This is just a link to another of those quick physics answers I do sometimes for BBC Science Focus: Does sound make heat?
The previous one of these sort of connected with a conversation I had on twitter. I think this one probably connects with twitter in general, to be honest.
I got involved in a discussion the other day, initiated by the science writer Natalie Wolchover, about the geometry of the Earth and our intuitive understanding of it.
Continue readingRight, well the weekend was fun.
We went to Cambridge which, while only 48mins away on the train, felt like an adventure in these coronaviral times. The world has shrunk to a plague-stricken village, while at the same time growing to inaccessible dimensions.
The proximate cause of the adventure was a 50th birthday party (thanks Ben and Esther!). I don’t know how this happened, but people who are younger than me are now achieving their half century. Even my little brother made it earlier in the year.
At the party I felt much younger than my calendar age. The morning after, I felt somewhat older, and probably looked it while doing the Cosmic Shambles thing from our hotel room. We discussed amongst other things, Steven Weinberg’s contributions to the foundation of the Standard Model. He did this the year I was born – roughly fifty years ago. Or, as they seem to be calling this these days “nearly fifty-five”. Dammit.
All of this segues nicely into another BBC Science Focus answer I wrote, to the question What day of the week did the Big Bang happen?
See, even the universe is vague on this kind of thing.
I may not have added to this blog for quite some time, but I have been writing… For example, there was this paper on LHC data and composite Dark Matter.
Perhaps more accessibly, I have been writing some little physics explainers for BBC Science Focus. Here is the first: Why are bubbles round? (yes they probably asked Helen Czerski first but I expect she’s busy…)
Also I will be talking to Helen, and Robin, and Clara, on Sunday for Cosmic Shambles. We will be talking about the legacy of the great Steven Weinberg, who I was privileged to meet once at the this meeting. Don’t miss us on Cosmic Shambles:
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