Showing posts with label Feynman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Feynman. Show all posts

Monday, December 1, 2014

CC (part 2) - Universe in a Glass of Wine

everystockphoto.com/Cheers!

Richard Feynman once quoted a poet -

'The whole universe is in a glass of wine.'

[reference:  Goodreads | Quote by Richard P. Feynman: “A poet once said, 'The whole universe is in a g...”

And the clip below illustrates Dr. Feynman's comments as to how our universe is connected with a glass of wine:





For a great graphic of this conversation:  ZEN PENCILS » 67. RICHARD FEYNMAN: The universe in a glass

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This Dr. Feynman quote becomes the slogan of one of Dr. Nova Orlovic's businesses in the thriller series:  The Commander and the Chief.  Here are some excerpts from the first book, His Tribe of One, concerning that quote:

In this scene, Nova Orlovic's agent, Lord Frederick Wise, recruits British Colonel Jack Sheffield for the search and recovery expedition to find her husband, US Admiral Connor Quinn.  The excerpt begins with Colonel Jack Sheffield asking Lord Wise about this mystery.

“Remind me, again, why have you come to me with this mystery and not the Americans?”

“I come at the request of Dr. Orlovic.”

“Doctor…who?”

“Admiral Quinn’s widow, my client, Dr. Nova Orlovic.” Then Wise presented her business card for Chief Rainmaker Winery. A silhouette of an Indian maiden in a war bonnet held a goblet with stars and galaxies bubbling out and surrounding the quote: The whole universe is in a glass of wine.


from:  The Commander and the Chief 
Book 1: His Tribe of One 
Part 1 - Admiral Connor Quinn, MIA 
Chapter 3 - Soldier of Fortune

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His Tribe of One reveals that the "Chief," Dr. Nova Orlovic, had a career in physics, as in the Stephen Hawking kind of physics.  Why did Nova give up her career?  Read the book and find out.

Meanwhile, here is a tribute to some of Dr. Stephen Hawking's insights:





Below is an other except from the story where Stephen Hawking is mentioned along with Richard Feynman's quote:

In this scene, Lord Frederick Wise has just introduced Colonel Jack Sheffield to his client, Dr. Nova Orlovic.  Meanwhile they are waiting in her luxury suite for the Commander, Dr. Reginald Barrett, the doctor they hope to hire for their expedition. 

“Pleased to finally meet you, Doctor.” The Colonel kissed the hand of the beauty in a black pantsuit, which he noticed she wore so well.

“Likewise, Colonel.” Nova returned a sidelong smile.

Jack raised a blond eyebrow. “You can give me a physical anytime, Doctor.”

Looking over this Viking in tweed, Nova tossed back her long dark hair and laughed. “But I’m not an R-D. I don’t do physicals.”

“R-D?”

“Real Doctor. I’m not a medical doctor. But Fred…he likes to call me Doctor…that’s because I have a Ph.D.”

“In what, may I ask?”

“Physics.”

“As in Stephen Hawking kind of physics?” The Colonel pulled out her card.

“Yep.” Nova’s brown eyes sparkled from the flames of the fireplace. “And I see Fred gave you one of my business cards.”

The Colonel read it. “The whole universe is in a glass of wine.

“Our motto for Chief Rainmaker Winery. It’s one of Richard Feynman’s favorite quotes.”
“So this fine man is a poet?”

“Actually, Colonel, Dr. Richard Feynman was a famous American physicist. He passed away in the late twentieth century.”

from:  The Commander and the Chief 
Book 1: His Tribe of One 
Part 1 - Admiral Connor Quinn, MIA 
Chapter 5 - Is there a doctor in the house?

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Eventually, Nova's expedition takes the Colonel and the Commander into the Forbidden Area in the Middle East.  Nova likens to the Badlands in the Dakotas in America.  Away from light pollution, the three see the glories of the heavens such as seen in this clip below:





In this scene, Nova and her team set up camp for the night in the desert.  They are struck by the view.

