The actual inception of this series of monologues sprouted up while I was cleaning the kitchen this afternoon between classes. Today I learned in my Quantum Physics class (Whoa right?!?) that a particle can have as many quantum numbers as the number of dimensions to which it is confined. So we model calculations in the 3D's (x,y,z), when in reality a system of particles can be subject to hundreds, or even thousands of dimensions. In fact, many wave functions have "real" and "imaginary" components, which in effect means that there are portions of these equations that are postulated to exist that are completely abstract. Abstract reasoning is perhaps the most interesting element of human thought. To many, mathematics are a mystery that Scooby Doo & the gang may as well be working on, but when one stops to consider that, from a series of axioms and postulates, expressions can be derived to construct great buildings or launch a rocket into a precise point in space, one's mind may be slightly blown. Numbers, operators, equations are all human inventions. They aren't "real" in many senses at all, yet they can be applied to the world around us to achieve predictable ends time after time. I digress every now and again I guess.
The good news is that all of my subjects are beginning to point toward something tangible. As I move higher and higher up in my coursework, classes are beginning to apply to each other more and more as well. (There is some confusion however when for example the variable symbol "V" is now used to denote the following quantities: molecular potential energy, velocity, volume, & frequency and more in different classes.) I wonder when my chemistry background will explain to me why spaghetti sauce seems to stick so tightly to plastic? I could consult the Internet on the topic, but I would rather not use my time in that way.
While I was getting ready to wash some dishes that my roommate Alex brought with him, that smell like (what I presume to be) his grandparents, I happened upon a brown recluse spider living in the box that the silverware was housed in. Needless to say, I relocated the box out of the apartment. Matters of life and death can be encapsulated in simple household chores.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Quantum physics! My backup career plan is to be a quantum engineer. But seriously, I look forward to reading more of thoughts!
ReplyDelete