Einstein's Greatest Equation

Deriving Einstein’s Greatest Equation

E = mc^2

Stationary box A is floating in Space.

A Photon is then emitted from the left and moves towards the right.

E=Energy of the photon

Momentum(p) of a Photon=E/c

The box experiences a recoil force and moves towards the left with a velocity v.

p of box=Mv

Where M = mass of the box

By Conservation of momentum,

M∆x/∆t=E/c - 1

Where ∆x is the distance the box moves in time ∆t when the photon makes it to the other side.

∆t=L/c

Where L = the length of the box

Substituting this in 1,

M∆x=EL/c^2

Assuming the photon has mass m, if the box has a position x1 and the photon has a position x2, the centre of mass for the whole system is,

=(Mx1+mx2)/(M+m)

Since no external force was applied, the centre of mass of the whole system should not change.

Therefore,

(Mx1+mx2)/(M+m)=(M(x1-∆x)+mL)/(M+m)

The photon starts at the left of the box.

Thus x2 + 0

Hence,

mL=M∆x

mL=EL/(c^2)

m=E/c^2

Or,

E=mc^2

Quarks: The building blocks of atoms

We all know that atoms are made up of negatively charged electrons revolving around a positively charged nucleus made up of neutrons and protons. But are these protons, neutrons and electrons too made up of something? Or are they the fundamental and smallest units of the atom? Now before you try to answer that question, lets ponder on another equally relevant point...... How do you discover what the protons and neutrons are made up of if they are indeed not the smallest and fundamental units? How?............ Confused?......... Well try asking yourself this...... Suppose you wanted to find out what was inside you remote controlled car, or you wanted to find out how the land phone in your house worked....... What would you have done then? The answer is fairly obvious I assume......... You would most definitely open it.

Just like that scientists literally tore apart the neutrons and protons. The only difference was that the scientists didn't use screw drivers or spanners to take care of the job, instead they used high energy collisions. That is, they bombarded protons with highly accelerated charged particles to tear them apart and studied them (somewhat similar to what we do when some screw in the machine won't budge and we have to "bombard" the phone or camera with hammers and other household tools accelerated to highly critical rates..............). And when they did that, they observed the presence of tiny charged particles in the protons and neutrons. These constituent particles of protons and neutrons are named as Quarks.

Now, let me tell you some very interesting facts about quarks:

• One can never find a quark by itself (i.e. they are always found in certain combinations). This behaviour of theirs' is explained by Quantum Chromodynamics, about which we shall learn later.

• They are found to possess a charge of either +2/3 or -1/3 (Anti-quarks, about which we shall learn later, possess a charge of either -2/3 or +1/3).

• They always arrange themselves to form particles of integer charge. e.g. 0, 1, 2, 3, etc.

Quarks are of six types (in pairs):

1. Up - Down

2. Top- Bottom

3. Charmed - Strange

(These are all types of quarks, i.e. there are up quarks and down quarks which form the protons and neutrons)

The charges of the diff. types of quarks are as given below:

up +2/3

down -1/3

top +2/3

bottom -1/3

charmed +2/3

strange -1/3

The composite particles formed by the combination of quarks are called Hadrons. e.g. protons, neutrons etc.

Two up quarks and 1 down quark combine to form a proton.

i.e. 2/3 +2/3 - 1/3

or, 4/3 - 1/3

or, 3/3 = 1

Hence the +1 charge of the proton.

For the neutron, it is the opposite. Two down quarks and one up quark combine to form a particle of zero charge.

We shall discuss more about the other types of quarks and the other possible type of Hadron (a Meson) later.

Our Sincere thanks to Rooplata Mam, the Person who Made it all Possible (Thank You Mam)....

Thank You,

Thinkers

Science: The Beginning..... The Atomic Nucleus

The word science originates from the Latin word scientia meaning "knowledge", and knowledge is precisely what we seek in this quest of ours.

I am assuming the reader is already aware of the basics of science such as the existence of atoms and the presence of protons, neutrons and electrons in them, Newton's laws, Gravity etc . Assuming this, I shall now move on to the intricacies and details of atoms, the laws of physics, gravity, etc., all of which is not discussed in our text books in a manner which shall be comprehensible by all......

First, let us take a look at our atom again. Now, we all know that an atom is made up of a positively charged nucleus (comprising of neutrons, which has no charge, and protons, which has a positive charge). But let us look at the nucleus again..... Picture the minuscule yet fundamental creation of nature in your mind again..... Concentrate on the tiny core of the atom.......... The nucleus. Now, there are enormous amounts of positive (as well as neutral) particles crammed inside it..... But hey! Didn't our teacher tell us that like charges repel? And since all protons are positively charged (or like charged)........ aren't they supposed to repel each other? In that case, the atom ought to go BOOM (some what like Kieron Pollard blasting a daring enough bowler, daring to bowl to him that is, out of the stadium as if he were batting against a bunch of schol girls....... just that it wud have been more chaotic and numerous)?............ Or is some mysterious force (of which our dear teachers refused to tellus about) holding them together? Or is the science learnt at school about like charges repelling wrong?............ Now, don't go running off to school to organize a protest against your school all of a sudden........ coz its not option C. It is actually a mysterious force (mysterious to us not the scientists who already know of its' existence) that holds the protons in the nucleus together without going BOOM and following in Kieron Pollard's footsteps.

