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ThePeculiarParticle

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  1. ThePeculiarParticle
    The holy grail of serves in volleyball is the jump spin serve. A serve going over a 2.43 m (7' 11 5/8”) can be understandably difficult for many, but higher level players are constantly trying to deliver more speed and directional movement to the ball in order to make it harder for the opposing team to return. The jump spin’s first benefit is, that by jumping, added height is given to the point at which the ball is contacted.  By doing this, the difference in height between the ball and the top of the net decreases, allowing for the serve to follow a flatter path than if hit while standing. This effectively reduces the travel time of the ball by making it a one sided curve rather than a parabola.
    The added benefits of a spin serve is that the ball can handle much higher speeds than a float (no spin) serve, and requires more effort to pass. The Magnus effect is to thank for this.
     What happens is that, as the volleyball player starts their approach, they throw the ball up giving it spin away from themselves. They then jump and contact the ball as it spins, giving it the topspin required to achieve the effect. To summarize the Magnus effect, when an object rotates, it has air which clings to its surface and follows its rotation. This layer then collides with oncoming air, which hits the ball as it travels in the horizontal plane. The deceleration caused by this collision creates, in this case, a high pressure pocket of air above the ball and a low pocket of pressure below. The object then is acted upon by a lift force, in this case known as a Magnus force, due to the object being compelled to travel in the direction away from the high pressure pocket of air to the low pressure pocket.
     
     
    This illustration shows the top spin given to the ball, the low air pressure below the ball, and high pressure above the ball, and the resulting force.
     
    Effectively, the velocity can be increased since the greater the spin the faster the ball will drop.  When passing the ball, players must also be cautious.  If it hits their arms without providing some sort of counter spin, like pulling their arms in as it hits, then the ball will keep its spin from friction, and go off the passers arms behind them.
    The jump spin serve is a mean serve on many levels, and those, like TheNightKing (shout out), who can do it fairly consistently, are valuable at varsity level and nearly necessary to play in higher levels. Just make sure you put spin on the ball before you contact it as hard as possible, otherwise it will fly into the next county instead of hitting the court.
    Here are some other videos on the Magnus effect:
     Jump serve:
    Magnus effect explained and its applications:
     
    Added Note:
    Here is that KFC I was talking about...

  2. ThePeculiarParticle
    I was a fan of Pokémon for a very brief time as a kid, but it stopped the same summer it started.  So, when a recent post went around about an Onix’s size compared to a Pokéball, courtesy of etracey99, I was a little interested in the subject.  I began wondering, what exactly is this rock monster made out of?
    The answer shocked me.
    In order to do this, we need the density of the Pokémon. The first step is to find the volume of this behemoth.  To do this, I gathered information such as that it is 28’ 1’’ in length.  Now this is nice, but since it is made up of a series of boulders, I can’t easily calculate the volume like a cylinder. Instead, I made the assumption each part of the Pokémon was a uniform sphere. I know it is an estimate, but just remember it is an animated monster so please just relax.
    Anyways, from the picture above, some string, and some guess work, I calculated the diameter of a single bolder to be the length of Brock’s leg. His height is never given, so, knowing that the average height for a 15 year old is 5’ 7’’, it can be estimated that the diameter of a single rock is 33.5 inches.
    From there the length of the Onix at 28’ 1’’ can be converted to 337’’, and divided by 33.5’ to give us a rounded 10 whole boulders which make up the body. The volume of a single boulder is 19,684.89 in^3, so, multiplying by ten for each bolder results in a total volume of 196,848.9 in^3. This seems like a lot, but when translated to metric it results in 3.22577 m^3.
    Now, as for the mass, we can get this information from the official Bulbapedia which etracey99 used to gain his information. The mass is 210kg, which seems very low, but I used it in my calculations anyways.
    The calculation for density is mass/volume so plugging in (210kg)/(3.22577m^3) resulted in a density of 65.1 kg/m^3 . Now came the time to look it up, and the results shocked me. The closest values it came to were sawdust (64.1 kg/m^3), carbon black powder (64.1 kg/m^3), peanut shell refuse (64.1 kg/m^3), and talcum powder (64.1 kg/m^3).

     So there you have it, the rock Pokémon made out of BABY POWDER!!! The science doesn’t really give any closure here. It just proves that things are not always what they seem, but then again, I’m a student trying to rationalize a rock monster.
     
