Saturday, December 23, 2017

Who the hell is Elon Musk?

Posted by Sagar on 3:05 AM with No comments

Who the hell is Elon Musk?

5/11/2015

What do you mean, you've never heard of Elon Musk?

While the youthful face of this South African-born Canadian-American (owner of one of the most deceptive accents on the planet) might not be as recognisable as the likes of Steve Jobs or Bill Gates, Musk is the closest thing we've got to a real life Tony Stark (director Jon Favreau even said Musk served as a benchmark for the Iron Man movies).

With Musk's latest technology venture - a solar-powered home battery that threatens to shake up energy supply - gaining $800 million (£516m) of orders in its first week, we've assembled a fact file explaining why the roving, restless mind of this man could shape the future of our transport, energy and space-going future. But first, some facts.

What's his background?

Musk started his love-affair with technology at a very early age. Son of Errol Musk, a South African-born electrical and mechanical engineer, and Maye Musk, a Canadian-English model, Musk sold his first computer program for $500 at the age 12: code for a video game titled Blastar.

But gaming wouldn't prove to be the main outlet for his computer skills: his first major business success came in 1995, when he and his brother Kimbal launched internet city guide service Zip2. A successful sale to Compaq freed up his time to launch the email payment service X.com, leading to a merge with Confinity which was working on a similar solution called PayPal. When PayPal was poached by eBay in 2002, Musk - as the company's largest shareholder - made a cool $165 million. He was only 31 years old.

Latterly, he is turning his attention to potentially world-changing endeavours.

He's making space travel affordable

Space is expensive. Getting to it, staying in it, looking at it, all costs a heap of money.

The US Government has been steadily reducing NASA's budget since 1965. The Space Shuttle programme, which ran from 1971 to 2011, was said to have cost $450 million per launch (though some put that figure closer to $1.3 billion). Resupplying the International Space Station and putting satellites in orbit is a wallet-draining headache that isn't about to go away - or, as Musk sees it, a business opportunity thin on competition.

Funded in part by his PayPal wealth, Musk set up SpaceX in 2002. Its early projects were focused on reducing the cost of rockets: in 2010 it became the first private company to successfully put a spacecraft in orbit and bring it back, before its Dragon craft became the first private spacecraft to dock with the International Space Station in 2012.

Having clocked up contracts with NASA, the US Government, the American Military and a bunch of (hopefully not shady) private companies to help put things in space, SpaceX is now aiming for a manned mission to Mars, reusable rocket ships and even more advanced rockets.

He's revolutionising the electric car

You'd think trying to get to Mars would be enough to occupy the mind of the average engineer - but, as you're probably starting to realise, Musk doesn't do ordinary.

Shortly after launching SpaceX, he helped establish the electric car company, Tesla motors (now officially a co-founder, his exact role was the subject of a rather messy lawsuit), with the aim of taking on the oil-guzzling motoring industry with an electric car the general public would actually want to own.

After grabbing headlines with the Roadster (a sporty little number that used a body supplied by the UK's Lotus group), Tesla made good on their promise of creating a practical electric car with the launch of the Model S in 2008. Battery powered, with a range of up to 265 miles per charge, the Model S set about overpowering the all-electric competition - scooping up "Car Of The Year" awards in 2013 and 2014.

Tesla continues to strive to make the electric car industry more competitive. As well as improving charging facilities across the US and international markets (with extra-cool Doc-Ock-esque fuel arm designs), it has taken the bold step of opening up its patents to everyone.

"We believe that Tesla, other companies making electric cars, and the world would all benefit from a common, rapidly-evolving technology platform," wrote Musk in his blog last June.

He's inventing new forms of transportation

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"Reaching speeds of 760 miles per hour," isn't the sort of sentence you'd take seriously outside of a science fiction novel. It's akin to, "making the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs".

But this is the improbable aim of Musk's latest transport brainchild, the Hyperloop.

Describing the tube-riding system as a, "cross between a Concorde and a railgun and an air hockey table", Musk envisages transporting passengers across the 354 miles between Los Angeles to San Francisco Bay Area in 35 minutes.

