oh snap, i forgot to write my weekly article about something or other.
So here’s the most important science thing you’ve never known why.
So people add salt to water on three occasions for three different reasons.
Continue reading SUPER SCIENCE TIP
When the weather gets cold up here in the great white north, canadians do two things. We Put on our Toques (not “knit hat”. it’s called a toque)…
and THEN, we get ourselves some real skookum food and just give ‘er… and that’s how we make it through the winter.
What kind of Food do we eat in Canada? Well frankly, every kind. Canada has immigrant populations from around the world, and the different cooking traditions are enthusiastically enjoyed! But. There are some dishes which are unique to our country. and they are RAD. Here are 9 canadian dishes that might be news to you, but which i enjoy eating. Especially when my body needs another layer of insulating fat.
Hi.
What’s a Graviton? No one really knows.
Continue reading Fast Facts about Gravitons
Hi.
welcome to thursday. uuuuh. what’s on the table for today?
Continue reading Wait… what? Zombie and UFO’s?
Hey guys it’s so hot right now. So last time we learned something interesting. If you see a bus going past you on the street… and you watch the people in the bus, you’ll notice that they are AGEING slower than you are! Time is moving slower on the bus, than on the sidewalk… it seems.
There is no problem with that conclusion. Except that… remember how in part 1, we noted that a person INSIDE the bus will think that everything OUTSIDE the bus is moving?
If I repeat the thought experiment from part 2, i’ll see that someone INSIDE the bus will see time passing slower OUTSIDE the bus.
Continue reading Twin paradox (part 3)
a quick note.
the podcast talked about an “atlatl” spear that some dude found in a glacier. there was a little mumbling about what it is, and then ryan told me to say something. Incidentally, i was trying to tell my cousin’s kid about them, she’s like 7, and she said she learned about it in school.
so for all of us who aren’t under 10. what’s an atlatl?
In short, it’s a stick that you use to throw a spear. You know how when you were a kid, your dad could throw a ball farther than you could? in part it was because his arm was longer. So the idea is that if you throw a spear at the end of a STICK rather than just from your hand, it’ll go farther/faster.
Actually. you know those ball throwers that people use to help exercise their giant golden retrievers whose primary joy in life is to chase after a ball and then make them slimey? atl-atls work just like that but for spears.
NOTE. also, fishing rods.
Okay, i can’t get the survey plugin to work and it’s canada day.
so. Post your answers in the Comments part, and i’ll get back to you and if you get the second question right i’ll give you a prize.
Answer: what kind of question is this ben? the language is imprecise and stupid. also, it’s terrible. the answer is “you stay still”.
REAL QUIZ QUESTION: suppose the earth is a perfect sphere, and it’s rotating (towards the east). and you are standing in the northern hemisphere. and you’re standing still. and you put down your skateboard just to the north of you, pointing east-west. and then you step onto your skateboard. which direction do you roll on account of the world’s turning?
(note. the answer is either “east” or “west”, leave your answer and justification in the comments. smartass)
Welcome to the Twin Paradox part 2. In this section, i will explain the concept of time dilation, which lies at the heart of the twin paradox.
Continue reading The Twin Paradox (part TWO)
hey peeps. Sorry I’m not done the awesome “twin paradox part 2” article. I worked on it for a couple hours tonight. and it’s coming together but it’s a real piece of work.
Continue reading Ben’s update from the road
Hi guys, i haven’t been able to update the next segment of the “twin paradox” saga, on account of being in Toronto for the Canadian Association of Physicists conference. I gave a talk, where i presented my research on quantum-collapsing matter turning into a black hole. I talked to all sorts of folks. Also, many of the friends i have made over the years and across the continent are at this conference, and it’s great to catch up!
I suppose the funnest talk I heard was by a gentleman named Kipp Cannon, and he presented a talk where the LIGO gravitational wave detector could be used to look for COSMIC STRINGS whose gravitational waves rumble like thunder… If they exit.
Toronto, the capital of the province of Ontario, is canada’s largest city. almost 3 million people! and the university is within walking distance from all sorts of fun food! I’ve eaten Ethiopian food, and Ramen, and Udon, and a PIZZA SLICE bigger than my head.
The moral of the story is that the CAP conference is lots of fun. and also, that Toronto is a surprisingly wonderful and charming city and well worth a visit. (Also I have found the Sneaky Dee’s restaurant that appears in the scott pilgrim books, and i’ve also gotten lost in HONEST ED’S!!!)