as everyone is still learning the principles of physics, everyone is a student to one degree or another.  I find this inspiring because we can strive to increase knowledge and understanding of the subject and cannot reach a maximum intake of content, there is always something new to learn.  Surely there are varying levels of knowledge, as a grade school student and a college graduate have different insights of science and physics, but they are both still learning and expanding their views, neither can reach a level of perfection in their learning and be done, there are always new areas to study.  This is inspiring to me because while there are great minds such as Einstein and Newton, but even they did not complete their studies and reach maximum levels of knowledge, they still had more to learn.  While one person’s puzzle may be more complete than another’s, everyone is still working to complete theirs, and we can only attempt to complete them piece by piece.  For these reasons, I have chosen this section on page two as my favorite part of the literature.

[mmilk-money]

Reflection #1

To write this reflection, I’ve taken the approach that the excerpt itself has provided for learning new material. This I have also condensed into the mnemonic “King Arthur Fosters Camelot” (which will probably not be useful in completing any mathematical calculations), for taking what is Known now, how Accurate it is, how it Fits into everything now, and how it may be Changed when we learn more. It’s a solid manner of thinking that prevents uninformed readers from becoming gullible when an expert states a statement and then form logical conclusions of their own.

I remind myself that the fabulous King Arthur fosters the fantasy kingdom of Camelot while reading the “be-all end-all” statement that contains the single (supposedly) largest unit of scientific information in the least amount of words: the atomic hypothesis. Author Richard P. Feynmen states it as thus:

All things are made of atoms–little particles that move around in perpetual motion, attracting each other when they are a little distance apart, but repelling upon being squeezed into one another.

I agree that this statement contains a lot of information which can only be weaned out by a lot of imagination and thinking. I had already known about the attracting and repelling forces of atoms as well as the fact that atoms are vibrating in place for the basic eternity. The sentence accurately describes the motion of attracting and repelling along with the basic jiggling. But does it really fit everything that is said in the passage?

The skepticism arise out of the particular section describing pressure and how that changes the motions of atoms. Pressure is the force of an object that pushes “back” on an atom when it collides with the said object, such as a wall, to remain stationary. That force (pressure) causes the atom to shoot back with greater speed in the opposite direction than which it arrived with. At the root, one could say that the atoms of the object are pushing back on the atoms colliding within it to create pressure, thus defining pressure as a form of atomic repulsion. But the text does not seem to mention the atoms in the piston, but only refers to the force of the piston. Is the descriptor “perpetual motion” enough to describe the change of an atom’s motion? Is this single sentence too broad to include the idea of pressure?

In essence, the given statement is too general to encompass the idea of pressure, evaporation, and freezing. If this were the only statement left of any scientific knowledge due to a cataclysm, future scientists could derive all these theories about pressure, evaporation, and freezing of atoms (with a ton of imagination and thinking). But simply saying that “little particles move around in perpetual motion” does not immediately bring to mind what happens when particles move faster or slower. Perhaps that sentence may need to change to be a little longer to actually contain the ideas of an atom’s change in motion, and not simply lead to those conclusions.

06/25/17

[pleasantlyhardbluebird-blog]

Six Easy Pieces

Sebel Fusi

Physics

6-25-17

Six Easy Pieces is a commentary focused on unveiling the foundational principles of scientific knowledge that humans need to understand in order to thrive. Physics, as a concept, concretely illustrates matters’ relationships and properties, and lies a foundation for many advanced analyses of science. Without this foundation, however, humans simply cannot make factual assumptions about the world around them. Thus, the author begins the commentary by theorizing what would be a single sentence left for humanity if all scientific knowledge were to be destroyed. The sentence that he would leave behind is the atomic theory, which reads: “all things are made of atoms - little particles that move around in perpetual motion, attracting each other when they are a little distance apart, but repelling upon being squeezed into one another.” This basic theory is the foundation for all matter, and can be applied to understand many situations.

The author continues with explaining the technical composition of matter using atoms, referencing their “stuck together” positions and jiggling motions. Atoms are extremely small particles packed close together due to an attraction, but will repel if they are pushed too close together. Due to the molecular attraction, the matter composed of the atoms will not fly apart. Water, for example, is composed of hydrogen and oxygen atoms, and has a constant volume. Even if water flows, the water does not break apart; the atoms just move along because of the attraction, and the volume stays the same. Now, the jiggling motions refer to the perpetual movement of the atoms within matter. This “jiggling” is what we represent as heat; if we increase the temperature of an atom, the motion of the atom increases as well.

