The Disappearing Spoon Chp. 17

The Disappearing Spoon Chapter 17

Summary:

This chapter first starts out with a story about Donald Glaser, who came to the idea of using bubbles for some current experiments going on by scientists studying exotic fragments of neutrons, electrons and protons. Watching his beer glass and bubbles, Glaser was able to take part in the creation of the “bubble chamber”.

 The chapter then moves onto smaller stories of the Roman’s love of calcium bubbles. Kean then introduces Rutherford as basically that of a troll but based on his radioactive experiments he became famous. He and another scientist, Soddy, were able to prove that elements could mutate into other elements. He then used this knowledge and discovered helium particles being produced from this decay as bubbles.try This theory then went on to be used as a dating device to help find the age of the earth by measuring the amount of helium trapped in rocks. The next story is then of a scientist by the name of Putterman. He had the idea of sonoluminescent work and soon began a small experiment that led to his discovery. Most of the discoveries in the later part of the chapter were based on the research of foam.

Reflection:

This chapter mostly talked about bubbles and I thought it was pretty funny. I liked that it was about bubbles because it was kind of easier to understand than other chapters. I thought it was interesting, however, on how they used lithium bubbles in rocks to determine the age of the earth. Basically I thought this chapter was very funny and cool on how they came up with ideas.

Guided Questions:

1. What earned Donald Glaser the Nobel Prize at just 33?

His revamped version of the bubble chamber.

2. What did Rutherford discover about the structure of the atom?

He went on with pure radioactivity. They release new elements.

3. Scientists now estimate the universe to be at least 14 billion years old. Research one way they came to that conclusion besides helium trapped in rocks. Cite your reference in your explanation.

One way they could determine it would be within decay of other things like uranium and other elements.

4. Why is the firing of a rifle into water considered the antithesis to work done by Rutherford?

It is considered to be the antithesis to work done by Rutherford because it did the opposite.

The Disappearing Spoon Chp. 19

The Disappearing Spoon Chapter 19

Summary:

The chapter first opens up by talking about the highly scarce and unstable element Francium and its uses in the world around us. It then goes on to talk about what the universe we live in is made up off and how everything else is just an error. After so, the chapter then starts to give out information about the scarcest and most unstable natural element Astatine and just how much scarier it is when compared to any other known element. The chapter then introduces the concept of exactly what the Island of Stability of Superheavy Nuclei is and how many scientists tried preparing to conquer it like it was an actual island and even used charts to look like maps. However, scientists didn't expect it to be so ridiculously difficult and even modern scientists today aren't even able to "Find a port on the island". Plus, our modern scientists have discovered the possibility that more "Islands" like these may exist further out since any known element with a high enough mass can join it too. With this current rate of progress, we may never find the end of unstable elements and will never conquer them all. 

After talking more about how DNA fits in all of this, the chapter then introduces Albert Einstein and how he contributes to all of this. Although Einstein contributed greatly to modern sciences with his research, theories, and etc., as the more he continued to work on quantum mechanics, he eventually came to distrust himself because even he didn't want to believe what he was saying since it was conflicting with his religious code. Sadly, no matter how strong his efforts were, he was incorrect about God NOT using dice to determine the universe his "Theory of Everything" was too incorrect. After the chapter finishes speaking about Albert Einstein, it speaks more about the arrangement of the periodic table and how it is essentially our best way of communication with otherworldly species in the universe since it is the only form of communication shared around the universe. Finally, the chapter ends it off with expressing that the periodic table formation is our most prized possession in modern science.

Reflection:

While I enjoyed the way that the chapter ended off and the new types of possible questions it opened up for me, I overall feel that the chapter could have been better. The chapter felt like it was repeating itself a bit from the very beginning to somewhere halfway through and the information given in the beginning to the middle wasn't all that appealing to me. I, of course, do believe that the information given is certainly interesting, but I certainly did enjoy reading other chapters more than this one. However, just because this chapter wasn't all that appealing to me doesn't mean that it wasn't interesting at all. Overall, I enjoyed finishing this book and am glad to have read it from start to finish.

Guiding Questions:

1. Francium is terribly dangerous. Why don't we hear about it being used as a weapon? 

It's too highly unstable to use and and most of it disappears before we even get the chance.

2. What are the other two fundamental forces besides the strong and electromagnetic forces? Which force is responsible for radiation?

 Weak interaction and gravitation. Weak interaction is responsible for radiation.

