Nobel Season

It's the time of the year. The Nobel Season is upon us. We have to wait and see who is going to get which prize and the like.

Gravity and Mass

We are told by scientists that gravity affects objects which have got a mass, giving those objects weight. On the other hand it has been observed that electromagnetic radiation is also affected to some extent by gravity. Therefore is it safe to say that electromagnetic radiation has got weight which is very very small. That would contradict the laws of physics because W=mg. Without a mass, there is no weight.

This means there is a hole in our understanding of theses theories and laws. That's my take. What's yours? Interesting!

Sub-atomic forces

There are issues physicists don't really talk about quite often but in my opinion are quite important. For example why do sub-atomic particles have electrical charges. In atoms and ions, these charges are some of the forces which bind the sub-atomic particles together on an atom. Instead of electrical forces why not magnetic forces binding electrons in their orbitals.

Its just food for thought. I think a knew trajectory is needed in our general approach in studying what we don't know in physics.

Quiz Answers #QA1

These are the answers to a quiz which appeared on this blog titled Quiz #QQ1 on Sunday, the 11th of July 2015

1. 8
2. Ceres
3. Egypt
4. Distance
5. The distance covered by light in one year
6. Scandinavian
7. Namib Desert
8. Fishing
9. Barycenter
10. Otto von Guerick

I hope the quiz was quite intriguing. More will come.

Some interesting Math

Check out this brilliant math, I got from a friend

See this Absolutely amazing Mathematics !

1 x 8 + 1 = 9

12 x 8 + 2 = 98

123 x 8 + 3 = 987

1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876

12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765

123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654

1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543

12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432

123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321

1 x 9 + 2 = 11

12 x 9 + 3 = 111

123 x 9 + 4 = 1111

1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111

12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111

123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111

1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111

12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111

123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111

9 x 9 + 7 = 88

98 x 9 + 6 = 888

987 x 9 + 5 = 8888

9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888

98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888

987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888

9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888

98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888

Brilliant, isn't it?

And look at this symmetry :
1 x 1 = 1

11 x 11 = 121

111 x 111 = 12321

1111 x 1111 = 1234321

11111 x 11111 = 123454321

111111 x 111111 = 12345654321

1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321

11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321

111111111 x 111111111= 12345678987654321  

Math is quite interesting

Math Problems #1

Here are some math problems to solve. These are questions which more are more or less like Olympiad type. Achievement of GCE 'O' level is sufficient to answer them but hey, they are intriguing. Figure them and enjoy.

1. Calculate the distance between a pair of opposite sides of a regular hexagon with sides 12 cm long.

2. Calculate, in cm correct to 2 decima places, the radius of the circumcircle of an isosceles triangle with sides of length 13 cm, 13 cm, 10 cm.

3. A chord 8.4 cm long is 5.2 cm from the centre of a circle. Calculate the radius of the circle

4. Two equal circles intersect, and the length of their common chord is 5.6 cm. If the centres of the circles are 9 cm apart, calculate their radii.

5. A batsman had scored 340 runs after a certain number of innings. In his next two innings he made 6 (out) each time, and his average dropped by 1. What was his final average?

6. On a river which runs at 3 km per hour a ferry travels upstream to a certain place and then returns, the total travelling time being 2 hours, and the total distance 22.5 km. Find what the speed of the ferry would be in still water.

7. O is the centre of a circle of radius 37 cm, and the length of a chord MB ia 24 cm. Find the area of triangle OMN.

8. Two equal chords intersect inside a circle. Prove that the line joining their point of intersectio to the centre of the circle bisects the angle between the chords.

9. After a certain number of matches a bowler has had 200 runs knocked off him. In the next match he takes 2 wickets for 42 runs, and increases his average (runs per wicket) by 1. How many wickets has he now taken?

10. If one tap can fill a bath in 6 minutes and another in 12, how long will they take when both are turned on together?

The answers to the above questions are forthcoming in a future post. Solving math problems is a hobby for me. I hope you will find these and others quite refreshing.

The African Economic Perspectives

Check my new blog, The African Economic Perspectives and get an insight into economics and Africa in general

Quiz QQ#2 Flora and Fauna

1. According to scietists, which is the firdt 4-legged animal to invade the land?

2. According to scientists which is the first ever bird?

3. Which is the fastest insect?

4. Which is the tallest grass?

5. Which is the largest amphibian?

6. Which is the largest lizard?

7. Which is the biggest bird in the world?

8. The hardest wood is from which tree?

9. What is the study of prehistoric animal and plant life through the analysis of fossil remains called?

10. The study of plants is called what?

A new perspective on philosophy is needed

Check out this <a href="https://ngonimukwepa.blogspot.com/2012/07/philosophical-proweress_03.html?m=1">post<a/> I published on my other blog NgoniMukwepa's View. The post is generally on philosophy and that western philosophical thought is not the only organized works of philosophy ever done by humans. Being organized doesn't mean in written form because in various localities superb works have existed orally, and oral knowledge isn't always inferior to written because at times information is shared orally so that people learn to adapt it there and there than to be dependent on the written text when the information is required.

What is required, is for some of these profound sources of knowledge to be highlighted for the best of all humanity.

Quiz #QQ1

Some interesting quiz:

1. How many minutes does it take for the sun's rays to reach the earth?

2. Which is the largest asteroid?

3. Papyrus was first used in which country?

4. A parsec is a measurement of what physical quantity?

5. What is a light-year?

6. The english names of the months are of Roman origin, the days of the week are of which origin?

7. Which desert is referred to as the skeleton coast?

8. Which is the most participated sport in the world?

9. The centre of gravity of the earth-moon system is known as what?

10. Who made the first electric generator?

Answers to the above quiz are forthcoming in a future post. Watch this space.

Interesting facts about some old measuring systems

Here are some interesting definitions of some measurements:

A fathom originally meant the distance a Viking could encompass in a hug

A foot was defined by statute of Henry 1, as the total width of barley-corn laid side by side

An acre was the area ploughable in one day by a team of two oven

The gauge of railways in Britain was chosen to be the same as the distance between the wheels of a Roman chariot!