He then goes on to talk about how gases can only be confined in a contained that is made air-tight with pressure, usually a piston or something can lock in air pressure. Using the steam as an example, if you confined it an a cylindrical container with a piston covering the top and applying pressure, the steam would be safely contained. Later, you learn that the compression of gases increases its temperature, and expansion will decrease its temperature. Atom abundance and compression are slightly coincided, for in all matter, the adding of atoms increases temperature, and the extraction of atoms decreases temperature. Much of the commentary further evaluates the chemical attributes to the compositions of elements with atoms.

Nonetheless, the key hypothesis that is trying to be conveyed is: ‘Everything is made of atoms’. All of the properties the author explains about atoms and molecules relate to humans and animals, too, not just elements on the periodic table. This is why the atomic hypothesis is so critical to scientific knowledge; you must first understand yourself to understand the world around you, and you are one of the countless things that are made of atoms on this earth.

[eccentricrubberduckyconnois-blog]

Six Easy Pieces

The first segment of Six Easy Pieces by  Richard P. Feynman discusses the methodology of teaching physics. He initiates this discussion by organizing the principles of the studies of Science into various steps and disciplines.  Humans, being observant creatures, have acquired knowledge of how the physical world functions. This bulk of knowledge has been concentrated and classified into various theories and laws, which offer a logical equation or statement to describe a recurring pattern in nature. Yet, this process is not even close to simple pattern recognition. As emerging scientists built upon the knowledge of their predecessors, they discovered gaps in the structure, obstructed by paradigms limited in their scope of how the universe truly functions. Their ability to both imagine and experiment has allowed for theories once accepted as Dogma to be invalidated. This leads to fairly simple laws- such as the invalid statement that mass is independent of speed- to lose their simplicity.

 As these more commonly observed and simple theories lose their validity at extremes, the question is then what to make of the instruction of such concepts. Feynman questions if more abstract concepts should be introduced initially instead. As a response, he offers a set of principles for the process of learning new concepts; To absorb prior knowledge, find the accuracy of its experimentation and theory, determine its fit as a subcategory of a greater field, and examine the potential for the concept to change given new knowledge and data. His guidelines are clear and direct, but traditionally, learning basic concepts and progressing upwards in complexity offers the best path of development even if the basic concepts have exceptions.

  For the following (much larger) segment of the excerpt, Feynman addresses the most fundamental concepts regarding the nature of our universe, of which encompasses all disciplines of science; the atomic hypothesis. The hypothesis is the backbone of almost every discipline; physics, chemistry, and biology are all contingent upon the structure and characteristics of the atom. He introduces the forms that the atoms take in solid, liquid, and gas. He then discusses basic laws such as the proportionality of force and area, pressure to density, and pressure to temperature. The coalescence of of atoms into crystalline structures, and the formation of molecules and compounds through chemical reactions is also discussed. Such concepts are paramount, as their principles are built upon in every field. By knowing the structure of matter, the function of cell membranes is increasingly tangible. Understanding the formation of various chemical compounds into unique structures is also dependent upon knowledge of how atoms orient themselves in relation to others.

  As atoms combine to form larger and more complex structures, a variety of these structures can be organized to form a larger and complex being. As Feynman states, humans are a pile of well placed atoms. Chemistry, Physics, and Biology all fill in the gap between humans and atoms, showing how they are all truly intertwined in the pursuit of a better understanding of ourselves and our world. Feynman uncovers a beautiful aspect of science, in that all fields are all rooted in a basic logic. Diving into abstract theories such as quantum mechanics is therefore unhelpful, as it is too specific to find underlying patterns. By starting with the fundamental nature of the building block of our world, we can apply this knowledge to increasingly complex concepts and niche fields as time goes by.

