AskScience AMA Series: We are astrophysicists who translated the motions of seven Earth-sized planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system into music. Ask Us Anything! |
- AskScience AMA Series: We are astrophysicists who translated the motions of seven Earth-sized planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system into music. Ask Us Anything!
- Is it likely that elements 119 and 120 already exist from some astronomical event?
- What is actually happening when I hear my timber framed house 'crack'?
- What would happen to the structure of a radioactive diamond as it decays?
- If fire needs oxygen as fuel then how do rockets work in space?
- Why do we care about the heavy elements like 119 and 120 that decay in like .00002 seconds? What could we possibly use it for?
- What is the difference between the frequentist and the Bayesian meaning of probability?
- Why do faucets hiss at specific levels of valve-openness, which seem random and nonlinear?
- Why does the weak force have two force mediators when the other 3 fundamental forces have one?
- Why can't the Great Barrier Reef be repopulated?
- Is there any weird phenomenon related to the non-existence of the mean of the Cauchy Distribution?
- Are quantum entangled particles subject to time dilation?
- How does the flowregulator on an IV-drip influence pressure beyond said flowregulator? None of my docters can give me a straight answer. Physics-question, not medical.
- What are Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics in a simple sense? Also, why would you use them?
- Why do some trees have purple leaves?
- Why does interacting with a radioactive element (on a quantum level) prevent that element from decaying?
- Does infinity naturally occur physically in the universe?
- What is the physics behind the sound two things make when they are brought together (usually with force) and why does more rigidity in the objects lead to greater volume in this sound?
- [Chemistry] On a molecular level, what makes a sharp object, well, sharp?
- Is there a way to tell if a large piece of structural steel is in compression or tension without damaging it?
- How does H₂ Pd/C "cut" a benzene completely away from a carbon bond?
- What is it about some materials, such as wool, that traps heat very well?
- What is Zero point energy?
- How do proteasome inhibitors help cancer patients?
| Posted: 16 May 2017 05:00 AM PDT Check out this short animation about the music of the TRAPPIST-1 planets: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7i8Urhbd6eI TRAPPIST-1 is a prime candidate in the search for life beyond our solar system. It is one of the 300 closest stars to us, and hosts seven Earth-sized planets, several of which might have the right temperatures to host liquid water. It also has a remarkably precise orbital configuration. For every 2 times the outermost planet goes around the central star, the progressively interior planets each execute almost exactly 3, 4, 6, 9, 15 and 24 orbits. Such a long so-called resonant chain is unprecedented. We recently translated these rhythmic planetary motions into music. We also assigned planets notes by scaling up their orbital frequencies into the human hearing range. The result is remarkably harmonious thanks to the near-perfect period ratios between planets. You can learn more and experience the awful cacophony generated by more normal systems at http://www.system-sounds.com. One puzzle that has loomed since the discovery of TRAPPIST-1 is how such a tightly spaced system of planets can avoid destroying itself due to repeated gravitational tugs. Our research has revealed a solution that relies on the same harmonic pattern responsible for creating such beautiful music. Thought Cafe, the animation team behind the video is also joining us. We'll be on around 3:30 PM ET (19:30 UT). Ask Us Anything! [link] [comments]  |
| Is it likely that elements 119 and 120 already exist from some astronomical event? Posted: 15 May 2017 12:31 PM PDT I learned recently that elements 119 and 120 are being attempted by a few teams around the world. Is it possible these elements have already existed in the universe due to some high energy event and if so is there a way we could observe yet to be created (on earth) elements? [link] [comments]  |
| What is actually happening when I hear my timber framed house 'crack'? Posted: 16 May 2017 01:27 AM PDT I understand that heating and cooling is responsible for it but are tiny cracks actually being made every time I hear it? [link] [comments]  |
