I heard a snippet of Stephen Joyce on the radio this morning saying that the government may link funding of tertiary education to graduate employment – i.e. the amount of money given to The University of Waikato to support its teaching would be linked to the success of its graduates in securing employment. On the […]
Continue readingYear: 2010
Peak Oil, peak platinum, peak physics
I guess most of us now are familiar with the concept of Peak Oil. At some point (maybe about now) oil production will peak, then it will be in decline as reserves run out. The only way around this issue is to reduce our use of it, which means, for example, reconsider our transport options. […]
Continue readingYuk physics
What’s small, brown, damp, disguisting, goes round in circles, and is still alive? Answer: A cockroach in a washing machine. Finding one in amongst the sheets as you haul them into the laundry basket isn’t very pleasant, I can tell you. Unfortunately, in the northern North Island, the Gisborne cockroach (an Aussie import) is rather […]
Continue readingHands on science
Yesterday we had a one-day symposium here at the University on ‘Science in the Public’ – we brought together nearly 30 people from across the country (OK – across the North Island to be precise), all of who were involved in science communication in some manner. It was a fascinating day as we learned about […]
Continue readingTrouble brewing
Following Germany’s destruction of England and now Argentina, I’m getting distinctly worried that Professor Tolan’s probability theory is about to be proved correct. It will be a sad day for mathematics if he starts saying ‘told you so…’
Continue readingA new element!
One of my PhD students this week brought to my attention a new element. Well, a new element to me anyway. Samarium (Sm) which featured in a paper she’d been reading (in the context of magnetism), nestles neatly between promethium and europium in the lanthanides of the periodic table (I know, because I’ve just gone […]
Continue readingIt’s cold outside…
…Well, it was this morning. Those unfortunate people like us who have two cars and a lot of stuff and only a double garage, meaning one car has to sit uncovered on the drive, will have noticed that the ice on the car windscreen is generally thicker than the ice on the side windows. Why is […]
Continue readingGroup intelligence
Last night I half-watched the programme on TVOne about swarms. (I say half-watched because I was mostly listening to it while doing the washing up). It is certainly fascinating how large groups of fairly simply behaving creatures can have a ‘group intelligence.’ This kind of organization of small units into a larger entity is well […]
Continue readingPatience in experimenting
I’ve spend most of today in our new teaching lab, grappling with a piece of experimental equipment. Over the break between our A and B semesters (i.e. now) we’re moving our 2nd and 3rd year undergraduate physics lab out of one room and into another. It’s a small part of a large plan to use […]
Continue readingThe essence of physics
Exams are looming, and I’ve had a constant stream of students coming to me this week asking me questions. One question I’ve had has been asked by two students independently, relating to an example calculation done in a text book. The question goes like this: "I’ve been going through this example, and I get the […]
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