As Reggie and Jack stepped next to her, she said, “Looks magnificent out here. And to think all those stars are giant thermonuclear reactors hung in the fabric of space-time.”

“And all the elements in our bodies are made of star dust,” Reggie added.

Jack said fondly to Reggie, “Sounds so romantic, darling.”

Reggie punched Jack in the arm.

“Take it easy, boys.” Then Nova lifted her hands. “The whole universe is in a glass of wine.

Reggie looked back at Nova. “Then let’s drink in the night, Chief.”

“Cheers!” Jack stepped between them, then took a swig from his flask.

from:  The Commander and the Chief 
Book 1: His Tribe of One 
Part 5 -  The Badlands 
Chapter 2  - The Cleft of the Rock


everystockphoto.com/Under the Milky Way
Let Heaven and nature sing!

Cheers!

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His Tribe of One in an eBook form, and it can be sampled and purchased for:

NOOK devices at Barnes and Noble:  His Tribe of One


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For the latest news, check out:  S. K. Smith - The Commander and the Chief

Your readership is most appreciated!


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For another post in this series:

CC (part 1) - The Commander and the Chief: His Tribe of One (2014)

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photo credit:  everystockphoto.com/Cheers! ; everystockphoto.com/Under the Milky Way

Friday, October 11, 2013

Physics (part 1) - Picking Feynman's Brain

everystockphoto.com/school near the russian embassy

The picture above show perhaps the two most well know physics equations.

1. The top one is known as  Newton's 2nd Law of Motion:  

F = ma

The acceleration of an object as produced by a net force is directly proportional to the magnitude of the net force, in the same direction as the net force, and inversely proportional to the mass of the object.
[reference:  Newton's Second Law]

How often when doing physics homework or taking exams did I write this equation down to get me started.

2. The other is Einstein's equation:

E = mc2

Mass (m) is equivalent to energy (E).
[reference: E=mc2 | symmetry magazine]

Above are a few of the fundamental equations scientists use to describe and model what they observe in the physical universe.  And believe me there are many more ...

Which brings me to the first part of a new series - physics
that can be described as "the study of matter, energy, and the interaction between them." 
[reference:  What is physics?| Explore | physics.org]

How romantic.

But how do we begin to wrap our brains about the universe?

Let's start at the dinner table ... with some libation.

Wikipedia/Pouring a glass of red wine
"The whole universe is in a glass of wine."

So Nobel prize winning physicist, Richard Feynman (1918-1988) quoted a poet.  [referenece:  Goodreads | Quote by Richard P. Feynman]

And for a great graphic of this quote, please checkout:

22 Words | The universe is a glass of wine — 
An illustrated Richard Feynman quote

Much has been written of Richard Feynman and his contributions to physics as well as his last work on a commission, his swan song - finding the cause of the Challenger disaster:  Richard Feynman: Life, the universe and everything - Telegraph

Fortunately, his work and insights are available to everyone who has a computer and internet access.  Among them are many video lectures, one such kicks off here:  Richard Feynman on Quantum Mechanics Part 1 - Photons Corpuscles of Light.FLV - YouTube

But I thought this would be a good one to start.  Dr. Feynman - with much humor - gives his lecture on the Scientific Method:



Many students (like myself) have acquired his series of physics lecture series in book form.  And all those with internet access can view them online for free:

The Famous Feynman Lectures on Physics: The New Online Edition (in HTML5) | Open Culture

Though Dr. Feynman has passed away, cyberspace is still a receptacle for the knowledge his left behind.

And with our technology, we all can ...

Pick Feynman's Brain.

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Other Physics articles:

Black Holes - What does it look like inside them?
(written September 6, 2008 - S. K. Smith) 

The Scotsman who beat Einstein
(written October 1, 2008 - S. K. Smith)

Fractal Dimensions - Twilight Zone? No, Nature!
(written November 7, 2008 - S. K. Smith) 

Mr. Spock and Dr. Einstein 
(written December 19, 2008 - S. K. Smith) 

Winter Driving - It's all about the friction
(written January 10, 2009 - S. K. Smith) 

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