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MAKING SCIENCE ACCESSIBLE |
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I pay my bills by working as a scientist in the nuclear industry. As I'm getting older, I'm beginning to realise that the science that gives me so much pleasure in my career is fairly inaccessible to the majority of people who don't have a scientific background. In these pages I try to give a flavour of what science is all about, hopefully in a form that is interesting to the intelligent non-scientist. |
Presented here are a series of articles about subjects that we have probably all heard about, but which perhaps we don't really understand. This is not to imply any sort of ignorance, but perhaps our aptitudes are for things other than scientific reasoning or analysis. For my part, I am hopeless when it comes to things artistic. But I do have some aptitude for science, and hopefully through these articles I can convey to you the ideas associated with things that you may have heard of, but which are as mysterious to you as artistry is to me! Some mathematical items are also included at the bottom of list.
Hit the blue or red boxes to go to the subject area you want to investigate:
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An introduction to quantum physics |
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The death of classical physics |
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Wave-particle duality |
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Heisenberg uncertainty principle |
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Wavefunctions |
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Energy quantisation |
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Tunnelling |
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Bohr theory of the atom |
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Basic concepts |
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The hydrogen atom |
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Corrections to the Bohr Theory |
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The result from quantum mechanics |
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The correspondence principle |
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Deuterium |
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Radioactive waste disposal |
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Deep repository design |
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Radionuclide transport |
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Risks to future populations |
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Regulatory requirements |
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Performance Assessments |
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An introduction to special relativity |
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The postulates of relativity |
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Time dilation |
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Length contraction |
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Relationship between mass and energy |
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The twin paradox |
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Relativity and Electricity |
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Superconductivity |
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Electrical resistance |
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Superconductivity |
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Meissner Effect |
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Type 1 and Type 2 Superconductors |
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Origin of Superconductivity |
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Cooper pairs |
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An introduction to radiation and radioactivity |
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What are atoms |
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What is radioactivity |
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Radiation Effects |
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Classifying radiation effects |
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Natural radiation |
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Frequently asked questions |
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Non-ionising radiation |
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Health effects from non-ionising radiation |
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Gravity and Gravitation |
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Basic Concepts |
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Laws of Gravity and Gravitation |
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Motion of the Planets |
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Gravitational Potential |
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Introduction to General Relativity |
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The Principle of Equivalence |
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Curvature of Space-Time |
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Gravitational Time Dilation |
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Harmonic Motion |
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Simple harmonic motion |
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Energy considerations |
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Damped harmonic motion |
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Forced harmonic motion |
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Anharmonic oscillations |
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The triatomic molecule |
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Rotational Motion |
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Coordinates and vectors |
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Inertial forces |
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Rotation and angular velocity |
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Coriolis and centrifugal forces |
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Theory of projectile motion |
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Examples of projectile motion |
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Estimating car performance |
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Newton's laws of motion |
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Torque and horsepower |
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Equation of motion for a car |
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Solutions neglecting friction |
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A more detailed analysis |
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Fun with Maths |
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Review of calculus |
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Snell's law |
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The brachistochrone |
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Reflections from mirrors |
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The hanging chain |
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Dogs chasing rabbits |
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Sailing boats |
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Probability Theory |
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Probability basics |
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Counting events |
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Bayes' theorem |
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Worked Examples |
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The Game of Craps |
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The Gambler's Ruin Problem |
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Mathematical Proof |
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Induction and contradiction |
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Sum of cubes |
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Prime numbers |
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Induction in calculus |
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Square root of 2 |
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Irrationality of e |
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Irrationality of π |
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