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Showing posts from October, 2019

Sir Martin Rees on Climate Change

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Sir Martin Rees, the Astronomer Royal of the United Kingdom, gave a public lecture at the beginning of this month titled "Surviving the Century" in which he offered predictions about the future of humanity and the world changing problems we face. Martin Rees is a world leading cosmologist who gave this lecture not because he is an expert in the field of environmental science, but because he is in a position where he can spread awareness about the critical time we are in.  The topic that he claimed needs the most immediate attention is that of climate change and global warming. He asserted that the population growth in the world has increased 4.2 billion in the last fifty years, which is directly proportional to the worlds fossil fuel use. He stated " If humanity’s collective impact on land use and climate pushes too hard, the resultant ecological shock could irreversibly impoverish our biosphere", which is also causing mass extinction. He followed this statement u

Weightlessness and the Normal Force

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One of the most visually inspring aspects of space exploration is when we are able to witness astronauts interacting with the gravitational force different than that close Earth's surface. Humans have only witnessed outer space in places that have a low gravitational force, for example, the moon and the International Space Station.  Spacewalk on the ISS 1h:29m:25s for weightlessnes spacewalk scene This clip is of astronaut Andrew Morgan doing a spacewalk to make a repair on the ISS. Notice how his legs are floating behind him and he is seen at times clutching to the ship with a single hand to control his entire body. This is because Andrew and the ISS are undergoing a constant free fall directed to the center of Earth but are stuck in orbit around it. Free fall scenarios occur when the only force that is acting on an object is gravity. The difference between an apple falling out of a tree and an object experiencing free fall in orbit is that the object in orbit travels

Avengers: Infinity War Movie Analysis

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Avengers: Infinity War is another classic superhero movie that involves action scenes made more epic by violating the laws of physics. That being said, it took some time to find scenes that involved spotty physics. Here are a few that caught my eye.  Scene One - Cull Obsidian's Hammer Throw In the battle scene between Black Order and the Avengers in New York City, Cull Obsidian's hammer seems to be resistent to Newtons first law when it is in contact with a concrete wall, but abides by it when interacting with the ground. Newtons first law states that a body will remain at rest or move in a straight line at a constant speed unless acted upon by a net outside force.  1:38-1:42 Notice how the hammer travels straight through the building without slowing down whatsoever. Comparing this to newtons first law, it seems that the hammer is resistent to any outside forces. Now look at this scene where the hammer is slowed down dramatically by the ground. 1:55-