Make for yourself a definition or description of the thing which is presented to you, so as to see distinctly what kind of a thing it is in its substance, in its nudity, in its complete entirety, and tell yourself its proper name, and the names of the things of which it has been compounded, and into which it will be resolved. For nothing is so productive of elevation of mind as to be able to examine methodically and truly every object which is presented to you in life, and always to look at things so as to see at the same time what kind of universe this is, and what kind of use everything performs in it, and what value everything has with reference to the whole.
The universe itself is god and the universal outpouring of its soul; it is this same world's guiding principle, operating in mind and reason, together with the common nature of things and the totality which embraces all existence in which everything is contained.
Constantly regard the universe as one living being, having one substance and one soul; and observe how all things have reference to one perception, the perception of this one living being; and how all things act with one movement; and how all things are the cooperating causes of all things which exist; observe too the continuous spinning of the thread and the structure of the web.
Reason means not only using logic, but also understanding the processes of nature — the logos , or universal reason, inherent in all things. Living according to reason and virtue, is to live in harmony with the divine order of the universe, in recognition of the common reason and essential value of all people. The four cardinal virtues of this philosophy are Wisdom, Courage, Justice and Temperance. If someone is unkind, it is because they are unaware of their own universal reason. Likewise, if they are unhappy, it is because they have forgotten how nature actually functions.
- Taken
Apathy frees us from suffering...
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
The Speed of Light
Many years ago, Einstein theorized the interdependence of matter and energy in the famous equation :
E = mc^2
where,
E = Energy dissipated by body of given mass
m= Mass of the body
c=Speed of light (2.8e8 m/s approximately)
This equation is considered the most basic pillar of quantum physics, a subject on which i have negligible knowledge. quantum physics/mechanics is supposedly different from natural physics because the quantities involved are either too huge or too small, to such an extent at which normal physical laws break down and situations are more often than not, termed anomalies.
what is an anomaly ? an electron was considered the basic unit of matter a couple of decades ago. its splitting was termed an anomaly at first. " what the hell !" :P
anyway... what i wanted to talk about in this post was.... what exactly does E=mc^2 means ?
for years this equation has remained an enigma of sorts..
how to change mass into energy ? what will be the outcome if we do manage to accomplish it ? Nuclear fission caused Hiroshima and Nagasaki. E=mc^2 might as well cause Solar System. and rest assured this is not an exaggeration.
According to Einstein, the only way to change matter into energy is to accelerate it to the speed of light. at that point it is said that the complete mass will turn into pure energy. this, however, has never been achieved. any body, however small, cannot even approach the speed of light. why ? because, the force needed to accerlate body is directly proportional to the present speed of the body. in other words, the faster the body is going, more force is required to accelerate it. in fact, the faster the body goes, the more weight(resistance) it offers to the force being applied upon it.
technically speaking, no body which has a mass can even get NEAR the speed of light which is regarded as the infinite speed ( nothing as yet can move faster than light). just before the speed of light, the body will theoretically have infinite mass requiring infinite amount of force to accelerate it infinitely.
too many infinites in that sentence eh ?
infinity.... the bane of mathematicians and physicists alike
and so... we see the irony of E=mc^2
many would regard this as a useless discussion....
but before Columbus, discussing earth was round was also termed useless...
E = mc^2
where,
E = Energy dissipated by body of given mass
m= Mass of the body
c=Speed of light (2.8e8 m/s approximately)
This equation is considered the most basic pillar of quantum physics, a subject on which i have negligible knowledge. quantum physics/mechanics is supposedly different from natural physics because the quantities involved are either too huge or too small, to such an extent at which normal physical laws break down and situations are more often than not, termed anomalies.
what is an anomaly ? an electron was considered the basic unit of matter a couple of decades ago. its splitting was termed an anomaly at first. " what the hell !" :P
anyway... what i wanted to talk about in this post was.... what exactly does E=mc^2 means ?
for years this equation has remained an enigma of sorts..
how to change mass into energy ? what will be the outcome if we do manage to accomplish it ? Nuclear fission caused Hiroshima and Nagasaki. E=mc^2 might as well cause Solar System. and rest assured this is not an exaggeration.
According to Einstein, the only way to change matter into energy is to accelerate it to the speed of light. at that point it is said that the complete mass will turn into pure energy. this, however, has never been achieved. any body, however small, cannot even approach the speed of light. why ? because, the force needed to accerlate body is directly proportional to the present speed of the body. in other words, the faster the body is going, more force is required to accelerate it. in fact, the faster the body goes, the more weight(resistance) it offers to the force being applied upon it.
technically speaking, no body which has a mass can even get NEAR the speed of light which is regarded as the infinite speed ( nothing as yet can move faster than light). just before the speed of light, the body will theoretically have infinite mass requiring infinite amount of force to accelerate it infinitely.
too many infinites in that sentence eh ?
infinity.... the bane of mathematicians and physicists alike
and so... we see the irony of E=mc^2
many would regard this as a useless discussion....
but before Columbus, discussing earth was round was also termed useless...
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)