IMS_Blog

This was going to be a post about something completely different but I’m still writing that one. In the meantime, like some amazing bonus from Sunday afternoons of yester year when there were TV schedules to fill, here are a couple of cartoons (hat tip Doug Natelson who’s blog I found in my recommended list from Google Reader).

I’m pretty sure this Tom Swanson cartoon could be inserted as the abstract to most surface physics PhD theses (actually, I suspect more science theses but I only have experience in the on area—and it shows a vacuum chamber)

The other comic linked to, Cectic, is pretty funny in general too. Go read it!

These dragons, they keep eating things. Or something.

I’ve caught a cold, so probably won’t be up watching myself, but it’s the last chance to 2010 or something to see a total lunar eclipse, so worth mentioning. Totality begins 03:01 GMT on the 21st and end 03:51. The Moon will likely turn to blood (thanks to light refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere). That’s all if there isn’t too much cloud to see it which, let’s face it, there probably will be.

Image blatantly stolen from Shadow & Substance

It’s for orignal research don’t you know (note the last panel especially) :-) Oh, and my thesis.

This post was inspired by a Science Musings post, it’s just some very quick thoughts I had in response (despite it’s inspiration, and the fact this derives from it, I’m quite reluctant to link to that post as its most lyrical passages seem to have been lifted stratight from this Musings per jasmine post :-/ As Tom from Science Musings points out in the comments, it’s actually the other way around, sort of…). Anyway, my point was supposed to be that science, and the knowledge of the way the world works it gives, doesn’t necessarily distract from the beauty of the world. Yes, in the context of a kiss it’s not particularly important. The thing is that people often assume scientists can’t realise that. More, they assume that because we might understand the molecular structure of that honey that it somehow takes away from the fact that it tastes damn delicious. This, when you stop to think for a moment, is clearly ridiculous. Scientists like honey, and enjoy kissing as much as anyone. We however get more, for we get to see the beauty of those molecules, the connections between the glory of nature. Just because we have some idea how the rainbow is formed doesn’t make it any less pretty—it makes it greater, for we can ponder, should we choose, how such an enchanting thing can come from photons twinkling through some raindrops.

I recommend you check out the incomparable Richard Feynman on this point, who waxed so much more wonderfully than I on just that subject, somewhere I can’t be bothered to look up right now. Mmm, kiss…

Take a look at this GCSE Physics paper. Go on, see how many you think you can answer (don’t trust me; I really should be good at GCSE physics papers!) Now, they want to make that easier (answers within; alternatively BBC news coverage). How? Put the answers at the back?? [Actually, they could make it a bit easier by making some of the questions actually make sense…)

If you want brighter pupils, who are capable of studying science subjects at a higher level, then requiring less knowledge, lowering barriers is hardly how to do it. Try challenging them in interesting ways. Heaven forbid we might actually recognise the problems as poor teaching or something…