Quote of the Week

"No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible."

-Stanislaw Jerzy Lac (1909-1966)

On this day...

5th of June, 1723, the Political Philosopher and the Industrial Economist, Adam Smith was born. Smith is one of the key figures of Scottish Enlightenment, Smith studied social philosophy at the University of Glasgow and at Balliol College, Oxford, where he was one of the first students to benefit from scholarships set up by fellow Scot, John Snell. After graduating, he delivered a successful series of public lectures at the University of Edinburgh, leading him to collaborate with David Hume during the Scottish Enlightenment.

Below are the two books which Adam smith is highly respected for. The Scottish Born icon introduced his theories and thoughts in such a way that he would be worshiped later in the future. Yes, he's that guy on the £20 note! 

The Wealth of Nations

The Theory of Moral Sentiments

How people have been inspired by him; 

• http://www.adamsmithinternational.com/
• http://www.adamsmith.org.uk/

He died in the northern wing of Panmure House in Edinburgh on 17 July 1790 after a painful illness and was buried in the Canongate Kirkyard. On his death bed, Smith expressed disappointment that he had not achieved more. Smith always expressed a philomathic approach to anything that interested him. He died at the age of 67. His Legacy is today considered as one of the most influential and powerful amongst other greats. Honestly Mr Smith, we owe you, a lot! 

Kinematics - Lesson 1

Two branches in physics examine the motion of objects:
• Kinematics: describes the motion of objects, without looking at the cause of the motion
(kinematics).
• Dynamics: relates the motion of objects to the forces which cause them (dynamics).

As we work through these two units on kinematics and dynamics (and
through the rest of physics) we will discuss two kinds of measurements
(quantities):
• Scalar: scalars have magnitude (a number value), but no
direction.
Examples: time, mass, distance. Mass is a great example, since it
has a number value (like 58 kg), but we don't give it a direction
(like “East”).
• Vector: have magnitude and direction
Examples: velocity, force, displacement. Force has a magnitude (like 37 N) and a direction
(like "pushed to the left").

Distance & Displacement
In kinematics we need to be able to have a way to describe the motion of the objects we will be
studying, whether it's a car or an atom.
• The most basic information you must have to describe the motion of an object is its
displacement, and the time it took to move that far.
• The displacement of an object is always measured from some reference point (which is usually “zero”, at a location at the start of the motion of the object).
• Although we use the words “distance” and “displacement” interchangeably in
everyday language, they mean very different things in physics.
• The distance between two objects is scalar, since it doesn't matter which
direction you measure it from. e.g. “We are standing 2.3m apart.”
• The displacement of an object is a vector, since you have to state the direction
the object has traveled. e.g. “The car moved 2.56km east.”

The most simple formula for calculating the displacement of an object is…

Δd = df - di

• The Δ symbol is the greek letter “delta” and means “a change in…”
• The subscript “f” and “i” stand for final and initial.
• So, in this formula, we calculate the displacement of an object by taking the final position

minus the initial position.

Example 1: A car is passing a mark on the road that says
600m, and then passes another one 10 seconds later that says
1000m. Determine the distance the truck moved.

Δd = df - di = 1000 - 600 = 400m

Note: If the example had asked for the displacement, we would have to include a direction (like “east”) in our answer, but in this case as no direction is mentioned, we needn't mention any direction. 

To recap, Distance, is just one thing, one magnitude with no direction (a scalar), Displacement has a magnitude and a direction.

Scientists turn cow manure into clean drinking water Fact 74

It's not quite turning water into wine, but scientists in the United States have developed technology that turns cow poo into water.

The McLanahan Nutrient Separation System, which has been developed by Michigan State University, is an anaerobic digested which takes waste and makes energy coupled with an ultrafiltration, air-stripping, reverse osmosis system.

"One small step into manure, One Giant Leap to efficiency."

What goes in manure, comes out water clean enough for livestock to drink, or, at the very least, dispose of in an environmentally friendly way.

“If you have 1,000 cows on your operation, they produce about 10 million gallons of manure a year,” said Steve Safferman, an associate professor of biosystems and agricultural engineering at Michigan State University, who helped develop the project.

“About 90 per cent of the manure is water but it contains large amounts of nutrients, carbon and pathogens that can have an environmental impact if not properly managed.”

The system produces about 50 gallons of water per 100 gallons of manure, but they're hoping to soon increase that to 65 gallons.

There are more than 87 million cows in the US, so if the system works then theoretically they could produce 870 million gallons of clean water every year.

“Here in Michigan we have a tendency to take water for granted,” Steve Safferman, an MSU associate professor of biosystems and agricultural engineering, said in a statement. “But out west, for example, where drought remains an issue, the accessibility of clean water could make the difference between a farm remaining viable or going out of business.”

Perhaps more feasibly, however, is what this invention can do for manure disposal. The US Environmental Protection Agency says that poorly managed manure has consequences – poison drinking supplies, algae growth in water systems, and even air pollution.

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Source; http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/scientists-turn-cow-manure-into-clean-drinking-water-9486227.html

First TV ad in color Fact 73

In the UK, the first product advertised on TV (in color) was Birds Eye Peas.

How much water should we drink? Fact 72

To stay healthy, it's important to replace the fluid we lose when we breathe, sweat or urinate.

We get some fluid from our food but most comes from drinks.

The European Food Safety Authority recommends that women should drink about 1.6 litres of fluid and men should drink about 2.0 litres of fluid per day. That's about eight 200ml glasses for a woman and 10 200ml glasses for a man. 

However, the amount a person needs to drink to avoid getting dehydrated will vary depending on a range of factors, including their size, the temperature and how active they are. So, for example, if you're exercising hard in hot weather you'll need to drink more.

All drinks count, including hot drinks such as tea and coffee, but water, milk and fruit juices are the healthiest. It is best to avoid alcoholic drinks.

Try to avoid sugary, soft and fizzy drinks that can be high in added sugars. These can be high in calories and bad for teeth. Read more on this and other topics here.

NASA Sees Spectacular Sun Eruption Like Never Before (Video) Fact 71

A tiny NASA space observatory built to snap unprecedented view of the sun has captured its first video of a violent eruption of super-hot solar plasma from the surface of Earth's parent star. 



NASA's sun-watching IRIS spacecraft spotted the solar eruption, called a coronal mass ejection (CME), surging off the sun on May 9. Video footage from IRIS shows the amazing explosion with a stream of charged particles and hot plasma spewing from the sun at speeds up to 1.5 million mph (2.4 million km/h). Read More