In essence, Hyperloop would see capsules propelled along a large tube line under partial vacuum, thus reducing the friction and resistance on the capsule and helping it motor along with an average speed of 598 mph. Currently set for construction and testing in California next year, if it works, Hyperloop could help make the world an even smaller place.

And now he's trying to disrupt the energy market

By which we mean he isn't repeatedly flicking the lights on and off.

On 30 April this year, Tesla revealed its latest battery venture, the PowerWall: a rechargeable battery, paired with rooftop solar panels, that can power your domestic needs and thus cut your reliance upon the variable costs of being plugged into the wider grid.

With a clever combination of charging during low usage periods (like when you're out at work) and kicking in to help power your evening Netflix marathon, the PowerWall is set to arrive in two models (a $3,500 10kWh model and a $3,000 7kwWh model) this summer - with some $800 million-worth units already reserved in its first week.

He's scared of AI

Should you be conjuring an image of a Tony Stark-esque megalomaniac driving around California on the cusp of accidentally starting his own Age Of Ultron war, breathe easy.

Having raised concerns over creating an all-powerful AI system in multiple tweets and stage appearances, Musk proved his fears were more than just headline-grabbing PR when he donated $10 million to the Future of Life Institute group. Their aim? To ensure any AI we create is human-friendly.

You should now have some fact-ammo to help you out when you next overhear someone posing the question "Who is Elon Musk?". Here's hoping he keeps on the route of Tony Stark rather than turning into the James Bond villain his career is readily paralleling.

10 Intelligent Ways to Cheat in Exams.

Posted by Sagar on 6:45 PM with No comments

10 Intelligent Ways to Cheat in Exams.

So, let’s just all be honest.Cheating is not something we are unaware of.We have all done this at least once in our life time. ( I’m referring to cheating in exams.Cheating of any other kind is a big No-No! ).From small chits to blue tooth watches, the techniques are various. Neil deGrasse Tyson once said “When students cheat on exams it’s because our School System values grades more than students learning something.” Thank you Mr.Tyson for standing up for us.So, today we are going to discuss some highly- intelligent-never-get-caught,ways for cheating.9/24/2015

PS- We would never recommend these ways for major exams.It’s always better to study and pass honestly and gracefully.

10. The classic cheat sheet method

By far one of the oldest cheating method known to student kind.But there are some important things you should know to make this method an intelligent one.

A.Never take a large sized paper, opt for something like the one in the image.

B.Write the required information in a clear, readable font size.( size shouldn’t be too big or too small).

C. Get rid of the paper as soon as the exam is over.

D.Do not look too suspicious.

However, this method has a high chance of getting caught.So, go ahead and cheat at your risk.

9. The Water Bottle trick.

This technique is pretty neat.All you have to do is copy down information on a piece of paper and stick it to the label of the bottle.As easy as that.There isn’t a high risk of getting caught.You might want to follow the font on the label to escape unscathed.

8.This exam’s so tough method.

Well, do this if you’re not that proud.What’s pride got to do here anyway? You decided to cheat.That’s enough pride down the drains.What you got to do here is to slam your head on the desk in the utmost desperate manner, and sneak into your friend’s paper!

7.Write on your leg.

Wear some loose fitting pants.The type of pants you can pull up.So, write down formulas and other important text on your leg.Sit with your legs crossed and pull up and cheat peeps.

6. Pen Scanners

Pen Scanners click a photo of the question paper and this is sent through a mobile phone connected to the pen scanner to your helper outside.The cheater has a small earpiece which is connected to the mobile phone.The friend calls the cheater on his phone which is on auto answer mode and dictates the answers.If you can go this far you might as well study.

5.Graphing Calculators

This method is useful for Science and Math exams.So, as you know graphing calculators can help you store data.

Press Program, select New then press Enter.

Name the new program.

Type in your formulas.

To read your notes go to Edit and select the proper one.

Before the exam, the teacher may come and erase your calculator’s memory.To avoid this press the 2nd key then the memory button (“+” button).Next go to “All”.Once you find your notes press Enter.An asterisk will appear which means it’s safe.After the teacher erases the memory go to the menu and you”ll see your notes safe and secure.(You’re welcome).