3. What is the "island of stability?"

Highly radioactive elements we have yet to overcome.

4. Why is it believed that we could never go beyond element 137 on the table? 

The speed the gravitational force would have would be too high for it would be crossing the speed of light.

5. Find alternative ways to arrange the periodic table online and comment on them. Would you prefer the table was designed differently? Why or why not?

I believe it would be better to keep the table as it is since our current table has been used for a very long time already and thus need time to adjust and check to see if correct and not confusing to use.

The Disappearing Spoon Chp. 18

The Disappearing Spoon Chapter 18

Summary:

The chapter first starts off by giving us a vivid description on just how terribly awful the people from the bureau of standards and measurement are, yet widely relied on by many countries. After describing the bureau of standards and measurement, the chapter starts to describe the type of work they do and just how they do it; basically describe what mathematics they use. Once it finished speaking about the tons of information on the standards of measurement, it introduced Einstein into the topic and started to explain the interactions between electrons and protons. After so, the element, previously mentioned before several chapters ago, Cesium is introduced and how it is completely unique when comparing its one electron in the outermost shell. Since, the chapter thought that there needed to be more numbers in here, the chapter started talking about more numbers. If you can't tell already, I am being bias towards this chapter because of how many times numbers are mentions; I don't want more numbers. 

Finally, after the chapter finishes speaking about how many different numbers are involved, even more numbers are involved and I have yet to see something like a background story that is existent or remotely interesting. Luckily, some background information is then described involving French miners in 1972 that caused a scientific roar. After that lucky break, more scientific notation and other numbers are talked about and how they fir in all of this. Overall, I' just going to end it here and say that the chapter ends with astronomers talking about how humans are very insignificant  and that finding life somewhere in the universe may not be all that impossible in the future. 

Reflection:

By simply skimming through my summary, you'd be able to easily tell that I, in not way, liked reading this chapter. The only remote thing that I enjoyed reading from this chapter was the ending, knowing that I had finished reading this chapter. The main reason as to why I so highly disliked this chapter is because of just how much math was involved and how there was barely any evidence of background history. Overall, I wish I didn't read this chapter.\

Guiding Questions:

1. Why is the official kilogram in Paris made of mostly platinum?

It would change the least in a given amount of time.

2. What is an atomic clock and how does it work? Why is cesium the ideal element for these clocks?

it helps determine the wavelength and cesium is used to determine with great accuracy.

3. What is significant about the constant alpha?

Because it is a dimensionless ratio-all units cancel out-involving three quantities.

4. Why is it impossible for a number like pi to change but apparently possible for other constants like alpha to change? 

Since pi is a constant number, it will always consistently be the same; however, alpha can change because it can be a variable.

5. We all can agree what something like a second or mile is on a daily basis. Do you think that it’s important that scientists have an extremely exact definition of a second? Why or why not?  

If not, any problem using time in the problem will always be inaccurate and unpredictable.

6. Why is it such a big deal if a constant has changed a whopping .001 percent over 10 billion years?

It proves that it was at one point eventually completely change.

7. What does it mean for something to be a paradox?

To be exact, yet also contradicting.

The Disappearing Spoon Chp. 16

The Disappearing Spoon Chapter 16

Summary:

    This chapter was interesting but so hard to comprehend due to the uncertainty of it. The majority of the chapter dealt with the crazy characteristics of elements when exposed to extreme conditions of temperature. Kean starts out with the story of a few Englishmen that set out to be the first men to ever be 90 degrees below the equator. Though, Norwegians had already been there first when the five men reached the spot. Matters got even worse for the men because they became stuck in harsh snow storms for weeks and ran out of supplies, including a heat source, due to their tin kerosene holders leaking.

The next part doesn’t focus on certain scientists but more so the fascinating form that matter can take when temperature is either extremely cold or hot. In one example, the scientists dropped the temperature to around 445 degrees Fahrenheit in order to combine xenon and argon as well as krypton to other elements, including the noble gases. Kean then moves on to an even more unimaginable idea of Bose-Einstein condensate. This then moved into an experiment conducted that reached one billionth of a degree above zero where all of the atoms basically combine into one huge super atom.

Reflection:

    This chapter was enjoyable to read because of the Bose-Einstein condensate. Although it was a little difficult to understand it was very interesting to know the form of matter that can take place with different types of temperatures. I also thought that the idea of Bose-Einstein was interesting because it says that all atoms basically combine into one huge super atom. This chapter overall was very enjoyable to read.

