Our Non-Intuitive, Shadowy Understanding of Nature
Memes mostly about the quantum world, where we use metaphors to describe things we can't really conceptualize in the macroworld.
Folksonomies: metaphor understanding
Memes
09 MAY 2012
On Atoms Sharing Electrons
Saying that each of two atoms can attain closed electron shells by sharing a pair of electrons is equivalent to saying that husband and wife, by having a total of two dollars in a joint account and each having six dollars in individual bank accounts, have eight dollars apiece! 
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The idea that by sharing electrons they close their shells seems absurd.
22 MAR 2012
Metaphor for the Uncertainty Principle
There is a slightly flawed yet very satisfying physical argument that gives some heuristic understanding of the uncertainty principle. Quantum mechanics endows all particles with a wavelike behavior, and waves have one striking property: they are disturbed only when they encounter objects larger than their wavelength (the distance between successive crests). You have only to observe water waves in the ocean to see this behavior explicitly. A pebble protruding from the surface of the water wil...Krauss explains the principle using waves.
30 JAN 2012
Mathematical VS Metaphysical Understandings of Quantum Ph...
The mathematical framework of quantum theory has passed countless successful tests and is now universally accepted as a consistent and accurate description of all atomic phenomena. The verbal interpretation, on the other hand – i.e., the metaphysics of quantum theory – is on far less solid ground. In fact, in more than forty years physicists have not been able to provide a clear metaphysical model. We have explained the quantum world mathematically, but we have failed to understanding it verbally.
18 JAN 2012
Descriptions of the Atom are Poetry
We must be clear that when it comes to atoms, language can be used only as in poetry. The poet, too, is not nearly so concerned with describing facts as with creating images and establishing mental connections. A quote from Niels Bohr on the impossibility of describing this object accurately.
12 DEC 2011
M-Theory is a Map
M-theory is not a theory in the usual sense. It is a whole family of different theories, each of which is a good description of observations only in some range of physical situations. It is a bit like a map. As is weU known, one cannot show the whole of the earth's surface on a single map. The usual Mercator projection used for maps of the world makes areas appear larger and larger in the far north and south and doesn't cover the North and South Poles. To faithfully map the entire earth, one ...Just as there is no single flat map that can describe the Earth's surface, M-Theory is a collection of models that describe the laws of our Universe.
19 JUN 2011
How Culture Influences Scientific Metaphors
If you believe the cosmos is made up of
omelette, you build instruments specifically designed to find traces
of intergalactic yolk. In that paradigm you reject phenomena like
pulsars and black holes as paranormal garbage. In an omelette
cosmos, the beginning of the universe becomes a chicken and egg
problem, doesn’t it?
Now, this definition of terms (like omelette universe) happens
all the time. The reason that we today refer to electricity in terms
of current is because in the eighteenth ce...Electricity has a current because Franklin thought it flowed like water, mal-aria is named after "bad air" because people thought it was caused by that, and we define the Universe it terms of clockwork or information depending on the cultural innovations of the time.
References
09 MAY 2012
Chemical binding forces
Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book: Fajans , Kasimir (1957), Chemical binding forces, Retrieved on 2012-05-09Source Material [books.google.com]
Folksonomies: science
Folksonomies: science
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22 MAR 2012
The Physics of Star Trek
Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book: Hawking , Stephen and Krauss, Lawrence (2007-07-10), The Physics of Star Trek, Basic Books (AZ), Retrieved on 2012-03-22Source Material [books.google.com]
Folksonomies: games
Folksonomies: games
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30 JAN 2012
The Tao of physics
Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book: Capra , Fritjof (2000-01-04), The Tao of physics, Shambhala Publications, Retrieved on 2012-01-30Source Material [books.google.com]
Folksonomies: philosophy
Folksonomies: philosophy
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18 JAN 2012
Physics and Beyond
Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book: Heisenberg , Werner (1971-12), Physics and Beyond, Retrieved on 2012-01-18Source Material [books.google.com]
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12 DEC 2011
The Grand Design
Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book: Hawking , Stephen W. and Mlodinow , Leonard (2011-09-01), The Grand Design, Bantam, Retrieved on 2011-12-12Source Material [books.google.com]
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19 JUN 2011
The Legacy of Science
Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book Chapter: Burke, James (1985), The Legacy of Science, Langley Research Center, Washington, DC, Retrieved on 2011-06-19Source Material [history.nasa.gov]
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