4. Mechanical Pencil

You need a non-see through mechanical pencil that uses thick leads.Remove the eraser and roll up your cheat sheet and put inside the barrel.During the exam, when one piece of lead runs out pretend as if you are putting more in and take a look at your cheat sheet.

3.MP3 Pen (smh)

A pen that can play audio files.What more do you need?Combine your MP3 pen with a Spy Head Set and then play your audio files.It also really looks like a pen.

2.Smart Watches

This might be the most simple method.All you have to do is, first take a picture of your notes on the phone and then sync it with the smart watch.All your images shall be available on the smart watch too.You don’t even have to worry about taking your phone inside the class.Connect it with blue tooth and keep it outside in your bag.During the test, on the smart watch open gallery and you”ll see your notes there!

1.The “Always Works” method.

This method is perfect.It always works, and the risk of getting caught is zero! It’s pretty simple.All you’ve got to do is take the text book assigned to you, by your teacher and choose one pen.Open the text book, and take the portion you have to learn for your exam and you ACTUALLY study! See? So easy!

So, that’s it people and all the very best for your exams.

A universe of 10 dimensions

Posted by Sagar on 7:11 PM with No comments

A universe of 10 dimensions

When someone mentions "different dimensions," we tend to think of things like parallel universes – alternate realities that exist parallel to our own, but where things work or happened differently. However, the reality of dimensions and how they play a role in the ordering of our Universe is really quite different from this popular characterization.

To break it down, dimensions are simply the different facets of what we perceive to be reality. We are immediately aware of the three dimensions that surround us on a daily basis – those that define the length, width, and depth of all objects in our universes (the x, y, and z axes, respectively).

Beyond these three visible dimensions, scientists believe that there may be many more. In fact, the theoretical framework of Superstring Theory posits that the universe exists in ten different dimensions. These different aspects are what govern the universe, the fundamental forces of nature, and all the elementary particles contained within.

The first dimension, as already noted, is that which gives it length (aka. the x-axis). A good description of a one-dimensional object is a straight line, which exists only in terms of length and has no other discernible qualities. Add to it a second dimension, the y-axis (or height), and you get an object that becomes a 2-dimensional shape (like a square).

The third dimension involves depth (the z-axis), and gives all objects a sense of area and a cross-section. The perfect example of this is a cube, which exists in three dimensions and has a length, width, depth, and hence volume. Beyond these three lie the seven dimensions which are not immediately apparent to us, but which can be still be perceived as having a direct effect on the universe and reality as we know it.

Scientists believe that the fourth dimension is time, which governs the properties of all known matter at any given point. Along with the three other dimensions, knowing an objects position in time is essential to plotting its position in the universe. The other dimensions are where the deeper possibilities come into play, and explaining their interaction with the others is where things get particularly tricky for physicists.

The timeline of the universe, beginning with the Big Bang. According to String Theory, this is just one of many possible worlds. Credit: NASA

According to Superstring Theory, the fifth and sixth dimensions are where the notion of possible worlds arises. If we could see on through to the fifth dimension, we would see a world slightly different from our own that would give us a means of measuring the similarity and differences between our world and other possible ones.

In the sixth, we would see a plane of possible worlds, where we could compare and position all the possible universes that start with the same initial conditions as this one (i.e. the Big Bang). In theory, if you could master the fifth and sixth dimension, you could travel back in time or go to different futures.

In the seventh dimension, you have access to the possible worlds that start with different initial conditions. Whereas in the fifth and sixth, the initial conditions were the same and subsequent actions were different, here, everything is different from the very beginning of time. The eighth dimension again gives us a plane of such possible universe histories, each of which begins with different initial conditions and branches out infinitely (hence why they are called infinities).

In the ninth dimension, we can compare all the possible universe histories, starting with all the different possible laws of physics and initial conditions. In the tenth and final dimension, we arrive at the point in which everything possible and imaginable is covered. Beyond this, nothing can be imagined by us lowly mortals, which makes it the natural limitation of what we can conceive in terms of dimensions.

The existence of these additional six dimensions which we cannot perceive is necessary for String Theory in order for their to be consistency in nature. The fact that we can perceive only four dimensions of space can be explained by one of two mechanisms: either the extra dimensions are compactified on a very small scale, or else our world may live on a 3-dimensional submanifold corresponding to a brane, on which all known particles besides gravity would be restricted (aka. brane theory).

