kurt's Physics

focus question Haw dos pressure effect a marshmallow



The marshmallow was affected by the space in the container and the gas in the container the less gas taking up space in the container the more room for the marshmallow has to expand that means less pressure

Kurt's Physics

experiment SOUND SCOPE

it shows you the vibration from the sound in your voice

TJ physics

Keagans physics

Newtons 1st law of motion.

vocab Inertia Resistance to change.

event Lab from book force and motion page 22.

Value claim Becaese it is cool.

Knowledge claim when you flick one coin at a stackof coins the first coins energy goes to the other coin.

Data outline the coin I flicked kicked the bottom one out of the stack and it went throught as well

Hunter-Physics

I studied:
How pressure affects the volume of a marshmallow,
and Sound scope.

ALDEN PHISICES STUDY

The things that I studied are sound waves,nichrome wire and when I went to the ECHO museum I saw contraptions that used magnets.

"Sabrina" Physics

I studied about Newton's Third Law of Motion and how it works. Newton's Third Law of Motion "for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Stephen's physics

I studied the experiment with bubbles and with magnets

_WHY DOES NICHROME WIRE GLOW?_

Nichrome wire glows when when electrons have difficulty flowing through a conductor. Nichrome wire is used in heating elements and stuff like toasters or light bulbs because of it's high resistance to heat so it won't burn out as quickly as other metals.

Exploratory Science - Physics!

We crammed a lot of learning into this section! Overall, we learned about Newton's Laws of Motion and all the formulas that connect to them, we learned about states of matter,

_WHAT IS A WHITE DWARF?_

A white dwarf is a star that has used all of its nuclear fuel

_HOW FAST DOES SHOOTING STARS GO?_

Meteorites can go from 25,000 miles per hour to 120,000 miles per hour.

_WHAT IS A SUPERNOVA?_

A supernova is a star that explodes and becomes luminous

Kurt space study

Space 1

What is a star made of?

The answer is Star are made of over 50 chemicals and het





Space 2

How fast dos the earths spin?

The answer is the earth spins 25,000 m.p. h. on its axes


Space 3


What dos a space probe do?


The answer is a space probe explores the outer reaches of space


Space 4


Which planets have rings what are they made of? The answer is the planets that have rings are Jupiter Saturn Uranus and Neptune the rings are made of ice and the darker rings have dirt in them

Keagan's space focus questions

space focus questions how are craters formed & how does lighting form on Jupiter.


How does lightening form on Jupiter.
Materials: Scissors ruler sheet of thin plastic and 100% wool.
Event: When you pull the plastic and it makes light from friction experiment failed.
Value claim: ?
Knowledge claim: The storms are caused by the planets heat.
Data outline: The ligntining on Jupiter happens from the heat of the planet rather than the sun's heat, experiment failed.

How do craters form.
Materials: Ball, bowl, flour.
Event: Craters being formed by asteroids hitting he surface of the moon.
Value claim: I think it is cool.
Knowledge claim: It is when an asteroid hits a planet.
Data outline: Asteroids, planets, craters.

_WHAT IS A WHITE HOLE?_

A white hole is the opposite of a black hole and it spews out matter.

_WHY ARE JUPITERS CLOUDS COLORED?_

Jupiter's clouds are colored because they're made of ammonia and the sun rays change the chemicals in the clouds which change the colors.

Jupiters Rings- Investigation 3

Jupiter's rings are made from asteroids hitting jupiters smaller moons Thebe, Adrastea,And Metis.There are three rings: The inner most is the halo ring this ring is cloud like. Next is the middle ring this one is called the Main ring, this ring is narrow and thin. Last we have the gossamer ring. The Gossamer is made up of two parts: the Thebe Gossamer And the Amalthea Gossamer. This ring is wispy and almost transparent. The Thebe Gossamer is the outer most ring. The inner ring is made from the outer rings realeasing dust and rocks.

_WHAT IS A RED GIANT?_

A red giant is a star with low temperature and a mass relative to the sun.

What Is A Geomagnentic Storm- Investigation 2

A geomagnetic storm is a temporary disturbance in Earth's Magnetosphere caused by space weathe. Associated with coronal mass injections, coronal holes, or solar flares.

_WHAT IS A SUPERNOVA_

A supernova is a star that explodes and becomes lominous.

