Physical Science Blog

Thursday, April 1, 2010

X-ray Goggles; Death by Radiation? ~A foray into the fascinating world of the Electromagnetic Spectrum~

Most people nowadays have heard of x-ray. Either from medical x-ray or the more implausible x-ray goggles from popular culture, x-ray is one of the more well known of the types of waves

from the electromagnetic spectrum. But what are x-rays? X-rays are wiggles in space, waves that have the ability to travel through air, flesh, and metal. The waves of x-rays are tiny, however; the wavelength of an x-ray is smaller than an atom! In more scientific terms, an x-ray has a frequency range of 3x10¹⁶Hz to 3x10¹⁹ Hz, and has a wavelength of 10-0.01 nanometers. According to the University of Madison, Wisconsin, x-rays are produced by solar wind, change in energy of an electron, or can be emitted by hot gases.

X-rays have many uses (besides seeing through walls!) such

as ins

pecting food, materials testing, medical and biological uses, and astronomical observation. Medical x-ray is some of the most commonly known, since many people have themselves been x-rayed because of broken bones or some other injury. Medical x-ray is also, unfortunately, the most dangerous. Because you are exposed to the mild radiation when being medically x-rayed, people such as x-ray technicians have a small chance of developing cancers from the radiation.

X-rays also play a very important part in astronomical observation. Visible light only shows a

mere fraction of the universe, much of which is hidden to the human eye. This is why telescopes that can see gamma rays, x-rays, or infrared are very important. Harvard has an x-ray telescope called Chandra that is invaluable to astronomical observation. The Chandra telescope helps to illuminate parts of the universe, especially those superheated portions not necessari

ly visible to a regular telescope such as collapsed neutron stars or black holes.

Imagine the world without x-rays; we would certainly know far less about the universe than we do now, and many people would be disabled because of bones that had not healed properly since a correct prognosis might not have been made by x-ray. X-ray is a vital part of the world, in material sciences, food services, astronomy, and especially the medical fields.

http://www.ntbxray.com/application/application.html

http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/

"Chandra X-ray Observatory." The Chandra X-ray Observatory Center :: Gateway to the Universe of X-ray Astronomy! NASA. Web. 02 Apr. 2010. .

"Intro to X-rays." Astrophysics at UW-Madison, Dept. of Physics. UW-Madison, 25 Sept. 2009. Web. 02 Apr. 2010. .

Nave, R. "Electromagnetic Spectrum." Test Page for Apache Installation. Web. 02 Apr. 2010. .

"Safety in Medical Imaging Procedures." RadiologyInfo - The Radiology Information Resource for Patients. Radiology Society of North America, 10 Nov. 2009. Web. 02 Apr. 2010. .

Friday, January 15, 2010

It's Not Rocket Science... Really!

Astronomers, or astrophysicists, are scientists who use the laws of physics and mathematics to collect and interpret data to further our understanding of the universe. According to UniXL, astrophysicists analyze physical properties of stars, planets, and galaxies, including temperature, density, chemical makeup, and brightness. To become an astrophysicist, one needs a background in astronomy, physics, mathematics, and chemistry. A bachelor's degree will get you a position as a technician or an assistant, but a doctoral degree is required to advance in the profession. Astrophysicists mostly collect and interpret data, and publishing reports and presenting is a major part of the profession, making oral and writing skills important to becoming an astrophysicist. Some astrophysicists go on to become teachers, or work in museums, educating professionals. Most, however, collect and interpret data, and some form hypotheses and laws from this data to better under

stand the way the universe works and how the planets interact with each other.

Becoming an astrophysicist really appeals to me, because I have always been particularly interested in astronomy, and (although I don't quite understand them yet) planetary physics interests me as well. Unexplained phenomena, such as supermassive black holes, are particularly fascinating to me, as well as what the vacuum of space consists of. I've always been interested in science and math, and this field would be exemplary for displaying these interests.

The field of astrophysics matches my interests and preferences because I am interested in the sciences, especially those in outer space, and I would prefer a career that is mentally challenging, which astrophysics would be perfect for. On our career day last year, I spent it at the Center for Automotive Research, and I helped collect data on vehicle emissions. I found the data collection interesting and compelling, and finding patterns and laws within the data was one of the coolest things I did that day. This data collection and interpretation isvital to astrophysics, another reason why I believe that this field is suited to my interests.

Astrophysics meets and exceeds all the goals I have set for myself. My main goal is to find a career that is fulfilling, fascinating, and mentally challenging, and I feel as though astrophysics is perfect for this. There is also, of course, the monetary benefits to being an astrophysicist, and according to Payscale, the average salary of an astrophysicist who had been working for 1-4 years was $40,000-$90,000 per annum.

Becoming an astrophysicist is also perfect for my learning style, being a visual learner. With all the various charts, graphs, and diagrams that need to be created in order to interpret the data, this field caters perfectly to the needs of a visual learner. And of course, the various fascinating images of galaxies and planets are another reason why astrophysics are perfect for the visual learner.

Astrophysics is truly essential to the development of our technologies, and understanding the the universe and our part in it. If we can understand the universe, it will give us a greater understanding on the large scale of how we affect our environment, which may lead us to change our behaviors for the better of humanity and the universe. Astrophysics is a field essential to the growing need for knowledge of the universe, and will benefit generations to come.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Do Duplicate Snowflakes Exist?

It's a known fact that no two people are alike... But does that apply to snowflakes as well? We've all heard the myth that asserts that no two snowflakes are alike, but with the trillions upon trillions of snowflakes that have fallen upon earth in its 4.6 million years, is that really viable? How many possible combinations can there really be?

Every atom is exactly alike, but that does not apply to water molecules as well. Every water molecule contains two hydrogen atoms, and one oxygen atom. This may appear as if they are all identical, but one in every 5000 contains an extra atom of deuterium, thus it different from the normal water molecule. Each snowflake can contain 10¹⁸ making water molecules, and as it turns out, the number of possible combinations is nearly endless. If each snowflake has 10¹⁸ water molecules, then 10¹⁵ of which are different from the rest (SnowCrystals). This leaves a truly incredible amount of possible combinations for a snowflake, so many in fact, that the chance of a duplicate occurring is little to none.

However, this myth can be construed two ways. If it is applied to the beautiful, complex, stellar snowflakes that immediately spring to mind, then no two can be alike. But if it applies to the simpler hexagonal snowflakes made of only ten water molecules, then the myth is easily plausible, having far less of a chance for the anomaly water molecules to be present. (National Geographic)