[spookymoongentlemen-blog]

Reflection 1

“The test of all knowledge is experiment. Experiment is the sole judge of scientific truth” were words that brazenly grasped my attention during this reading. These lines surprisingly reassured thoughts that I had already envisioned about science and experimentation. My aspiration to study science has always allowed me to understand how important experimentation is to ensuring the scientific process is efficient. It allows scientist to imaginatively develop reasoning behind “why, how, or when” something may occur. It also gives them an opportunity to debunk any previous scientific studies that may have seemed flawed or do not explain a situation to its full extent. This had also taught me that this extensive process of imaging is also extremely difficult in the field of physics because of the division of labor in the field. This section was most definitely my favorite because I felt connected to this part because I had previous knowledge of the experimentation process and how important it is to successfully studying science and learning the reasoning behind things in science.

  The author’s style of writing made me feel as if we were in a conversation as he posed questions and also talked directly to the audience through the use of the writing skills. The writer really makes the reader feel not as if they are reading a text book but as if they are reading a letter directly addressed to them personally. I think the author’s purpose of writing this interesting piece of literature was to educate the readers. The purpose was not only to educate them in the field of physics itself but in the wide spectrum of science and learning as a whole. The author wants the reader to walk away with knowledge in not only physics but knowledge in what it takes to learn and to fully understand physics. The writing style of the author made me think extremely hard on the questions posed in the passages and the reasoning behind things in science. His writing style taught me a lot considering I did not understand why certain things and procedures were essential in science. My school fails to teach the principles of learning science but attempt to teach strategies to passing the state implemented test required for graduation. These methods of teaching do not accurately assist us as students in learning the actual material but fail us because we do not fully understand the actual material but only why we should or should not choose a certain answer choice. After reading this material I have gained a better understanding on what learning physics actually is appose to only learning material to prepare for a test

[tenaciousblizzardtastemake-blog1]

Weekly Physics Reading Analysis: Six Easy Pieces

Reading through the journal “Six Easy Pieces” allowed me to reevaluate a lot of what I knew about the physical world. I became acquainted with unfamiliar phrases and reunited with some of which I haven’t seen since before high school. The most distinctive impression that the reading imposed on me, I have to say, was how knowledge of the physical world is evolving, and knowing that I had just absorbed just a fraction of what is “two hundred years of the most rapidly developing field of knowledge” excites me and astounds me.

Immediately, it was considered that physics, although a rapidly growing field, has a lot more knowledge to be collected, and any given period of rediscovery in this field, among many others, require a lot of evaluation, a lot of rejection, and a lot of alternations. I find it amazing that not even all of the basic laws of physics have been discovered, confirmed, set in stone; that only leads me to wonder about more advanced efforts and discoveries in physics. For example, how does the simplistic constant mass law--“mass is constant, independent of speed”-- affect how we evaluate the merciless UV-rays along the travel through its customary path towards our planet? It is made clear, however, that these basic laws are easier to relay albeit a little less interesting. I do agree that simpler methods be taught first, just as Bohr’s model was relayed to me before the Quantum Mechanics model.

Interestingly enough, we can describe our whole world, our whole universe, using just atoms. I did not come to this realization before reading the article. The Atom links and creates a relationship between two seemingly distant objects, whether biotic or abiotic, inanimate or active. I assume that all we know about physics is rooted in, or was evolved from, what we know about atoms. For instance, the scalding temperature that we feel around us can be described as the air particles becoming excited (increase in perpetual motion, as a physicist would say), something nice to think about when touching up on your basic middle school sciences. On the flip side, learning temperatures relationship to pressure, density, and volume can create a more interesting conversation, a larger array of topics and theories to delve into. One thing for sure that I found interesting that I didn’t already know was what the author called “forces of attraction” between the atoms. They don’t attract but repel. This “attraction” affects the relations among the particles of a substance and how they interact at different temperatures. After this thought came an even more intriguing analysis of molecular interaction, answering a question that I’ve been pondering over much of my life: why does metal expand when it’s hot, whereas water expands as it’s freezing. Turns out, it’s all in the crystallic pattern of an object. Most substances are tightly compacted as solids and expand as they melt because more wiggle room has just been created. Water on the other hand has holes that need to occupied, so its molecules will travel there first before venturing elsewhere.

