29 MAY 2012 by ideonexus
Origin of the "Charmed" Quark
We called the new [fourth] quark the “charmed quark” because we were pleased, and fascinated by the symmetry it brought to the subnuclear world. “Charm” also means a “a magical device to avert evil,” and in 1970 it was realized that the old three quark theory ran into very serious problems. ... As if by magic the existence of the charmed quark would [solve those problems]. Folksonomies: physics
Folksonomies: physics
1 
notes
notesBecause they needed a fourth quark due to inadequacies of the three-quark model, and it fit so perfectly as to be magical.
16 MAR 2012 by ideonexus
The Concept of the Chemical Bond
[The chemical bond] First, it is related to the disposition of two electrons (remember, no one has ever seen an electron!): next, these electrons have their spins pointing in opposite directions (remember, no one can ever measure the spin of a particular electron!): then, the spatial distribution of these electrons is described analytically with some degree of precision (remember, there is no way of distinguishing experimentally the density distribution of one electron from another!): concept...Folksonomies: chemistry
Folksonomies: chemistry
1 notes
notes...is based on things we cannot see or measure and only exist in terms of probabilities.
12 JAN 2011 by ideonexus
Twitter, Celebrity, Asymmetric and Symmetric Social Conne...
Asymmetric attention is the key to another important concept, celebrity. Being famous means that a lot of people pay attention to you--after all, by definition it is famous people who appear on the cover of magazines, which are purchased because lots of people want to know what's happening with their favorite celebrities. But the celebrity doesn't, for the the most part, pay any attention to the fans (at least, not individually). Asymmetric attention ties in Twitter allows people like Oprah W...Folksonomies: web science social networking
Folksonomies: web science social networking
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3 Twitter provides for asymmetric connections, where individuals follow others, making the people who don't follow back are celebrities; however, the system has been hacked with @replies, which make asymmetric connections symmetrical.
03 JAN 2011 by ideonexus
Knowing VS Speculation
One day I'll be convinced there's a certain type of symmetry that everybody believes in, the next day I'll try to figure out the consequences if it's not, and everybody's crazy but me. But the thing that's unusual about good scientists is that while they're doing whatever they're doing, they're not so sure of themselves as others usually are. They can live with steady doubt, think "maybe it's so" and act on that, al lthe time knowing it's only "maybe." Many people find that difficult; they th...Folksonomies: science speculation
Folksonomies: science speculation
1 notes
notesThere is a warmness in doubting things, considering alternatives.
