Dark Matter
Science Snippet #3 Dark matter might seem like a crazy concept… Crazy enough that many people believe it does not exist! We have not yet been able to detect it. It doesn’t interact with light or the electromagnetic force, so we can’t see it or measure it with electronic equipment (which is too bad, our eyes and our electronics are typically our most useful tool). The only way we have been able to know it exists is through its interactions with gravity. In fact, we’ve been able to tell that there is more dark matter than regular matter (the stuff…
Keep reading
A First Look at Quantum Mechanics (A Particle in a Box)
Science Snippet #2 Let me preface this science snippet by saying don’t worry if things get confusing, there will be simplified story to explain the concepts, just like in the neutrino snippet (only this time with ice cream instead of coffee)! Quantum mechanics is a hugely important concept to learn: it explains how the universe works, it’s the basis for a lot of modern technology like MRI machines and lasers, and it’s key to future emerging technologies such as quantum computing! The Nobel Prize for physics this year went to a team who experimented with showing quantum mechanical effects on…
Keep reading
The Solar Neutrino Problem
Science Snippet #1 The solar neutrino problem was a long-standing mystery in physics.When scientists first measured neutrinos coming from the Sun, they detected only about one-third of the number predicted by solar models. Initially, it wasn’t clear whether the experiments were flawed or the models of the Sun were incorrect. It turns out that people were simply missing them! Early detectors could only detect electron neutrinos and it was later discovered that neutrinos can change “flavors”—from electron neutrinos into muon or tau neutrinos—while traveling to Earth. This was BIG NEWS in the science world because it meant that neutrinos do…
Keep reading