The existence of extra dimensions is explained using the Calabi-Yau manifold, in which all the intrinsic properties of elementary particles are hidden.

If the extra dimensions are compactified, then the extra six dimensions must be in the form of a Calabi–Yau manifold (shown above). While imperceptible as far as our senses are concerned, they would have governed the formation of the universe from the very beginning. Hence why scientists believe that peering back through time, using telescopes to spot light from the early universe (i.e. billions of years ago), they might be able to see how the existence of these additional dimensions could have influenced the evolution of the cosmos.

Much like other candidates for a grand unifying theory – aka the Theory of Everything (TOE) – the belief that the universe is made up of ten dimensions (or more, depending on which model of string theory you use) is an attempt to reconcile the standard model of particle physics with the existence of gravity. In short, it is an attempt to explain how all known forces within our universe interact, and how other possible universes themselves might work.

For additional information, here's an article on Universe Today about parallel universes, and another on a parallel universescientists thought they found that doesn't actually exist.

There are also some other great resources online. There is a great video that explains the ten dimensions in detail. You can also look at the PBS web site for the TV show Elegant universe. It has a great page on the ten dimensions.

11 Empowering Women Physicists

Posted by Sagar on 7:36 PM with No comments

11 Empowering Quotes By Women Scientists, Because It's Important To Celebrate The Pioneers

It's no secret that science and gender equality aren't on the best of terms; even in the modern day, women are still heavily underrepresented in fields pertaining to science and technology. For centuries, women have struggled for recognition of their academic achievements, and they rarely received it during their lifetime — but if the the following empowering quotes from women scientists are anything to go by, they weren't the type to give up easily.

Of course, we've come a long way since Rosalind Franklin's contributions to understanding the structure of DNA were overlooked in the 1950s. Today, Nobel Prizes for scientific achievements have been awarded to dozens of women, and the United Nations recognizes Feb. 11 as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. However, the gender disparity in STEM fields remains a pressing issue, especially in the United States: Although women have earned around half of all science and engineering degrees awarded since the 1990s, they are far less likely than their male counterparts to work in STEM fields after graduation — in fact, according to a 2011 report, women hold less than a quarter of STEM occupations in the United States despite making up almost half the overall workforce.

This is due to a number of factors beginning in childhood, when our culture begins to discourage girls' interest in science, and going on to include prejudice from all sides later in life. Research has shown that science faculty are less likely to hire or mentor a student if they believe they are a woman, and even parents are more likely to rate their daughter's mathematical ability lower than a boy's with an identical score. It's enough to get even the most determinedly optimistic feminist down, but rather than focusing wholly on the negatives, let's focus on the positives as well. Women may still face enormous obstacles in pursuing science and technology, but we're much better off than we were a mere century ago — and it's all thanks to the female scientists who pioneered the way in the past. Let's celebrate with 11 of their most empowering quotes.

1. "Let us choose for ourselves our path in life, and let us try to strew that path with flowers."

— Emilie du Chatelet, mathematician, physicist, and author

2. "It is shameful that there are so few women in science...There is a misconception in America that women scientists are all dowdy spinsters. This is the fault of men."

— Chien-Shiung Wu, experimental physicist

3. "The love of one's own sex is precious, for it is neither provoked by vanity nor retained by flattery; it is genuine and sincere."

— Maria Mitchell, astronomer

4. "Certain people – men, of course – discouraged me, saying [science] was not a good career for women. That pushed me even more to persevere."

— Francoise Barré, virologist and winner of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

5. "If you know you are on the right track, if you have this inner knowledge, then nobody can turn you off... no matter what they say."

— Barbara McClintock, cytogeneticist and winner of the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

6. "Science and everyday life cannot and should not be separated."

— Rosalind Franklin, chemist and X-ray crystallographer

7. "Don't let anyone rob you of your imagination, your creativity, or your curiosity."

— Mae Jemison, physicist and astronaut

8. "I was taught that the way of progress was neither swift nor easy."

— Marie Curie, physicist, chemist, and winner of the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics and the 1911 Nobel Prize in Physics

9. "I hadn't been aware that there were doors closed to me until I started knocking on them."