What Cause A Meteor Shower - Investigation 1

When comet's and asteroids leave debris in Earths orbit path around the sun. When this Debris enters earths atmosphere it blows up cause lights in the sky. We call these lights ' meteor showers "

_HOW FAST DOES A SHOOTING STAR GO_?

Meteors can go from 25,000-125,000 miles per hour.

Sabrina's Space Study

How did Orion get its name?

Orion got its name from a Greek Mythology Hunter and was brought to the stars by Artemis. She was tricked into killing him. Orion is nicknamed "The Hunter." If you look at the sky at night, look for the constellation Orion. It is shaped like "Orion the Hunter." In conclusion, we will always remember Orion because of how the constellation got its name.

How do you see Saturn through its rings?

You can see Saturn through its rings because it has gaps. They might me minuscule but they are still making a view to see Saturn.

What are gas giants?

Gas giants are large planets that have cores and gases. They are called "Jovian". In conclusion, they are made up of multiple gases.

WHAT IS A WHITE DAWRF?

A white darf is a star that has used up all of it's nuclear fuel.

Stephen's space study

Investigation 1
Focus Question: What is a Lunar Eclipse

Knowledge Claim: A Lunar Eclipse is when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are all aliened



Investigation2
Focus Question: What are Parsecs

Knowledge Claim: a Parsec is light years in space travel. A Parsec is about 30.857 pedometers



Investigation 3
Focus Question: What is a Parallax


Knowledge Claim: A Parallax is two different lines of sight



Investigation 4
Focus Question: How are type 2 Supernovas formed


Knowledge Claim: Type 2 Supernovas are formed in the core of a star


Investigation 5
Focus Question: Why a Comets tail points away from the Sun

Knowledge Claim: The Sun solar winds keeps a comets tail facing the other direction

VEE maps one, two and three

My first focus question was "what is a total eclipse". After some research I was able to write my knowledge claim. It read "it is a time when something other then the moon blocks the sun's light".

My second focus question was "what is the warmest type of star". I found some good information and wrote my knowledge claim as such: "blue hypergaints are the warmest type of star, reaching 40,000 oC or higher".

My last focus question was "what is a solar flare". This one was harder but I did it and I have made a knowledge claim: "it is a explosion of gases do to magnetic fields on the sun".

The Experiment

The vinegar corrodes and oxidised the iron fillings. The iron fillings make a pattern around the magnetic field.

SIN Curved LASER Beams: Orion K. June 2009

Researchers from the University of Arizona and from the University of Central Florida have made an advancement in the study of “ultra-intense” lasers. So reports Larry Greenemeier, in his article called High-Intensity Lasers Throw Scientists a Curve, published on the 10th of April 2009 at sciam.com (http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=high-intensity-lasers-curve). These lasers could improve scientific study by heightening researchers’ understanding of atomic, molecular, optical and plasma physics. The lasers emit brief (only 35 femtoseconds, or 3.5 x 10-14 seconds), but powerful, pulses. However, the short nature (about 10 microns, due to the brief pulses) of these pulses makes them difficult to study.

The researches bent a laser beam; an advancement that they hope will help to show them how these lasers travel though air, and also help to find new ways of using ultra-intense lasers. To make the lasers bend, the researchers “shot” the laser blasts (called bullets) at a sheet of thin glass that had a specific thickness variation. The bullets, which originally had a round shape, were turned into a more triangle-like shape. Because of their high intensity, the laser bullets ionized the air in their wake, leaving plasma behind the pulses, and giving them extreme electromagnetic energy. The bent plasma trail that is left behind can then be scrutinized by scientists. This enables them to learn much more about the structure of laser beams, which, co-author of the research Jerome Moloney says “is very important”.

A bent laser could be used to pull lightening from clouds safely, or to illuminate upper atmosphere spectroscopic studies (such as those of ozone and atmospheric CO2).

SIN Racetrack Memory: May 2009, Orion K.

A new type of solid-state memory, called racetrack memory (RM), may become the high-speed, high data density, nonvolatile, reliable, and reasonably priced option for data storage. It operates by reading and writing the electrical charge in sections of nanowire imbedded in silicone, and may achieve high data density by using three-dimensional arrays. This was reported by Stuart S. P. Parkin on page 76 of the June 2009 issue of Scientific American; his article was entitled Data in the Fast Lanes of Racetrack Memory (see for a version of the article).