So, what is this mysterious force that holds the protons together? What is this glue that keeps it from going apart? The answer is a force called the Strong Nuclear Force. This force acts between the protons, the neutrons, and between the protons and neutrons (as we shall see later, this force actually acts between the quarks, the composite particles of protons and neutrons. We shall also investigate more deeply the force carrying particles of the S.N. Force or the Gluons). This force holds all the protons and neutrons together. At very short distances, the strong force is superior in strength to the Electrostatic force (the force that acts between charged particles). Hence it is able to easily over power the repulsion of the like charged protons.

Thus, our first problem in science is solved............... Mission Accomplished.............. For now.....

Hope you enjoyed it.

Thank You,

Thinkers

The Principle (self proclaimed though) of Least Energy

Hi,
this is our first blog on science, and in fact our first blog all together. Its on a substitute to the octet rule. Hope you enjoy.

The Link: http://www.octetruleflaw.blogspot.com/

Club thinkers

Hello

Once, when Dr.A.P.J.Abdul Kalam had visited a school to talk to the children, he was asked a very interesting question, "Who is the greatest Scientist?" Now, you might ask what is so interesting about the question. Well the answer to that lies in the answer the former and doubtlessly one of the greatest minds of the country gave to that very, seemingly, insipid question: "The Child."

I had once read a very unfeigned by line: "Every Question Deserves a Great Answer." What better example to illustrate this genuine fact than the one cited above?

Getting back to the incident, we can intelligibly understand the message Dr. Kalam wished to express with the answer. Who, if anyone, is more apt or worthy of being hailed as the greatest scientist than the very manifestation of imagination in its ultimate form, a being destitute of the chains of ignorance and complacency which bounds and blinds most today, a being who is most definitely the supreme contender of this very quest for truth, that is science; the humble child?

A child has this very intimate sense of reason and an inextinguishable curiosity which for ages formed the essence of human progress and achievement which guides him towards questions and further more towards their answers and ultimately towards a treasure which for decades has eluded us, the very ultimate treasure of all; knowledge.

But alas, man, the self proclaimed crown of all living creature, swayed by temptations and folly, looses the very essence and values that defines him, and goes against this very essence, loosing himself in the process.

A wise man once said: "The two most abundant things in the universe are Hydrogen and Human Stupidity, but not in that order."
Now, I haven't met this guy, of course, and i doubt I'll ever get to, but with such great sayings one doesn't have to meet him to conclude that he's wise.

Man in this very quest for dominance and victory at the expense of the other, not only goes about suppressing his fellow brother and sisters fighting and toiling, resorting to unfair means even, only to attain a success, a meaning, a victory, which is no more than a mirage sought after in the desert heat. Man, in fact, is so lost in this false and meaningless quest, that he resorts to even unfair means to achieve his goal. But is it really worth it? Moreover doesn't man, the greatest social animal in the world, mind even stepping on a fellow bother only to attain his "goal", suppressing the other? He hails the name of his god a hundred times, but resorts to the most indecent and barbaric tactics to attain his wish. What other act could be so base that it could eclipse the dread of this act of cannibalism? Tis a shame, the very greatest, if there ever was one.

Now you might wonder how the hell I got to this from science. Well it ain't that hard if you look at it. Now, try asking yourself this question, "What exactly is science?"
We had contemplated this question in quite some detail in the blog named "The Science Behind Life." The answer we finally got to was, that science was a search for truth. So, if it is a quest for truth, surely an expedition toward understanding the truth behind Life too is science? And if so, then surely our going into matters mentioned above is justified. Moreover science is only science in its true from as long as it aims to do good, good to all, to mankind.

You might think concluding that science is only science as long as it aims to do good is absurd, and of course you are not wrong in thinking so. But ask yourself, what is the quest for truth in inventing such a weapon of mass destruction and using it against hundreds of thousands of innocent people? Surely just coz they might be on the other side of the planet doesn't mean they are any less human?

There is also another aspect of science that we fail to understand, and it is its very essence. Science today has lost its meaning. And this I need not repeat, for this had been the topic of many of our blogs.

So what is the answer to all these problems and ordeals? Its simple, to nurture the very father of this quest, this search for answers; the Child. And this blog though not in primarily, but in a way, is dedicated toward that very goal.

In this blog, we provide links to many questions, theories, interpretations and answers. Also, we wish to add posts concerning science in this blog too.

Now before we proceed with it, we'd like to remind you again that science is all about asking questions and seeking the answers. There is no perfect answer to any question. All answers are just possibilities., the aim is to find the most beautiful one of them all. Coz take your text book itself for example. Now nature or didn't write that, did she? So how can we conclude its right? They are just possibilities. The trick is to explore as many as you can.

Always remember this one fact of life: Life is a great big library, and the trick is to read as many books as you can.......

Thank You,

Thinkers