Guided Questions

1. Why is it significant that tin can form alpha and beta shapes of its crystals?
This causes their shape to change which causes "Tin Leprosy".

2. Why was it so hard for scientists to make a compound from argon?
It  is hard for them because argon won't grasp onto anything. It also requires very frigid temperatures.

3. What does maser stand for? Laser?
Microwave Amplification By Stimulated Emission of Radiation-MASER
Light Amplification By Stimulated Emission of Radiation-LASER

4. Besides making strong lasers, neodymium can help make the world’s strongest _LASERS_.

5. Why does a Bose Einstein Condensate require such an extremely cold temperature?
The temperature of the condensate is used so that the atoms can somehow not be individual atoms but merge and combine.

The Disappearing Spoon Chp. 15

The Disappearing Spoon Chapter 15

Summary:

    The chapter first starts off with the story of William Crookes, the story explains how he was a rather well acknowledged scientist in his early thirties. However, when his brother died at sea he apparently went “mad”, or at least that’s what a few people thought. He made contraptions and theories of spirituality and the existence of his dead brother when he went to séances en mass to mourn for his brother. Although many scientists thought of his work as ridiculous ghost ideas, he managed to pull out of his pathological science stage and began working with selenium and radioactivity.

Following after the author provides a much appreciated definition of pathological science. He then goes on to tell the story of scientists finding shark teeth on the bottom of the ocean covered in manganese. Then the theory of the megalodon starts up.the story moves from giant sharks to the scientists Pons and Fleischmann. These two scientists unfortunately succumbed to fame and credit over their scientific findings with electric currents, water and palladium. When they discovered that palladium soaks up an unimaginable amount of hydrogen when in water with electricity, they automatically released their results of a new age of energy before they could test the experiment more thoroughly. They went down in history as frauds of their own results but also as the scientists who started the important research on such a reaction.

Reflection:

    This chapter talked about “mad” scientists that discovered many things that really changed the way people thought. William Crookes was talked about and was said to be well acknowledged  but when his brother died his descent into madness began. I thought this chapter was very interesting because I did not think that they would explain the specifics. The one thing I didn’t know before was that William Crookes was the scientist that suggested the idea of isotopes.

Guided Questions:

1. What was unique about William Crookes? How was he influential in the discovery of
William Crookes was unique because he believed in ghost .He discovered a radiometer which he used to detect spirits.

2. How is a megalodon like Bigfoot? How is it different?
The Megalodon are both mythical creatures that people believe to be true. You can say they are different because they live in different environments.

3. What does it mean to be a pathological scientist?
A pathological scientist is one who has psychological lapses to interfere with their science.

4. What is "cold fusion?" How is it similar to the attempt to develop perpetual motion machines, machines that can run forever without input of energy?
Cold fusion is during atoms with extremely cold temperatures. Since perpetual motion machines run on their own they can most likely keep going.

5. What did William Rontgen discover? How was his reaction to his discovery very different from the reaction of Pons and Fleischman to their "discovery?"
He believed that what he had done was somehow an error and didn't think it was a discovery. He discovered x-rays.

The Disappearing Spoon Chp. 14

The Disappearing Spoon Chapter 14

Summary:

In the following chapter it talked about how science came together. As it also came together it became more and more expensive, so the only people that could find the mind blowing discoveries were people that had the means. It then talks about how Johann Wolfgang von Goethe who was a writer and also a scientist that made outrageous claims about science and politics. A major bold claim made by Goethe was the double reactions. He described the reaction like two marriages with the laws of attraction. Although making many outrageous claims, he helped launch Johann Dobrereiner’s career.

The last person that was talked about was Robert Lowell. He was not all there but this actually help him come out with different ideas. His madness however was also his downfall as it had started to fall into his life. Nothing back then was able to help him until Lithium came along. Lithium then became the first mood stabilizer and Lowell agreed to the medication and it did prevent the next episode. It also regulated the proteins that made this happen and after this his work changed and people noticed. The lifes of many were changed due to these medications.

Reflection:

    This chapter showed me the different faces of science. You think that people know what they talk about, but reading about Goethe reminds me of the way some politicians deceive people. I say deceive because Goethe published his ideas and influenced people, in a way he kind of deceived them. Reading about Lowell made me sad because he suffered through the thoughts in his mind and people enjoyed reading about it. Once he was well, people didn't enjoy his work anymore because he had changed. Overall, I throughly enjoyed reading this chapter for the storiea given and information told.