RM tries to combine the benefits of the high write speeds of solid-state memory with the nonvolatile (meaning the data remains when the computer powers down) benefits of magnetic hard disk drives. Miniscule polarized electron spin sections in the RM permalloy wire (a highly magnetic nickel-iron alloy) stores data bits. This is done by assigning each section a 0 or 1 value based on the negative or positive polarized spin. Each section is separated by a “domain wall” where the spin switches from negative to positive or contrariwise. However, to read and write data, these states must pass a read/write head.

In a traditional disk drive, the read/write head moves on an arm, and the disk spins to access the data. However, RM does not need to move anything to access the data. A slight, polarized, electrical pulse could move the domain wall at 150 nanometers per nanosecond, whilst maintaining their spacing. The walls could be moved past heads that can read and write information to and from the wire.

This could reduce computers’ energy consumption and increase their lifespan by reducing moving parts and therefore reducing cooling needs.

Alex L., S.I.N, May, Fanless Air Exchange Technology

A major power drain and overall issue for notebook computers is the cooling system, for as computing power is condensed, more heat is generated. This heat must be removed to avoid potentially damaging temperatures. A new technology is being developed independently in many places to combat this, as reported on in the article “Cool Idea: Fan-Free Technology Could Put a Chill on Hot Laptops” written by Larry Greenemeier and published at Sciam.com. The technology under development is a step forward in the process of the remedying this problem, a fanless air/heat-exchange system.
The specific technology, the electrostatic fluid accelerator (EFA), operates as follows: air at one side of the device is ionized and this ionized fluid is drawn toward a negatively charged electrode at the opposite side of the device. The ionized air brings with it un-ionized air and thereby generates a current of air. A heat sink could be built into the device itself, or it could be easily integrated. In a laboratory setting, one research group constructed an EFA that could develop a similar amount of heat transfer as could a conventional fan, but needed only half the energy input. While researchers are unwilling to explain the function of the unit in more depth, they do concede some faults do exist. Faults included that a basis for mass production does not exist and its longevity is unknown.
Portable electronics cannot become more powerful unless more heat can be efficiently removed. This technology is the logical next step to take in this direction.

Keagan May SIN UFO Saved Earth

In the article, UFO saved Earth posted on May 28, 2009 at many sites including Fox News, Russian scientists believe that they found a control panel of a UFO that they think saved the Earth from a meteor. Dr Yuri Labvin has found a large piece of quartz with markings that look like it has a different language on it. Dr. Labvin has the idea that it might be part of a UFO control panel. It was found in Russia near a place where something exploded knocking down 100 square miles of woods. Nobody really knows what caused the explosion. They also found a certain type of rock that is only made in space. Not everybody believes this idea, one scientist from Britain says they have to test the quartz before they know that it is part of a space ship. I think this is interesting because there might actually be other life forms in the galaxy.

Swine Influenza

The May5,2009 Burlington Free Press the article called Swine Influenza written by Kathy Tam talked about the effects of the swine flu and whare it came from. H1N1comes from Mexico it is found in other countries including the U.S. It Is a viral infection that has adapted from pig to human. The virus can rest on hard surfaces like plastic. You can’t get the swine flu from eating properly cooked pork.

TJ April SIN Spring Peepers

TJ
NGkids
Spring peepers are found in forests and fields near ponds and swamps in Canada and the United States. they are rarely seen, but as temperatures rise they are certainly are heard. they are about 1.5 inches long and have toe pad like suction cups. They feed on bugs. their chirps can often be heard as far as a half-mile away. I like frogs and they are good a eating bugs.

Stephen - April SIN - The Hungry Blob at the Edge of the Universe

Stephen Ornes wrote The Hungry Blob at the Edge of the Universe
on April 29,2009, it was published at www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20090429/Feature1. The blob is actually called a Lyman-alpha blob. Astronomer Masami Ouchi and his team believes that this distant galaxy is feeding off of cold gases. Other Astronomers think that these are smaller galaxys coming togeather and make one big galaxy or that this blob is a cloud of gas that is being heated by a huge black hole. This blob is so far away that it is the fourth most distant object ever seen. This blob is seen by a special telescopes that is able to see infrared light coming from space. We can’t see them with our own eyes but you can feel it. Infrared light feels like heat at a distance

