Pi Day the Adler Planetarium · Relativity Einstein discovered that time and space are inextricably...

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@sciencejedi Pi Day @ the Adler Planetarium Shane L. Larson

Transcript of Pi Day the Adler Planetarium · Relativity Einstein discovered that time and space are inextricably...

Page 1: Pi Day the Adler Planetarium · Relativity Einstein discovered that time and space are inextricably linked, and that there is an ultimate speed limit in the Cosmos We could talk for

@sciencejedi

Pi Day@

the Adler Planetarium

Shane L. Larson

Page 2: Pi Day the Adler Planetarium · Relativity Einstein discovered that time and space are inextricably linked, and that there is an ultimate speed limit in the Cosmos We could talk for
Page 3: Pi Day the Adler Planetarium · Relativity Einstein discovered that time and space are inextricably linked, and that there is an ultimate speed limit in the Cosmos We could talk for
Page 4: Pi Day the Adler Planetarium · Relativity Einstein discovered that time and space are inextricably linked, and that there is an ultimate speed limit in the Cosmos We could talk for

Pi DayAdler Planetarium

14 March 2015 (3/14/15)

[email protected]

@sciencejedi

Einstein’s Legacy: Science & Life in the Modern Age

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Page 6: Pi Day the Adler Planetarium · Relativity Einstein discovered that time and space are inextricably linked, and that there is an ultimate speed limit in the Cosmos We could talk for
Page 7: Pi Day the Adler Planetarium · Relativity Einstein discovered that time and space are inextricably linked, and that there is an ultimate speed limit in the Cosmos We could talk for
Page 8: Pi Day the Adler Planetarium · Relativity Einstein discovered that time and space are inextricably linked, and that there is an ultimate speed limit in the Cosmos We could talk for

• 1905: Patent clerk in Bern, Switzerland

• The “Miracle Year” was 3 papers:

Photoelectriceffect & the

photon theoryof light

Brownian motion

Special relativity:ultimate speed limit

• 1915: General Relativity• 1917: Idea for LASER

Page 9: Pi Day the Adler Planetarium · Relativity Einstein discovered that time and space are inextricably linked, and that there is an ultimate speed limit in the Cosmos We could talk for

Brownian Motion Einstein proposed that the motion of small particles is caused by interactions with small unseen molecules in the solution

Pharmaceuticals

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Photoelectric Effect

Einstein was able to explain why some metals generate electricity when you shine light on them

Property of

Return to us now (or else)

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Photoelectric Effect

Einstein: If light is little packets (photons) then it can bounce electrons out like they are billiard balls

Property of

Return to us now (or else)

Page 12: Pi Day the Adler Planetarium · Relativity Einstein discovered that time and space are inextricably linked, and that there is an ultimate speed limit in the Cosmos We could talk for

Photoelectric Effect

Page 13: Pi Day the Adler Planetarium · Relativity Einstein discovered that time and space are inextricably linked, and that there is an ultimate speed limit in the Cosmos We could talk for

Nobel Prize: 1921

For his services to Theoretical Physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect.

Page 14: Pi Day the Adler Planetarium · Relativity Einstein discovered that time and space are inextricably linked, and that there is an ultimate speed limit in the Cosmos We could talk for

Lasers! In 1917, Einstein explained the idea of stimulated emission –– light can cause an atom to emit an identical particle of light

It took until 1940 before a laser could be built!

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Lasers!

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Relativity Einstein discovered that time and space are inextricably linked, and that there is an ultimate speed limit in the Cosmos

We could talk for days about motion (special relativity) and gravity (general relativity). There is a LOT of CONFUSION about relativity:

What you need to know: clocks tick at different speeds

Depends on how fast they are moving

Depends on where they are in a gravitational field

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Relativity Application: GPS

GPS works by receiving the time from satellites.

Triangulate how far you are from each satellite

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Suppose you ignore relativity (turn it off)

In one day, the timing error grows to 40,000 nanoseconds, or a position error of 12 km (7.5 miles)!

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Things I want you to remember…

Some of you are afraid of math, or science. Don’t be!

Being at the frontier is scary, because we don’t know anything!

Things we are discovering today will not have immediate applications to society/economy beyond “knowledge”

It can take 100 years to be useful, but it will be useful

There is awesome stuff in your life you don’t even think about

Behind it all are a thousand scientists and engineers

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More information, reading

ALBERT EINSTEIN: www.aip.org/history/einstein/

EINSTEIN: THE LIFE & TIMES (Ronald Clark)

SUBTLE IS THE LORD (Abraham Pais)

BLACK HOLES AND TIME WARPS (Kip S. Thorne)

Days of Pi & Wonder http://wp.me/p19G0g-kz