Guided Question:

1. Who was Johann Von Goethe? Was he a great scientist? Why or why not?
Johann Von Goethe was a writer and a scientist and he was not a great scientist because he always made outrageous claims and also claimed discoveries to be his.

2. How was Dobereiners triads the precursor to the periodic table? Why might iron, nickel and cobalt be considered a related triad (beyond the fact that they're metallic?)
Dobereiners triads were the precursor of the periodic table because it showed that the masses were similar.

3. What does the author mean when he says Mark Twain was prescient on p. 250?
The author meant that Mark Twain was trying to relate science fiction to scince.

4. What did the poet Robert Lowell mean when he said his brain lacked a little salt?
Robert Lowell meant that he needed the lithium medication to help him.

5. What other uses does lithium or lithium compounds have besides batteries and an anti-depressant?
Appliances and alloys for aircraft parts.

6. Read the note entitled "a hobby" on p. 200 in the back of the book and summarize your
understanding in 3-5 sentences.
Basically the words left of the equal sign equal the words on the right of the equal sign.

The Disappearing Spoon Chp. 13

The Disappearing Spoon Chapter 13

Summary:

The chapter continues off from where the topic originally was in the past chapter; if the periodic table can have its share of politics, then it must have a cozier place in mony. The chapter then tells a tale of Midas, the king of, what is now called Turkey, Phrygia and how he had obtained the curse of being able to turn anything he touched into gold. This power was given to him by a man that could grant any wish Midas wanted and Midas thus chose to have the power to turn anything into gold, something that he would come to greatly regret later in his life. He wasn't able to control this power of his and eventually turned his own daughter into gold upon a hug. This story is obviously not true, but there is indeed a reason as to why these stories are told about him. After the story has been told, we are given some information about the element zinc and the affiliations between brass and copper. We are then given a further background as to possibly where these stories may have originated from. After numerous more talks about gold and the power gold can have over people, we are told more information about people that were affected by it, whether it be a legend or a true story.

The chapter then introduces us to something that has ruined the lifes of many and scared the lifes of the greedy: fool's gold. Since gold is an element that tends to be mostly incompatible with other elements, many would believe that any gold they find is pure gold; however, there is one element that can sometimes be found mixed with gold: Tellurium. Whenever a gold rush occurred, only a very few amount of people would ever find any gold and several times it would just be fool's gold. History is told about fool's gold within gold rushes and the several actions that occurred due to this and, afterwards, the chapter gives some information on the geology of gold formations and stories surrounding gold. The chapter then goes back to Midas and the surrounding people within that age of ime and how gold was deeply rooted around them and currency. After people saw the sudden increase of fortune and the worth of gold, greedy people, of course, thought of ways to try to create counterfeit money to make themselves rich. After telling the last few stories on gold and the value surrounding it from people, the chapter then speaks of aluminum and that elements worth in society. The chapter finally ends off with how money means power in the modern age.

Reflection:

Overall, this chapter was enjoyable to read and the information it contained was nice to know about. I enjoyed reading the information about Midas and how he is connected to reality; after all, I had always thought that his life was purely fictional and that everything was made up. I also enjoyed learning about just how valuable gold was and how it even went as far as to control the lifes of many in the world. Not only did money control the lifes of many in the past, but does too control the lifes of many today in our modern age. I didn't see any part of this chapter to have been dislikable in the least and would recomend this information to those that are a least a bit interested. \

1. Name 3 other alloys besides brass and bronze. 

Amalgam, Pewter, and Steel

2. What does the word "transmute" mean? 

To change or alter in form, appearance, or nature and especially to a higher form.

3. What is the chemical formula for fool's gold?

FeS₂

_{4. Explain how europium helps stop counterfeiting.} 

When europium is used in currency, under the use of an ultra-violet light, the currency will glow under it and prove that it is real currency. Counterfeiters will have a hard time using or gaining this type of material and proves to be too much of a hassle.

5. Why is it anachronistic that aluminum is still on top of the Washington Monument?

Aluminum was very expensive at the time and had also received several attacks from lightning. Even though the pyramid has dealt with a lot, the pyramid is used as a representation of strength since it is still readable after all the attacks it had received.

6. If gold or platinum were very easy to get, what would happen to their price? How is this related to the story of aluminum?

If they were very easy to obtain, their prices would most-likely drop significantly since it would lose its value and is related to aluminum because, at the time, it was difficult to obtain.