Joshua - April S.I.N. - Sea Shells used to clean up Heavy Metals

In developing countries, millions of people lack access to clean drinking water because companies can’t afford expensive filtration systems. However, according to the article Sea Shells used to clean up Heavy Metals by Michael Reilly, published on msnbc.com on April 27, 2009, a team of researchers, led by Stephan Kohler of the Graz University of Technology in Austria, are currently testing a solution. The solution involves nothing but one of the cheapest, most abundant materials available – seashells.
Kohler and his team are currently trying this system out in factories on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City, in Vietnam. The system works by pouring metal and acid-laden water over a bed of crushed clam or mussel shells. The seashells are made from aragonite, a form of calcium carbonate (CACO3). Aragonite swaps its calcium atoms for heavy metals, and the shells, having a pH of 8.3 when dissolved, are naturally basic.
This project started with work done in 2003 by Manuel Prieto of Oviedo University in Spain, who demonstrated that seashells remove cadmium from water. While Prieto removed concentrated cadmium in a laboratory environment, Kohler and his team are expanding that to include other heavy metals, such as lead.
While it’s not likely that developed countries, who can afford more expensive filtration systems, will use seashells to treat water, it could save millions of lives in developing countries. The implications of this are fairly obvious – the quality of life will be significantly improved in those countries due to the increase in drinking water quality.

Alex L., The Magnetoplasmadynamic Thruster, S.I.N 4-09

As a continuation of the articles “Hall Thruster” and “Ion Thruster”, the third installment will discuss the very latest of this type of technology, the magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) thruster. Again, the article “New Dawn for Electric Rockets” by Edgar Y. Choueiri, published on page number 58 of the February 2009 issue of Scientific American was used as the source for data regarding the thruster. First a refresher about the basics of the technology: the magnetoplasmadynamic thruster is a type of electric plasma engine (EPE).
EPE’s in general have characteristics that incline them toward being used in applications where high velocity and/or maneuverability is desired. This type of engine produces little thrust, but can do so over a much greater period of time while requiring a smaller input of fuel; they are limited by this small amount of thrust, for they cannot escape the gravitational field of the earth. In its most simple form, the functioning of an EPE can be described thus: an electrical or magnetic field is generated, into which atoms of gas are introduced. These atoms are ionized creating ions and free electrons that are accelerated out of the engine.
An MPD engine is composed of a shorter hollow cathode placed within a longer cylindrical anode; there is open space between the cathode and anode. Lithium vapor is pumped through the center of the cathode and escapes into the anode, where an “azimuthal” (encircling) magnetic field ionizes the lithium. The same electrical force that was induced to create the magnetic field generates a Lorentz force that accelerates the lithium ions out of the engine. The statistics of the thruster are: flight-tested but not operational, input power is 100-500kW, exhaust velocity is 15-60km/s, thrust is 2.5-25N, and efficiency is 40-60%. This is the most promising of the EPE’s for it has the highest thrust density and allows for modulation of thrust output (throttling) causing more precise control to be realized.

SIN -- Water-resistant Mesh, Orion K. April 2009

Scientists from the Harbin Institute of Technology in China have made a mesh that traps air, making it buoyant (by repelling water), reports Charles Q. Choi in an article entitled Float Your Boat. This article appears on page 28 of the May 2009 issue of Scientific American.

The water retardant mesh is made out of copper wire approximately 200 microns in diameter, with holes of about the same size. First, the researchers submerged the mesh in a solution of silver nitrate, then in acid. This resulted in silver leaf-like structures about seven microns high. The idea for this was found in the hairs of the diving beetle Dytiscus marginalis. The “leaves” trap a “film” of air (the air “sticks to” the leaves), this air film stops water infiltration and gives the mesh its buoyancy. In tests with boats of about an inch square, the leaf covered meshes supported three times as much mass as a mesh without the leaves.

The researchers concede that this repulsion, and resulting buoyancy, would not be enough to float large vessels (such as oil tankers, or even rowboats); however, they say that this could help in development of new miniature aquatic robots.

Quantum Entanglement Progresses-March 2009 SIN, Orion

According to a new study published on February 17, 2009, atomic energy levels, called clock states, are “strong contenders” for use in the quantum computer field, possibly leading to faster, and more efficient computing. This information was presented at physics.aps.org. The article, written by David Voss, documents the work of G. Kirchmair, et al.

