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G0TEZ > TECH 03.02.04 21:08l 122 Lines 4997 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 620195G0TEZ
Read: DJ9AO DB0FHN GUEST
Subj: The 3 Physics questions.
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Sent: 040203/1809Z @:GB7YFS.#26.GBR.EU #:37196 [Bourne] $:620195G0TEZ
From: G0TEZ@GB7YFS.#26.GBR.EU
To : TECH@WW
My three questions were:-
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1. Who was Sir Edward Appleton and where and what was the Appleton layer?
(A good one for Radio Hams, that one.)
2. What did Lord Rutherford do?
3. What has Deuterium to do with an atomic bomb and where do you mine it?
(The second part of that is for Star Trek fans.)
I thought I knew the answers but, perhaps I am suffering from senile
dementia.
With that in mind. If you are over 50, did you learn Hooke's Law at
school
and what is it?
I don't expect an answer to that one. According to TV. The only school
which teaches Hooke's Law is Robert Hooke's old school. Not mine BTW.
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The three questions:1.Appleton,2.Rutherford and 3. Deuterium
All had a reason behind them.
The first two, about Sir Edward Appleton and Lord Rutherford are quite
simple.
When I was young, there was an Appleton layer, in the ionosphere, which
reflected radio signals. This gave us skip, as well as the idea for RADAR.
That was how, they said, Dr E.V.Appleton became Sir Edward Appleton.
I must have been dreaming all that because, when I took my R.A.E. in 1990.
The Appleton Layer had disappeard and, apparently, Edward Appleton never
existed.
I must also have dreamed that Lord Rutherford split the atom in the 1930s.
According to TV. The atom was first split much later at an American
University by Enrico Fermi, who never came to Britain, never met
Rutherford
at all. Just went straight from Italy to America.
I learnt that Deuterium was an isotope of Hydrogen known as 'Heavy
Hydrogen', part of 'Heavy Water.' they said it was necessary for Hydrogen
fusion, which starts with a conventional Atomic bomb, which works by
rapidly increasing the mass of Uranium 235 to 'critical mass', thus
creating great heat, necessary for Hydrogen fusion, as well as a very big
bang and Plutonium, which can be used for making more Atomic bombs of
course.
Again. On TV. We have two stories. In 'Star Trek' which is fiction, the
crew frequently mentions 'Deuterium Mines - (?)' Deuterium is essential
for keeping the Enterprise and Voyager going.
The other story, which we are told is fact, is the one about the German
'Heavy Water plant, essential for making the 'Atom Bomb.'.
More fiction? Or am I still dreaming.
As for the question about Robert Hooke. This was again prompted by a TV
programme. Quite good really, apart from saying that 'Hooke's Law' which I
remember as 'The extension of a spring is directly proportional to the
force applied.' the simple version, was only ever taught at Hooke's old
school. They even showed a schoolmaster teaching a version like mine, to
some boys.
That's why I asked if anyone had learned it. I was under the impression
that all schools, well grammar schools, at least, taught Hooke's law in
the 1950s, along with Boyle's Law and Avagadro's theorem. Ohm's law too,
come to that.
As far as Young and his modulus are concerned. I said in another bulletin
that I was once employed in a laboratory where I used a computer, an
analogue one at that, which measured stress and strain and calculated
Young's Modulus. It's nice to know people remember Young.
I did measure various othe physical attributes of rubbers and plastics
e.g. Abrasive Index, so I do know a bit about the subject.
I haven't received any of the german answers yet. No doubt they will be
very instructive. Unless, like TV, they think that Heisenberg sp-lit the
atom but couldn't work out critical mass.
heisenberg is, of course, famous for his 'Uncertainty Principle.' a very
simple idea, for which he got the Nobel Prize.
No wonder he wasn't sure,Hi!
That's just about it. I'm always ready to learn. If my mentors were all
half trained idiots despite having degrees from Oxford and Cambridge.
Or if I was dreaming. Then I'll hold my hands up and admit it.
One last bit for the VK who criticised a book for 'Bragging' about the
Royal Society.
The reason it has that name is that, when it was formed. A group of men,
went to King Charles II and asked him to patronise their society.
He was happy to do that as he was very interested in all things
scientific.
The word 'science' wasn't in use back then. Most of those men, Hooke,
Boyle
etc. and, later Newton, called themselves 'Natural Philosophers' if they
called themselves anything at all.
That's why it isn't called The Royal Scientific Society.
The French used the word 'Scientifique' in their society 100 years later.
They also have a society and they are very proud, as they are of their
Pasteur Institute.
I can understand that book being a bit confusing as, Australia didn't
exist
in the time of Charles the Second. We hadn't discovered then - I think.
This senile dementia is a terrible thing...
All the best - Ian, G0TEZ @ GB7YFS.\16.gbr.eu
Message timed: 16:47 GMT on 03 Feb 04
ian@g0tez.fsnet.co.uk
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