— Gertrude B. Elion, biochemist, pharmacologist, and winner of the 1988 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

10. "With men you're expected to do well and get the support, but for females, you have to sacrifice something in a different way from men... I think it's very important for other woman to see that I have had success."

— May-Britt Moser, neurologist and winner of the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

11. "Life need not be easy, provided only that it is not empty."

— Lise Meitner, physicist

Images: Wikimedia Commons (6)

10 Billionaires Who Dropped Out Of College

Posted by Sagar on 9:17 PM with No comments

10 Billionaires Who Dropped Out Of College

Dropping out of school and making a million or two has nearly become something trivial for young entrepreneurs. You will be amazed about the number of millionaires, who dropped out of college and got rich. Many of them even made billions from their businesses. Below you can read about 10 of the most famous, super successful college dropouts, who became billionaires. But first, let me share some thoughts on the matter. I am not telling you to quit your education. I think it’s really important and in fact the millionaires, who earned a degree are more than those, who did not. Quitting college was not the thing that made these people rich. Hard work, dedication and passion were the factors that helped for that. What I am actually saying is just that you don’t need to go to college to become rich. Also, in many universities you are taught to be a successful employee, rather than an entrepreneur. In these cases this could spoil your bigger plans for your future. Whatever, here are the successful dropouts:

Steve Jobs 2010, Wikimedia.org

1) Steve Jobs – he attended Reed College for a short period of time (one semester), but soon he dropped out to work for the video game company called Atary. He was amazed about the idea of the personal computer and decided to dedicate his time to it entirely. He started visiting some lectures at Hewlet-Packard where he actually met Steve Wozniak. The rest is history.

2) Bill Gates – after graduating form high school, gates was accepted at one of the most desired university – Harvard. He spent most of his time messing with the computers there. In 1975, the computer MITS Altair 8800 was released and soon Bill quit his education to start his own company making software for that machine. In college he met Steve Blamer, who would later become the CEO of Microsoft. His net worth in 2015 is $79.3 billion.

3) Mark Zuckerberg – he attended Harvard university and there he created Facesmash – an online application, where the students could vote for the best looking photo. The site became so popular, that it was shut down by the university, because of causing problems with their servers. Mark dropped out during the second year to entirely dedicate his time to the project that would later become known under the name Facebook. He had $36.8 billion of net assets in 2015.

4) Michael Dell – he was studying biology, because his parents wanted for him to become a doctor. During the first year he began assembling computers for friends and this turned out to be a really lucrative occupation. Soon, he realized that medicine was not his vocation and he quit college, because he needed time to manage his more lucrative computer business. 2015 net worth – $18.8 billion.

5) Richard Branson – he didn’t drop out of college, but he dropped out from high school. He had dyslexia and couldn’t cope well with lessons. Instead of studying, he started his own business. Ironically his first successful business venture was issuing a magazine called “Student”.

6) Ty Warner – the famous American toy manufacturer (the father of Beanie Babies, Beanie Baby) and currently a billionaire was accepted at Kalamazoo College, but dropped out during the first year to do business. Today his net worth is around $2.5 billion.

Sir Richard Branson

7) Mark Rich – one of the most famous international trader of commodities. Although he is a questionable personality because some legal issues, since he has quit college, he has made $2.5 billion.

8) Ted Turner – the founder of the CNN empire didn’t earn a degree, too. This was not an obstacle for him to create one of the most popular news networks in the world and make $2 billion of net worth.

9) Lawrence Ellison – The founder and currently the manager of the software giant Oracle attended the University of Illinois, but dropped out at the end of his second year. He couldn’t pass his exams, because of the death of his adoptive mother during that time.

10) Kirk Kerkorian – he has never even been close to college. He dropped out high school at 8th grade. Back in 1962, he bought 80 acres of land in Las Vegas for $1 million and sold it 6 years later, earning $9 million in 1968. This was actually his start. The manager of Tracinda Corporation doesn’t like publicity and he gives interviews really rarely. Although he has made millions in donation, he never allowed something to be named in his honor. His net worth is around $3.3 billion dollars today.

Royal Physics Society of CDP

Saturday, December 23, 2017