There are many difficulties with quantum information storage and processing, including writing to, storing, and reading the states. This all must be done with minimal data loss. One theoretical way to do this is by using the more precise optical entanglement method to write the information, and then transfer that to the longer-lasting clock state entanglement.

The researchers showed optically entangled qubits can be transferred to a calcium ion with only slightly over 3 percent data loss. The calcium ion was 43Ca+. The researchers used laser and microwave forces to produce the optical entanglement in two ions, and transferred the entanglement to hyperfine clock state levels with laser pulses. In an optical entanglement, 25 percent information loss is recorded after 3.43 milliseconds; however, with clock state entanglement, information loss of only 3.3 percent is maintained after 96 milliseconds, with longer times perhaps possible.

This may be the next step toward a functional quantum computer. A quantum computer would be able to operate at much higher speeds, with greater efficiency then present computers.

Alex L. Hall Thruster S.I.N.-March 2009

This post builds on the post “The Ion Thruster”; it adds the Hall Thruster to the discussion.  The same source, the article called New Dawn for Electric Rockets by Edgar Y. Choueiri, published on the 58th page of the February 2009 issue of Scientific American, was used.  Simply put, the technology under discussion, rockets designed with electric plasma engines (EPE’s), is a relatively new technology that uses electricity to accelerate particles, thus providing acceleration in the opposite direction to the rocket in question.  EPE’s generate a much lower magnitude of thrust then a conventional chemical rocket; however, this force of acceleration can be applied for much longer, yielding a higher final velocity.  Because this magnitude is lower, this technology can only be applied outside of the atmosphere.

The most recent thruster to become a viable option for use and travel is the Hall Thruster.  Named after Edwin H. Hall, who discovered the underlying effect in 1879.  This thruster has higher thrust, but is less efficient (only 45% to 60% vs. 60% to 80%) and requires more power.  Because of the method of propulsion, this thruster attains higher exhaust velocity.  It achieves this by using what is termed the Hall current (the principle behind this current is that when two magnetic fields are placed perpendicular in a conductor the electric current will flow perpendicular to the two fields.)  The radial magnetic field causes the electrons from the Hall current to circle and accelerate about the central anode.  An external cathode provides negatively charged electrons, while Xenon atoms are injected.  The interactions between the Xenon atoms, the electrons, the Hall current, and the radial magnetic field causes the Xenon atoms to collide with the whirling electrons; which then cause the Xenon atoms to devolve into ions, forming plasma.  The plasma is then accelerated by the electro-magnetic field generated by the Hall current’s interaction with the radial magnetic field.  This technology has higher power density because it avoids the issue of the electron build up from the Ion Thruster. 

The technology in the Hall Thruster allows us to travel further then would the Ion Thruster, allowing us to explore and thrive in a way previously unachievable.

Stephen Terry
December: Science in the News

Title: Meteorites May Have Sparked Life on Earth
Date of Article: December 17, 2008
Publisher: Society for Science and the Public
Copyright: 2008

In the December 17, 2008 Society for Science and the Public stated that. meteorites may have helped start life on Earth. Large rocks such as meteors moving very fast, may have helped start life on Earth. Geochemist Yoshihiro Furukawa at Tohuku University in Sendai, Japan had an idea of how life started on earth. When rocks such as meteors, crash into oceans they produce a lot of heat and the rocks turn into gas. Scientists did experiments and mixed carbon, iron, and nickel, which are found in meteorites with water, ammonia, and nitrogen, which are found on earth. Then the scientists put these items in canisters and shot them at a target. They wanted to see what was inside of the rocks. After the experiment, the scientists found fatty acids and amino acids in the canisters. These acids are found in cell membranes and proteins. I care about meteorites helping start life on earth because we can use fatty acids and amino acids for our own health.

Kurt - SIN - Dogs Understand Fairness

The National Academy of Sciences did a study that showed dogs know how to be fair as reported in an NPR piece by Nell Green Fieldboyce on December 9, 2008. They looked at how dogs react when a buddy is rewarded for the same trick in an unequal way. The dogs were normally happy to repeatedly give the paw whether they got a reward or not. But that changed if they saw that another dog was being rewarded with a piece of food while they received nothing. It tells people dogs have emotions.