[friedjellyfishgladiator-blog]

Six Easy Pieces

The reading, “Six Easy Pieces,” opened my eyes to the simplicity of how different types of science, including physics, biology, and chemistry, derive the standard laws. In the first part of the reading, Matter is made of atoms, Richard Feynman poses a question asking if, “only one sentence passed on to the next generation of creatures, what statement would contain the most information in the fewest words?” I thought this was a great introductory question because it prepared the reader to read further for the answer and ponder the possibilities. After I finished the reading I understood why Feynman’s response to the question was about atoms. I learned that atoms are the foundation in science and the basis to discover the rest of science. By knowing about the function and purpose of an atom, one can experiment and conclude other laws in science. For example, Feynman explains how atoms lead to the structure of molecules, compounds, and different forms of solids, liquids, and gases.

The structure of the reading included an introduction and three main chapters. I feel Feynman’s structure of the reading was easy to follow because it connected factual information about atoms to help the reader understand the connections between characteristics of atoms in matter. In addition, the reading gradually increased in difficulty of content, which allowed the reader to learn about the concepts and then how to apply them in everyday life. I found it helpful to have the diagrams throughout the reading to refer to because it helped me visualize what was being discussed in the reading. For example, I know the composition of steam is made of scattered atoms because of the hot temperatures and fast movement. I also know that ice is the opposite, with an arranged structure. However, without the 1-4 diagram to portray the structure of ice, it would have been hard for me to understand why ice shrinks when it melts. Therefore, I learned that the gaps in the structural model of ice gradually disappears as it melts because the atoms start to get closer, filling in the gaps.

Overall, I felt this reading was structured in an easy way for a beginner physicist or any other aspiring scientist to understand. I believe the author wanted the reader to walk away with giving them the backbone to science: atoms. My favorite part of the reading is at the end when Feynman poses multiple questions to lead the reader in a direction to continue thinking about other possibilities in the world.

Christal

[themostsarcasticperson-blog]

Experiment Based Knowledge

According to the reading, it states “the test of all knowledge is experiment” which is true in many different instances.  The definition of experiment is a scientific procedure undertaken to make a discovery, test a hypothesis, or demonstrate a known fact. Every day that we are alive we are putting the knowledge that we have gained to the test by experimenting. For example: all of the college graduates put their knowledge to the test through their jobs, they basically do experiments based off of their knowledge until they get it right. This is for every job not just fields in STEM. Through experimenting we find what works and what doesn’t work, which is crucial in every field.

In the reading it also stated that no experiment is wrong, there is just inaccurate knowledge within that experiment. Which is also very true, look at all of the “failed” science experiments that are done in high school and college; they are not failed some knowledge within them was inaccurate. Some labs fail on purpose because the teacher or professor may take out a part of the experiment, giving you inaccurate information for doing the lab. Now think back to all of the “failed” labs, was there a piece of the information missing from what you were given?

Everyone has to fail or get something wrong at some point in time to succeed later in life. If the laws of nature weren’t constantly being experimented on we wouldn’t of figured out that the initial laws that we had were wrong or had some type of inaccurate data within them. Just imagine what life would be like if we all still thought that the mass of an object never seemed to change, if it is spinning or completely still. Life would be rough that is for sure.

[delicateblazenacho-blog]

Six Easy Pieces: Essentials of Physics Explained by Its Most Brilliant Teacher

Atoms in Motion is the introductory chapter to the book and it does it in the best way possible: being clear and concise while still being interesting and informative. It’s a compelling reading that makes you think about everything you once thought was correct and it’s shocking when you find out that you were actually wrong. As human beings we are always on the look for making ourselves as perfect as possible although we are well aware that that is not exactly achievable by any means. However, that does not stop us whatsoever. In our search for perfection we have done many wonderful things for humanity and Earth in general, but we have also done many detrimental things that have definitely marked us as a society; a society that had only cared about themselves until recently when we began to be more conscious about everything we do. Despite not being an actual physical object, knowledge has been by far our most powerful weapon. Everything in this world derives from knowledge. Our knowledge of physics is essential for our survival, it is what has gotten us this far. Society wouldn’t be the same without knowledge, let alone our knowledge of physics. The statement that really caught my attention was “If, in some cataclysm, all of scientific knowledge were to be destroyed, and only one sentence passed on to the next generations of creatures, what statement would contain the most information in the fewest words?” (p. 4) A very captivating question indeed. So then I pondered on what the most basic knowledge of our world was. I came to the conclusion that it all comes down to the atom and what it stands for. Everything is made up of atoms, so the next generations will be able to derive every other knowledge of our world from them. The laws of atoms are so basic and really are the foundation of many of the science fields. I learned so much about atoms and molecules from this short chapter. I knew there’s always water vapor above water but I didn’t know why that happened but now it’s all very clear. The way the author wrote it was very helpful because he was clear and was able to convey the message to people with different backgrounds in an effective way; in a way everyone understood what he was saying.  

