Let's Celebrate Pi Day!

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I saw in Google’s page this cute logo in commemoration of Pi Day.

I didn’t know there was such but now that I did, I checked some details.

Pi Day is celebrated on March 14 or 3.14 being the first three digit of the pi value (3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197…infinite series).

It also coincides with the birthday of Albert Einstein, a famous scientist and mathematician.

Pi is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. The distance around a circle is called the circumference. The distance across a circle through the center is called the diameter.

 

where c is circumference and d is diameter.

So when you order a 16 inches pizza it refers to the diameter. You might want to measure it's circumference by a tape measure but why bother? you can use the equation above and the answer is 50.24 inches (C = 3.14 x 16). Easy right?

Happy Pi Day everyone!

Karma

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“What goes around comes around”

This saying has been backed up by the Bible with "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them." -Matthew 7:12

But does it have scientific explanation?

Well, in my humble opinion (IMHO) it can explained by The First Law of Thermodynamics or Law of Conservation of Energy, wherein energy cannot be created nor destroyed. The sum of all the energies in the system is constant.

So, let’s take a person as the system, if you exert your energy into hatred, well you’ll get hatred in return.

Simple right ;)

But energy can be converted from one form to another, then convert all those hatred into love.

Now we know why life is full of shit, we better change ourselves first before we expect the world to be a better place.

I know it’s not easy but wouldn’t it be a waste otherwise?

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And since we are on the topic of energy, let me give you a simple run down of the kinds of energy:

Potential Energy – the energy that an object has as the result of its position or state. Some forms of potential energy include chemical, elastic, gravitational, magnetic, etc.

Kinetic Energy – the energy that appears in the form of an object’s motion. Some forms of kinetic energy include sound, electrical, light, etc.

Irreversible

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Let me greet you first a Happy New Year!

As we look back in year 2009, we wished there are things we could have done differently, right?

Many things in life are like irreversible reactions, that is, cannot be undone.

Irreversible reactions are chemical reactions where the reactants are completely converted into another material or product. It cannot be returned to its original component.

Reversible reaction on the other hand, as the term implies can be changed back into the original component or reactant.

Reactants are the substances that are combined while products are the result of the combination of reactants.

So an example of reversible reaction is water.

2H2 + O2 <---> 2H2O

Water (product) is formed by the reaction of Hydrogen and Oxygen (reactants). Then upon electrolysis, water can be reverted back to the original reactants.

If only we could do that to life.

So we had to be extra careful with our words, actions, decisions…

Because there is really no second chance in life.

Winter Wonderland

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Christmas is fast approaching. Aside from the usual hustle and bustle, it can be noted that during this season the nights are getting colder and longer. Well not really longer but it seems so. I for one love this season. Hmm…all the love and gifts, who wouldn’t be.

Okay, so we have what we call seasons. According to Wikipedia, the seasons result from the Earth’s axis being tilted to its orbital plane; it deviates by an angle of approximately 23.5 degrees. Thus, at any given time during summer or winter, one part of the planet is more directly exposed to the rays of the Sun. This exposure alternates as the Earth revolves in its orbit. Therefore, at any given time, regardless of season, the northern (NH) and southern hemispheres (SH) experience opposite seasons.

Photo courtesy of physicalgeography.net

Have you heard of Winter Solstice? It is the shortest day of the year, it occurs either on December 21 or 22, when NH is leaning farthest away from the sun. It is also called Midwinter. While the Summer Solstice occurs on June 21 or 22 thus called Midsummer.

Now you know when did this Midsummer Night’s Dream happened in Shakespeare’s play.

Instability

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Unstable life, unstable work, unstable relationship…why oh why?

Don’t know why either.

Maybe we could learn something at microscopic viewpoint.

As mentioned before, naturally electrons are unstable, except for inert gases, you’ll learn later why.

But first let me introduce you first to a very important tool – The Periodic Table!

(this is only a part of Periodic Table since I just took a print screen, if you want the complete version get it from www.ptable.com )

The number of electrons an element has depends on the atomic number. It is the number that is usually placed as superscript.

So Hydrogen H has one valence electron, Helium He has 2 and so on.

The first energy level must be filled with 2 electrons to be stable, then the following energy levels must have 8 electrons.

So basically only those inert gases (on the most right side column) are stable and the rest of the elements seek their destined partners.