TJ - January S.I.N. - Sky Show This Month: "Two-Tailed" Comet Nearing Earth.

Victoria Jaggard reported at http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/01/090126-comet-lulin.html, that Comet Lulin is sailing through the inner solar system right now and it is getting closer to Earth, its nearest approach will be in late February. Comet Lulin is arriving from far away on a nearly elliptical orbit. Lulin could be on its first pass by the sun. As the object is exposed to the sun's heat the ice on it will vaporize, possibly causing the comet to brighten rapidly or even fall apart. also, the comet's orbit is in nearly the same plane as Earth's but is traveling in the opposite direction. This causes Lulin to appear to move unusually fast and display a rare tail; an optical effect that creates a secondary "tail" pointing toward the sun.


I care because I like space and people should care because this could be dangerous to our planet.

Joshua, January SIN, Blocking Sounds with Holes

In the article Blocking Sound with Holes, written by Charles Q. Choi, published in the December 2008 issue of Scientific American, it was reported that drilling holes in a wall can decrease the amount of ultrasonic sound that gets through.

Francisco Meseguer of the Polytechnic University of Valencia in Spain and his team placed a series of 20 centimeter thick aluminum plates in water and discovered that plates with perforation could reduce the volume of incoming ultrasound waves by up to 10 decibels compared to ordinary plates. The sound waves generate acoustic waves on the surface of the plate that hinder the waves passing through the plate.

This discovery could potentially help to soundproof machines while still letting cool air through. Currently, the team is working on audible sound. Who knew that drilling holes in a wall could actually decrease the amount of sound that gets through? This will undoubtedly have an effect on soundproofing. This development could also be applied to more than buildings. This could also influence architecture, especially industrial architecture, in which lots of heavy machinery is running inside of one building.

January SIN Stephen "Hold on to your Stars Ladies and Gentlemen"

In the article “Hold on to your Stars Ladies and Gentlemen” at http://www.blogger.com/www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/39836/title/FOR_KIDS_Hold_on_to_your_stars,_ladies_and_gentlemen, written by Stephen Ornes on Jan 14, 2009; scientists found that our galaxy is different than they originally thought. We live on earth. The earth goes around the sun. Scientists thought that our galaxy was half the size of Andromeda. They actually found out that our galaxy the Milky Way is about 50 percent bigger than Andromeda. They found out that the galaxy was spinning 100,000 miles per hour faster than they thought. Scientists are finding out that the bigger the galaxy the faster the galaxy spins. They are saying that the Andromeda galaxy and the Milky Way galaxy will eventually crash into each other but that won't happen for a long time. This helps us connect to real life by knowing that our galaxies will collide but not for a long time. I wonder if our galaxies will crash and into each other and become supernova.

Alex, The Ion Thruster, S.I.N, January

Three different types of electric plasma rockets, the ion thruster, the Hall Thruster, and the magnetoplasmadynamic (MPDT) were discussed, and the relative merit for each was compared in the article called New Dawn for Electric Rockets. Edgar Y. Choueiri wrote this article, published on the 58th page of the February 2009 issue of Scientific American. In the article, it is put forth that rockets designed with electric plasma engines (EPE’s) can attain a higher speed than conventionally powered rockets; they are more efficient at doing so. Furthermore, it is implicated that this makes them better for deep space and long-range missions.
A conventional (chemical) rocket burns nearly the entirety of available fuel in initial launch; final velocity is achieved closely after leaving the launch site where the magnitude of thrust is large. EPE rockets, on the other hand, have less thrust during launch, but it can maintain this thrust for a much longer time, which allows acceleration to last longer. Because of its high potential speed, the vehicle may be used in more operations. The electric power supply may even be recharged, although solar power generation is extremely inefficient anywhere beyond the approximate range of mars. Micro-thermonuclear power supplies could be constructed to generate additional energy.
The drive in current operation on many satellites is the ion thruster (whose precursor was patented as long ago as 1916); it is therefore the most relevant technology. The Ion Thruster is the simplest of the EPE devices, and its basic functioning is as follows. A neutral gas (usually Xenon) enters a chamber and is bombarded with electrons; this creates positive ions and causes the element to lose electrons. The electrons are introduced into a magnetically charged environment, and a neutralization device collects the ions. This charged environment accelerates them into an electrically charged net that further accelerates the particles out of the rocket. This type of EPE has exhaust speeds of ~20-50 kilometers per second (km/s), thrust (in a vacuum) of about 20-250 micronewtons (μN), and is approximately 60-80% efficient. Of the three types of EPE mentioned it is the most efficient, but provides the least thrust and has the slowest exhaust speeds.
The future of human societies depend on space travel, therefore any important advancement in this field allows future generations a place in the universe.

