In the News:
Rock from the Sky not a Meteorite - A rock that
was originally identified as a meteorite that crashed though the roof
of New Jersey home last January appears to be actually a piece of space
junk. Analysis by experts at the American Museum of Natural History using
a variable-pressure electron microscope revealed that the object that
measures 3 inches by 2 inches is a stainless steel alloy that does not
occur in nature. The origin of the object is still a mystery, but it is
likely that it is debris from a satellite or rocket launch. The incident
started when a Freehold, New Jersey, homeowner entered his second floor
bathroom and found the object on the floor and a hole in his roof.
September Supernova the Brightest - Scientists
have calculated that a supernova observed back in September of 2006 was
the brightest ever seen. "The reason we're so excited is because it was
so powerful we think it may require a new type of explosion mechanism
that we've never observed before," said Nathan Smith, astrophysicist at
the University of California at Berkeley. A supernova occurs at the end
of the lifecycle of some stars when of most of the material within the
star explodes. Most supernovas are only bright for a couple of weeks,
but the supernova of last September got more brilliant for 70 days peaking
with brightness comparable to 50 billion suns, much brighter than most
other supernovas. Scientists believe that the supernova expelled many
of its outer layers in an eruption before its violent collapse so that
when it exploded, the pressure wave plowed into the cooler gases that
had already been expelled, creating the most brilliant light show ever
observed.
King Herod's Tomb Found - An Israeli archaeologist
says he has found the tomb of King Herod, the legendary builder of ancient
Jerusalem and the Holy Land. Hebrew University archaeologist Ehud Netzer,
who has been working at the site since 1972, said the tomb was found at
Herodium where Herod had built a palace compound. The tomb was discovered
when a workers found the remains of a limestone sarcophagus. The location
of the sarcophagus and appearance suggests that it is Herod's. "It's a
sarcophagus we don't just see anywhere," Netzer said. "It is something
very special." Experts are excited about the find saying that all signs
indicate the tomb belongs to Herod. They caution, however, inscriptions
need to be found to be sure.
Big Dinos Heard Low Sounds - A new study shows
that dinosaurs were best at hearing very low tones. Scientists reached
this conclusion by examining the anatomical ear structure among living
birds, crocodilians and the fossil remains of dinosaurs. The results,
presented this month at a meeting of the Acoustical Society of America,
also suggest that dinosaurs produced noises like the sounds they could
hear. "As a general rule, animals can hear the sounds that they produce,"
lead author Robert Dooling noted. The scientists found that an animal's
weight is significantly correlated to the size of the its inner ear structure,
which determines what frequencies that animal could detect. Dooling and
his colleagues estimate large dinosaurs were restricted to low frequencies
below 3 kilohertz.
At 13.2 Billion Star is the Oldest - Scientists
have identified the oldest known star. The star, designated as HE1523-0901,
is 13.2-billion-years-old and came into existence a mere half a billion
years after the "big bang" that started the universe. The star's age was
identified by examining its spectrum, which showed the presence of heavy
elements like uranium and thorium. Heavy elements decay into lighter elements
over time serving as a clock to measure how long the minerals in the star,
has been around. There may be other stars out there that are just as old,
but HE1523-0901 was born in a section of the galaxy heavily polluted with
heavy elements, making it easy to identify.
What's New at the Museum:
Benedict
Arnold: The Father of Our Country? His
name is synonymous with the word traitor, yet, if things had gone a little
differently, could this infinitely complex man been the hero of the American
Revolution? (Part 1) >Full
Story
Notes from the Curator's Office:
Revisiting the Big Three: Isaac
Asimov-
They had a huge impact on our world far beyond just science fiction. The
first of three parts about these great authors of the 20th century.
>Full Story
Ask the Curator:
Big Packaderm vs. Little Sport Device - Could
an elephant have the same momentum as a golf ball? - Anonymous.
The easiest way of thinking about momentum is the force necessary to stop a moving object. It involves both the mass of the object and speed of the object. Technically, in classical physics, this can be expressed as the mass of the object multiplied by its velocity. The formula is:
P = mv
Where P is the momentum, m is the mass and v is the velocity.
If we had and elephant that weighed 7200 Kg (about 15840 pounds) running at 1 meter per second, the elephant would have:
7200 kg m/s = 7200kg 1m/s
That means that 7200kg is the mass, 1 meter/second (m/s) is the velocity and 7200 kg m/s ("kilogram meters per second") is the momentum.
It is easy to see a trivial situation where any two objects, no matter the size of their mass, would have the same momentum. Any object that has no velocity has no momentum. So both an elephant and a golf ball would have the same momentum if neither were moving.
There are also cases where the elephant and the golf ball could have the momentum even if they were both moving. Imagine our 7200 kilograms elephant from above and a golf ball weighing .046 kilograms. If we set up the equation with the elephant on the left and the golf ball on the right:
MV = p = MV
Or
7200kg 1m/s = 7200kg m/s = .046kg V m/s
we just need to solve for the V, the velocity of the golf ball:
7200kg 1m/s = 7200kg m/s = .046kg 156521 m/s
We can see that an elephant running along at 1 meter per second has the same momentum as a golf ball moving at 156,521 meters per second (around 351,000 miles per hour). So an heavy elephant moving along at a trot would have the same momentum as small golf ball going very, very fast.