| What would happen to the structure of a radioactive diamond as it decays? Posted: 16 May 2017 03:08 AM PDT For a diamond made entirely of carbon-14, which I understand undergoes beta minus decay into nitrogen-14, what will happen to its tetrahedrally bonded structure as individual carbon atoms decay, and are replaced by nitrogen atoms? One idea I had was that the nitrogen escaped the structure leaving gaps in the lattice. If this occurs, would the diamond then conduct electricity, (given a significant proportion of the carbon had decayed) since some carbon atoms will be only bonded to 3 others, and will therefore have free electrons, similar to graphite? Also, if the nitrogen were to escape, would it have to form nitrogen molecules as it does so (and therefore two adjacent carbon atoms would have to had decayed?), or would it leave the structure as singular nitrogen atoms? Finally, could the nitrogen remain tetrahedrally bonded in the structure (forming four bonds to adjacent atoms rather than the usual three)? If so, after all of the atoms have decayed, what would you be left with? Bonus question: would a diamond made of carbon-14 look any different to a regular diamond, i.e. refract light any differently? Sorry this question is so long, but I'd be interested to find out what occurs, or if I have misunderstood the idea completely. [link] [comments]  |
| If fire needs oxygen as fuel then how do rockets work in space? Posted: 15 May 2017 05:31 PM PDT |
| Posted: 15 May 2017 10:33 PM PDT |
| What is the difference between the frequentist and the Bayesian meaning of probability? Posted: 15 May 2017 05:00 PM PDT |
| Why do faucets hiss at specific levels of valve-openness, which seem random and nonlinear? Posted: 16 May 2017 01:04 AM PDT It seems really unusual - when the faucet is barely open, it doesn't produce the sound, and it doesn't do so when it is fully open. However, at about 1/4 and 3/4 open (but not at 1/2), there are two levels when it produces a loud hissing sound. How can this be explained? Why is the pattern so nonlinear? Is this something about turbulence? [link] [comments]  |
| Why does the weak force have two force mediators when the other 3 fundamental forces have one? Posted: 16 May 2017 04:31 AM PDT The strong force has gluons, the electromagnetic has photons, and the gravitational (hopefully) has gravitons. So why is it that the weak force has both W-bosons and Z-bosons? also: While we're on the topic of fields, what are fermionic fields and dirac fields, what physicality do they describe? [link] [comments]  |
| Why can't the Great Barrier Reef be repopulated? Posted: 15 May 2017 01:33 PM PDT I am not discounting the problem of coal bleaching and I've seen the pictures. I realize evolution takes a while, so the natural corals in place can't keep up to their environments' changing, but if coral grow in all different environments and depths through the world, why can't marine biologists engineer new, more heat-hardy algae and coral then stimulate them to grow in the dead reefs? I'm sure I'm not the first person to think of this, so what's standing in the way? Why is there this upper limit on temperature when there doesn't seem to be a lower limit, since corals can grow deeper? [link] [comments]  |
| Is there any weird phenomenon related to the non-existence of the mean of the Cauchy Distribution? Posted: 16 May 2017 05:15 AM PDT I understand how to prove that the mean doesn't exist, but it still feels weird. Is there any interesting mathematical reason for that? I've also read that it appears in physics too. Is there any weird phenomenon related to the non.existence of the mean? [link] [comments]  |
| Are quantum entangled particles subject to time dilation? Posted: 15 May 2017 08:28 AM PDT Let's suppose you have two twin astronauts as described in the Twin Paradox thought experiment. Each of them is given one particle of a quantum entangled pair for safekeeping. One twin remains on Earth, while the other flies away for several years traveling at nearly the speed of light. When he returns to Earth he is younger than his brother. The entangled particles have experienced the same effect as the brothers have, and are brought back together. Are the particles both still entangled in the same time reference to one another? If you collapsed the wave function of one particle would the other "end" collapse at the same time, or would it seem to happen with some sort of delay in relation to the time dilation effect that had been imposed? [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 15 May 2017 11:58 AM PDT Non-english speaking. I work in urology. Lately the nurses have had a discussion about flowrate and pressure. I'll try to keep the medical parts of my question simple because this is mainly a physics-question. A patiënt of ours has a drain in his kidney. Basically it's a tube into the plumbing of the kidney. http://patients.uroweb.org/fileadmin/eau_images/images_full/percutaneous-nephrostomy.jpg Mr. X needs to get chemo through this drain to battle cancer inside of his pyelum and ureter (his kidneyplumbing). The higher you hang the IV-bag with chemo, the higher the pressure in the line, the higher the pressure in his kidney. High pressure is BAD for kidneys. Therefore the guidelines state that the IV-bag shouldnt be hung to high (40-50cm max). At half length there is a flowregulator. http://www.thrivingpets.