[tailored-to-perfection-blog]

Six Easy Pieces

The selection titled “Atoms in Motion” from the book “Six Easy Pieces” by Richard P. Feynman explains physics in the simplest of manners by going down to the atomic level. What I believe to be the most interesting portion of the text is the selection that reads, “All things are made of atoms - little particles that move around in perpetual motion, attracting each other when they are a little distance apart, but repelling upon being squeezed into one another. In that one sentence… there is an enormous amount of information about the world if just a little imagination and thinking are applied” (4). I never truly realized the importance of understanding atoms and their contributions to our understanding of science until after reading this section. By understanding the concept of atoms and how they interact with one another, one can learn anything and everything about the world as it is currently known. Why water freezes in the cold, why salt can dissolve, and why roses smell are all examples that the reading gives when speaking of how atoms can affect our understanding of everyday phenomenon.

Similarly, knowing that everything is made up of tiny particles called atoms, the knowledge of physics can be applied to help explain some of these phenomenon, even though these theories in certain situations can be false. For example, one vould conclude, based on physical principles, mass cannot be created or destroyed. Yet, the reading gives the example of an object at higher speeds than one hundred miles per second will have a slightly increased mass than that of one standing still. It also gives the example of pressure being proportional to density. If pressure is increased, the density would also increase, but at high enough pressures this is not always the case. While the model of the atom provides a good basis for which all other sciences and theories can be built on, one must take caution because there are still unanswered questions when it comes to the understanding of atoms.

The idea that small atomic particles make up everything that is known in our world today is unimaginably beautiful and amazing. What I personally find even more amazing is there is so much that can be discovered and created from these ideas. While there is a lot that our world just does naturally with no outside force, so much more could potentially be developed with newer technologies and understanding of the world around us. From this reading, I gathered that with progression forward and continued learning, we can make the world a better place.

 -TMD

[ultrapikachuposts-blog]

Six Easy Pieces Reading

Roberto Arroyo

Matt Ambrosio

Physics

25 June 2017

                                               Six Easy Pieces

Do people really know what they are talking about? In the text, there seems to arise the idea of not knowing and really inventing: approximation. Approximation is to what we, the people that created rules to believe in something, take as true. I find interesting the division between the theoretical science and the experimental science; to add on, they use the same principles, but because of their field, theoretical or experimental, the scientist are confined to some degree of “truth” in their findings. I put truth in quotation because there is not a real value, a concrete answer, or anything that is one-hundred percent accurate. People are yet to reach accuracy because they have surrounded themselves to what they invented. However, there are those correct ‘laws’ that are present around us. I move on to the motion of atoms and found interesting the topic of perpetual motion. I researched the topic to find the concept of perpetual motion machines. This was something I did not know. Moreover, it was interesting to see how people thought scientist in the past had build actually perpetual motion machine only to find that there was an energy source to the production of the new energy source, this contradicts the point of a perpetual motion machine. Also, I found interesting how helium does not freeze at a temperature of absolute zero; to add on, most things freeze at absolute zero which is why I found interesting the atoms in motion of helium, extreme measures would have to be taken to freeze helium because of its properties; the atoms continue to move perpetually. Moreover, I found interesting to learn that molecules go in and out of their ‘environment’. Also, there is the rate of which atoms coming in and atoms going out is equal at one point and the substance is in a state of equilibrium. Another interesting fact was how the text mentioned that every substance has its own pattern of arranging itself. The arrangement and rearrangement of atoms is what has made many things possible. I think the author wanted reader to acknowledge and learn that the simple elements, atoms, make and change the things we do. To add on, I think the author wanted readers to walk away knowing what atoms are and their properties and also to encourage the reader to observe how those properties can be seen. It was surprising to me to see how the author went in detail in breaking down the sentence that all matter is made of atoms. The text overall was to me just more complex than was is shown in a basic chemistry class. I found the reading with no expression, and found myself learning some things. One thing I did notice was how the scientist kept referring back is approximation.