Now, a couple of additional considerations. This is the formula for momentum under classical (Newtonian physics). The formula under relativistic physics is slightly different and allows for objects like photons, which have no mass, to still have momentum. Also a complete description of momentum for an object includes the direction (or vector) of the motion.
Have a question? Click here to send it to the curator.
Loch Ness Photos - In June of 1975 the Academy
of Applied science released two pictures their automatic cameras had taken
underwater in Loch Ness, Scotland. Though the pictures weren't clear due
to the murky water, one seemed to show the upper torso and neck of a strange
creature. The other seemed to show the animal's horse-like head. Various
observers have thought these pictures showed a prehistoric monster, a
dead stump, and a engine block with exhaust pipes. So far no explanation
of the photos has satisfied all parties involved in the Loch Ness Monster
mystery.
In the Sky:
Catch Vesta - Want to try catching an asteroid?
The asteroid Vesta (the fourth asteroid ever discovered) should be visible
in the night sky this month to the naked eye, but you might find it helpful
to use binocular. Look for Jupiter in the Southeastern sky rising after
sunset. Vesta will be just seven degrees higher up (the full moon is 0.5
degrees wide). Vesta will appear in the constellation Ophiuchus. You may
need to look for it over several nights. You will be able to tell it is
not a star because it will change position each night compared with the
rest of the night sky.
Observed:
Hoaxer Admits Creating Dead Aliens - John
Humphreys, a sculptor and who worked on special effects for Doctor Who
and created the character Max Headroom says he was responsible for the
models of the Roswell aliens dissected in hoax footage that first appeared
in 1995. His partner in the hoax, Ray Santilli, a London-based video distributor,
had claimed he bought the footage from a retired American military cameramen.
Humphreys says that in addition to creating the bug-eyed alien models
that were filled with sheep brains and chicken entrails, he also appeared
in the film as the chief surgeon. According to Humphreys it took four
weeks for him to make the models from latex using clay sculptures and
all the filming was done in London, not New Mexico. Humphrey's comments
come in the wake of the release of the film Alien Autopsy, which is dramatic
portrayal about the creation and impact of the original hoax footage.
Alien Autopsy is currently in release in Great Britain.
On the Tube:
Currently we are only able to give accurate times and dates for these programs in the United States. Check local listings in other locations.
NOVA: Great Escape - Experts dig into World
War II's most daring and technically ingenious prison break. On PBS: June
5 at 8 pm; ET/PT.
Robo Sapien: The Secret Revolution- What if
you could think faster? Remember more? Wirelessly connect to the internet
without a computer? Robo Sapien puts you on the cutting-edge of Neuro-Engineering
where scientists are seeking ways to interface our brains directly with
machines. On The Science Channel: Jun 07, 9:00 pm Jun 08, 12:00 am Jun
08, 4:00 am Jun 08, 10:00 am Jun 09, 1:00 pm ET/PT.
King Tut's Mystery Tomb Opened - In the first
tomb found in Egypt's Valley of the Kings in 84 years, scientists find
seven coffins, plus a golden infant-size coffin. One coffin remains sealed
and the race is on to read the markings and lift the lid. On The Science
Channel: Jun 11, 9:00 pm Jun 12, 12:00 am Jun 12, 4:00 am Jun 12, 10:00
am Jun 16, 4:00 pm Jun 25, 10:00 pm Jun 26, 1:00 am Jun 26, 5:00 am Jun
26, 11:00 am Jun 30, 5:00 pm ET/PT.
Passport to Pluto...and Beyond - NASA's New
Horizons mission is exploring the "new frontier" of the outer reaches
of our solar system, solving the mysteries of Pluto and beyond. Meet the
scientists who have waited their whole lives for this mission and see
what surprises they'll reveal. On The Science Channel: Jun 19, 8:00 pm
Jun 19, 11:00 pm Jun 20, 3:00 am Jun 20, 9:00 am Jun 23, 8:00 pm Jun 23,
11:00 pm Jun 24, 3:00 am Jun 24, 4:00 pm Jul 03, 10:00 pm Jul 04, 1:00
am, ET/PT.
Rise of the Feathered Dragon - Follow the work
of paleontologists in remote northwestern China as they search for fossil
evidence to the origins of modern birds. On the Discovery Channel: Jun
21, 8:00 pm Jun 22, 12:00 am; ET/PT.
Triassic Giant - Ichthyosaurs were swimming,
air breathing creatures that resembled whales and dolphins. A team excavates
the giant fossil from a riverbank in British Columbia that is believed
to be the largest Triassic ichthyosaur ever found. On the Discovery Channel:
Jun 21, 10:00 pm Jun 22, 2:00 am ; ET/PT.
The Universe: The End of the Earth: Deep Space Threats
to Our Planet - Asteroids, comets, gamma ray bursts and the sun all
combine to make the Earth a dangerous place to live. NASA's top brass
and other scientists are arming themselves with the latest technology
to pre-empt an apocalyptic attack. Watch and investigate bizarre, and
terrifying apocalyptic scenarios and the ways that scientists are racing
against the clock to develop technology to defend our planet. Rating:
TVPG On History Channel: Tuesday, June 12 09:00 PM Wednesday, June 13
01:00 AM Friday, June 15 11:00 PM Saturday, June 16 03:00 AM; ET/PT.
LGM:
Science over the Edge Archives
LGM Archive 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
Copyright Lee Krystek 2007. All Rights Reserved.