Natural Philosophy

I continue to be blown away by Professor Brian Cox and Wonders of the Solar System, expanding on yesterdays bletherings. Which, naturally, is being watched all at the wrong times.

So, physics? Amazing. Great. Explains everything. The most interesting science...

Or so I have been told, by those who I most admire (in real life) who care about science, namely big bro, hubby and my most favourite teacher, who taught me Biology but who confessed that his first love was for physics. I did not agree. Physics bored me. Intensely. Who cares where the ball lands? Science, yes, great. Maths, quite wonderful, endless interest in patterns and fractals and fractions and percentages and things that add up to everyday life. Further interest in algebra, geometry, calculus and things that have no bearing on much other than maths. But still, fun. Yes, really, fun. Biology? It's how we work! Chemistry: sort of like cooking, follow the recipe, get the result. Makes sense, useful to understand: Medicine. Oh yeah! Now we're talking! Blood and guts and disease and ick. Hurrah! Something to ponder to degree level!

Physics. Nope. Mental block. Where maths and physics overlap, maths and I part ways. Tedium. The fact that I am for the second time in my life studying Engineering is accidental, the physics element has been broken down to pure maths and so has overcome the mental blockage in my head.

It has been pointed out to me (on numerous occasions) that the following are all entirely to do with physics:

1) Weather

2) Astronomy

3) Engineering

4) Cars. Pretty much everything to do with cars, except the small bit that's chemistry.

5) Everything

But still, I resist, and respond with the following:

1) Weather is chaotic. La la la la la.

2) Who cares about astronomy? So, the stars and moon and what not are quite cool, and meteor showers are immense, and the solar eclipse is one of the most gobsmacking things I have ever witnessed, and comets are pretty exciting and I'd give my left arm to see the Northern Lights. I'm so not interested. Huh.

3) Maths. Maths. Maths. Engineering can all be geometry if you try hard enough.

4) I can appreciate aesthetics without understanding. No, I can. Even if that goes against everything I believe in.

5) Everything I know to be true is in fact not true if you entertain the concepts of quantum physics.

Quantum physics aside, because that is one big headmess (I get as far as the theory of relativity, which is simple enough, and then I cease to understand a thing Einstein and chums were on about: if a cat's there then it's there, or it's not, huh?)*, there is a small fact that should have smacked me in the face a very long time ago:

Pretty much everything I wonder about can be answered by physics. Some can be attributed to maths or other branches of science, but it has been said oft to me that all science is basically physics.

Which I have argued thus: I understand other sciences.

But now, wonder of wonders, Professor Brian Cox has come along and effectively smashed through my mental block. He and his wonderful programme have made all the comments made to me over the years make sense. Wonders of the Solar System is eliminating my ignorance and soothing the physics hatred I have carried for years. I get it! It's amazing! The Laws of Physics DO explain everything!

I have so much catching up to do...

*I do get Schrodinger's cat thing. I just don't like the implications on what I know to be true, so I don't like understanding it; it's easier to dismiss it as not making sense. I quite like existing when I'm not there, I'm still here. la la la la la.

Misogyny

I try to like women, I do. I am one, I should at least find things in common with them. Most of my friends are women, men have that whole thing going on that can potentially complicate matters whether its actually a thing or not. But still, women always seem a bit rubbish. There are very few truly great women. Admirable women, yes, but there's always an undertone of "...for a woman" with anything they/we achieve.

Great men? Many.

Two such greatnesses have awed me today. The first, one Charlie Brooker, who wrote a piece of such magnificence that I feel slightly inclined to give up writing even a blog because I will never, ever achieve what he can with words. Damn him.

Read it here. Agree hugely and feel inferior.

The second is Professor Brian Cox, presenting at the moment as he is, "Wonders of the Solar System" . I have issues with Physics, it is generally my least favourite science (which admittedly puts it highly above most non-science, but still...) and I tend to struggle a bit with some of the concepts. Mostly: why would we care about THAT? But watching him enthuse about Physics and the solar system renders me awestruck, totally caught up with his enthusiasm, and simultaneously understanding and caring about all he talks about. But of course it is important, how could we care about anything more than the very structure and laws that make us exist? How can this man turn around all my thoughts on a subject and make me genuinely interested in a branch of science that left me cold before? Simple. He is so contagiously passionate about it all, he literally jumps up and down with excitement, and he makes me care. He makes me understand. He makes me fascinated.

Most people I admire I would fall over myself to meet in some manner. These two gentlemen, I would run in the opposite direction from due to sheer intimidation. Sigh.

Physics being exciting

I am a little baffled as to why everyone is nervous about our impending "apocalypse" expected when the Large Hadron Collider is activated. There is a 1% chance of a black hole being created, which would be the sort of micro black hole that would prove all of Hawking's theories and disappear, possibly causing a very attractive pattern as it does so. Which isn't very worrying, unless you are the sort of person that would be worried by the idea of Hawking getting a Nobel prize, in which case you are not very nice. Having said that, it's a interesting concept to ponder about, the end of the entire universe. My own personal ponderings on this consist of:

1) what exactly happens to everything that gets sucked into a black hole?

Which I have had explained to me: apparently everything gets compressed into a very solid lump due to all the forces keeping particles apart being destroyed, then the lump explodes. I'm guessing the chances of surviving this are slim.

2) Where does the universe end? At what point does "everything" stop being sucked in? Is there a finite area and how do we know what it is?

There is apparently an answer to this, but as it requires an understanding of Hawkings radiation and quantum physics, I will never know what that answer is. Black holes apparently also get to exploding point after about a galaxy full, so some of the universe would remain. Hurrah.

I have a particular hatred of physics, it is my least favourite science, and I'm talking standard issue understandable physics and none of the "nothing is actually what you think it is" quantum physics. This is compounded by physics lovers who are the smuggest people on the planet. But I still appreciate that the expected findings of the LHC are really very important, and they do explain things that haven't been explained before. It's relatively (no pun intended) exciting to wait for the results of something that will either find a substance (Higgs something) that they think is there, or not find it and have to rethink the whole idea behind dark matter.

I don't want to hear too much about it though, I still hate physics and a simple yes or no will suffice.