Video Sequences on the Website

¶ … video sequences on the website www.sixtysymbols.com, amount to a large measure of really interesting and informative basic information, especially related to physics and astronomy. I viewed nine of the videos; infinity 7:29, mirages 6:29, earths radius 6:38, asteroids 6:36, vectors 6:46, dark matter 11:43, MRI 6:24, speed of light 5:01, and uncertainty 4:51 amounting to a total of 60:06. The videos are a culmination of basic principles regarding physics and astronomy and amount to simplified lectures from scientists who are thought to be experts in the fields. I chose the videos based on interest and partly on recognition of the individual symbols that are noted to represent them.

Infinity is a fascinating concept associated with large numbers that have no definable end, i.e. non-discrete numbers. It was interesting to learn that there are two types of infinity, quantifiable and unquantifiable. It is also interesting to learn that scientists often view infinity as a measure they would like to ignore, and that it can represent in calculations error rather than rational solution. The thought being that if one cannot measure or see something than it is not likely to exist and though some think of the universe, for instance as infinite because it is not observable most scientists would rather leave the infinite to mathematicians who have been trying for centuries to manage the problem that is associated with infinity.

Mirages was one of my favorite videos mainly because the explanation of mirages seems to be one of the most logical among the videos I viewed. I learned a great deal about the phenomena, as it is associated with the movement of light, which travels in the path is the most rapid. In other words light travels in an arch that seeks out heat, as hotter air is easier to travel through than cooler air. It therefore is the reflection of the sky or other objects that exists in the plain between the warmest air and the coolest air. Which happens to be on the earth most often the ground, which creates a distortion of view to the eye, as one sees the reflection as if it where a mirror (in an inferior mirage) and of the sky as in the case of a mirage over a cool body of water (superior mirage), thus explaining the phenomena.

Earths Radius was interesting in that the measure is used as a tool to compare other large objects to, such as other new or known planets and objects in space. The measure is also interesting in that it is relatively fixed though it is not an exact number and that the first calculations of it were made by a Greek Eratosthenes, by a fascinating deduction, that measured the height of the sun at the same time in two different locations to come to a measure that would equate to the radius of the earth, long before it is believed that common knowledge assumed the earth was round. The measure according to the video is serving a current purpose of helping identify at least the size of newly discovered planets, that are being discovered by modern space probes as we continue to seek earth like planets in the universe.

Asteroids, is a video that describes asteroids as lackluster planetary objects bigger than dust but smaller than planets that have elliptical orbits. The description of the asteroid belts, as either left over from planet making, failed planet formations remains or even the basic ingredients for new planets is interesting. The massive number of asteroids also proved interesting, and the mapping of asteroid orbits in the universe. It is also important to note that the video is rather coy regarding the real or assumed fear of asteroids striking the earth, it assumes that through real evidence such an event would be catastrophic it also says it is rather an unlikely event and that collisions between earth technology in space and asteroids is a low risk as well.

Vectors are defined in the video as a very basic idea, anything that has size and direction is a vector, some examples are velocity, where force moves something with mass. Newton's second law F=ma is a description that includes two vectors, force and acceleration, The description of vectors in a static system where forces are balances and pushing against one another is also a great demonstration.

Dark matter is a video that leaves as many questions as if offers answers, but is probably my most favorite video as it discusses something that is extremely interesting and elusive. The fact that 95% of mass is either dark energy or dark matter and only about 4% is "normal" matter (containing everything we know) is a staggering statistic. The fact that everything we know is affected in some way by electromagnetic energy and that dark matter is only very limitedly affected by or affective of electromagnetic energy is also a point I found really interesting. Much of what was said in the video explains why dark matter is so fascinating to people, experts and laymen, as it is present all around and even within us but is almost completely undetectable ad can be detected only by the fact that it has mass and affects gravity.

MRI was a video that I found challenging as the science was not well explained, though the visual imagery is stunning. The pictures of the inside of human brain are fundamentally influential on the way we see ourselves in the modern world and the better the technology gets likely the better the understanding of how we think and really exist. I would like to see the video with better scientific explanations, though the basics of the hydrogen nucleus in the water present in the tissue are somewhat illuminating diagrams might have helped.

Speed of light describes one of the only constants in the known universe. The speed of light is the same measured by anyone (at least in a vacuum) and only limitedly different under varied situations. It was also interesting to learn that all electromagnetic waves travel at the speed of light. I would have thought there was variations, but it explains how the speed is calculated to 67, 616, 629 miles per hour, as radar waves are bounced of a very distant object and calculated to determine the number.