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/i/v/iv_set.gif It's a little wheel that you can adjust to vary the amount of drops that fall into the dripchamber. Assume the lower half of the line stays at the same height and the amount of fluidpressure doesnt change due to an emptying IV-bag. If the IV is hung twice as high but the flowregulator is squeezed so tight that the flowrate (amount of drips) stays the same. Doesnt that mean that the pressure beyond the flowregulator is the same in both instances? Edit: spelling (ofcourse), plus assume the pressure inside the kidney stays the same too. The question is pure about the IV-line. [link] [comments]  |
| What are Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics in a simple sense? Also, why would you use them? Posted: 15 May 2017 05:01 PM PDT I looked it up and tried to understand it and I kind of get Lagrangian but not Hamiltonian in the slightest. With Lagrangian mechanics: What is the generalized force? Also, what are you actually solving for? With Hamiltonian: Basically what is this? Any examples that would be easy to follow? Thanks in advance [link] [comments]  |
| Why do some trees have purple leaves? Posted: 16 May 2017 05:15 AM PDT I understand that most trees are green because of chlorophyll etc, but why do some trees have purple leaves instead of green ones? [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 15 May 2017 07:25 PM PDT I noticed this a few times in different articles. Most recently in an article about transmitting information without particle exchange (via light wave phase). They said that measuring/interacting with the element suppresses its radioactive decay. How/why does this happen? Does this mean that you can indefinitely keep a radioactive element from decaying? For days, months, years? Even the super heavies which usually decay almost instantly? [link] [comments]  |
| Does infinity naturally occur physically in the universe? Posted: 15 May 2017 05:09 PM PDT Is there any evidence that shows something goes to infinity in nature? Like there is infinite time, or infinite space in the universe? If there is no evidence suggesting that, does that mean there may be a finite amount of time or space? What would be the implications of that? [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 15 May 2017 04:28 PM PDT |
| [Chemistry] On a molecular level, what makes a sharp object, well, sharp? Posted: 15 May 2017 10:49 AM PDT |
| Posted: 15 May 2017 08:31 AM PDT Having a discussion with my SO and we couldn't get a satisfactory answer to this one. She's a structural engineer, and at one of her projects there's a mysterious (and very large) steel prop which seems to be holding up a building. They can't remove or replace it without knowing whether it's in tension or compression... but they don't know how to find out which. Would the conductivity of a steel change if it's in tension or compression? [link] [comments]  |
| How does H₂ Pd/C "cut" a benzene completely away from a carbon bond? Posted: 16 May 2017 12:04 AM PDT Ok so I'm an organic chemistry undergraduate and out professor challenged us wit a graduate problem. I know H₂ Pd/C breaks double bonds apart but with a benzene ring attached to a carbon group (BnO-R to be specific) why does it break the benzene completely away from the O-R group? Why not just take out all the double bonds in benzene and make it a simple cyclohexane? [link] [comments]  |
| What is it about some materials, such as wool, that traps heat very well? Posted: 15 May 2017 07:53 PM PDT |
| Posted: 15 May 2017 12:34 PM PDT So what is zero point energy and what can it be used for? I see definitions all the time but I just don't know what they mean. So if someone can simplify the definition as best as possible for me, I would be really appreciate it. [link] [comments]  |
| How do proteasome inhibitors help cancer patients? Posted: 15 May 2017 11:26 PM PDT If cancer cells divide rapidly and create misfolded proteins and antibodies, then how does it help to inhibit the protein which breaks these misfolded proteins down? [link] [comments]  |
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