Alex, Possible Existance of Dark Matter, S.I.N, December

A balloon that is designed to detect energetic particles in the upper atmosphere of Antarctica has discovered that cosmic radiation is present in greater quantities than expected, says John Matson at sciam.com in a report of a new study published in Nature on November 19, 2008. The balloon caries what is termed an ATIC (for Advanced Thin Ionization Calorimeter), a device that is sensitive to the electrons in cosmic radiation. Because of the energy range particular to this type of cosmic radiation, and the quantity found, it is probable that the radiation stems from a nearby source.
The radiation found was in the 300-800 giga-electron-volt range. This type of energy can be emitted from a verity of sources, including pulsars, microquasars, and something called Kaluza-Klein particles. Based upon the quantities of radiation observed by the ATIC device it was supposed that the Kaluza-Klein particle was the culprit, although this cannot be determined for certain.
The Kaluza-Klein particle has been implicated as being a possible candidate for what is known as dark matter. The standard method of evaluating dark matter uses the gravitational effects it has on galaxies, instead the researchers tried to observe actual particle discharge, in the form of electrons and photons. What has been accomplished in this study is a new method of investigating dark matter, one that may change the course of this type of particle physics. This new method may lead us further on the path to discovering how the universe works.

Orion K. Mileage Increase, January SIN

Electronic Mileage Increase

Vehicle mileage could possibly be increased by up to 20 percent by an electric field, reports Charles Q. Choi, on the 42nd page of the December issue of Scientific American. A well documented effect of an electric field on liquids is to reduce viscosity. A reduction in fuel viscosity makes it so smaller droplets can be injected, allowing for more efficient, complete, combustion. The researchers, from Temple University, utilized this effect by modifying the fuel delivery system of a diesel engine, affixing an “electrically charged tube” to the fuel line just prior to the injectors. This setup was road tested, and the researchers found that the device used less than 0.1 watt, and increased fuel economy by 6 miles per gallon (MPG), from 32 MPG to 38 MPG.

This device has obvious benefits, such as increase profit margins for large businesses and greater fuel economy in personal vehicles, and can be diversified to most all types of internal combustion engines. However it does have detractions, such as greater dependency on oil, since there will be less incentive to invent new technology that does not use oil. I think that this will have short-term benefits, which outweigh the possible long-run detractor trouble.

Orion K. SIN, Quantum Computing, December

Using extremely low temperatures and extremely powerful magnetic fields, a multinational team of university researchers was able to read the quantum state of silicon atoms in a wafer. The team of researchers was also able to increase drastically the time span in which these atoms were stable. John Matson reported on this on November 19, 2008, at sciam.com, in an article titled Quantum Computing Advances a Qubit Closer to Reality.

The conventional processor uses bits, which can be either 0 or 1; the hypothetical quantum processor uses qubits, or quantum bits, which take the form of 0, 1, or both 0 and 1 simultaneously. This would greatly increase computing power.

In temperatures below -270 degrees Celsius (-450 degrees Fahrenheit, 3 Kevin), the researchers implanted a phosphorus atom into a silicon wafer, this adds a “free” electron (because phosphorus has charge 1-) that can be controlled and monitored. The researchers then used “millimeter-wave radiation” to change the spin while they examined the electrical current flowing through the wafer. This method is inaccurate, because it examines the qubits of “a few thousand” electrons, whereas to have a valid processor would have to examine only one electron at a time. This range, the researchers say, will be narrowed, now that the hurdle of reading the state has been passed.

A problem with using phosphorus occurs because the spin could only be maintained in the wafer for about two millionths of a second in previous experiments. A magnetic field 25 times stronger than any used in prior research, along with the cold temperatures, increased this time span 50 fold, making it slightly more feasible for use.

Though scientists are still quite far from reaching a usable quantum computer, this is another advancement toward the “holy grail” of computing.