    As always, thanks for reading! –ThePeculiarParticle
  3. ThePeculiarParticle
    Anyone remotely into science fiction has heard the sound of a Theremin at least once, from its use in most 50’s movie to a variety of later Star Trek and Doctor Who sounds. It has been the sound of the future since its creator Leon Theremin unveiled it in 1928.
     
    Before I explain, what it is it is important you see what it looks like in use. For reference the Theremin playing begins at 1:00.
    So how does this machine work? Well, this connects back to our unit on capacitance. The human body has a natural capacitance, so when it moves into an electric field it can disturb it. In a Theremin an electromagnetic field is created by a radio frequency oscillating circuit. The two terminals are connected to two different circuits. The circuit connected to the vertical antenna is connected to a variable oscillator which can produce a range of frequencies, making the player’s movement in the vertical plane control the pitch of the instrument. The horizontal terminal has a fixed oscillator which generates waves at a constant frequency. A hand in the horizontal plane controls the volume of the output. When these two signals are “mixed” and amplified, the result is the haunting pitch you hear above.
     
    This instrument paved the way for the electronic era of instruments to come, so looking back, it is always important we acknowledge our roots.
    As always thanks for reading! - ThePeculiarParticle
  4. ThePeculiarParticle
    What is this?
    Over the summer I participated in Photon Camp at  the University of Rochester with a few classmates. It was an awesome experience by the way! The main reason I’m here is to talk about the project I worked on in a group of 4. Each student had a different project. So, if you need an idea for a blog post, there you go.
    My group was studying photolithography which is the process of creating patterns using light. We worked with Professor Bryan McIntire and were able to go into the clean room and actually perform the process on a series of silicon wafers coated in the photoresist. The first step was to coat the plate in primer, which applied via spin adhesion, so that a layer 1.4 micrometers thick was evenly spread across the surface. Then it was time to perform the actual process.
    The main component which allows this process to work is the photoresist. There are two kinds: positive, which breaks down when exposed to light, and negative, which polymerizes when exposed to light. We used a negative photoresist when exposing our wafers to light.
    We performed two different processes when exposing them. In the first, UV light can be run through a mask, projecting the image of the mask onto the surface coated in the photoresist.  The other option was to laser-write, by placing the wafer under a 405 nanometer laser, exposing the wafer in a designated pattern. The chemical structure of the photoresist is changed, becoming soluble and then is washed away, revealing the Silicon Dioxide layer underneath. The etching process is next, using Hydrofluoric acid to wash away the Silicon Dioxide. Afterwards, the wafer is washed with Acetone, removing the protective layer, and showing the true colors of the wafer. If the piece is multiple layers, then Hydrofluoric Acid would be withheld and another layer of  Silicon Dioxide can be placed over the first layer to act as a base layer for photoresist to be applied onto. In the final step, the Silicon Dioxide between layers is removed, leaving only silicon, creating the final product.
     
    So why is this important?
     
    Large amounts of energy and money go into cooling the information systems we use on a daily basis. As internet usage increases so will the amount of facilities and power needed to support this. It is theorized this system will not be viable in the future without breakthroughs in energy production, but photonics may promise another solution. Using photonics to transmit information does not create nearly as much heat, causing many scientists to look to it as a way to alleviate the dependence on energy used to cool electronics.
     
    The process of making technology more compact is hindered greatly by the amount of transistors which would be located on an integrated circuit. A concept referred to as Moore's Law states that the amount of transistors on a given area for the same price doubles every two years. The process of photolithography is the next step in this process as the resolution achieved using smaller wavelengths allows for a dramatic increase in the concentration in the amount of transistors placed. The resolution achieved by EUV radiation can be 18nm. Looking further past this, in order to get an even better resolution, a process using an electron beam would be needed.  Photonics may hold the solution to the problem it has created.
     
    Equation for resolution (how small the patterns can be) R~ (Wavelength)/(Numerical Aperture)  
     
    Here are some pictures of the wafers we made:
     
    This is the first plate which we made light channels on.

    This image shows two waveguides(light tunnels) converging.  Each waveguide measures 2 microns across. Some professors use this to study how light rays behave as they get close to one another.
     
    This is the second plate that had a series of patterns etched onto it in order to create different types of diffraction gratings.

    These dots were made by drawing lines 5 microns wide and are the same ones shown in the first image of this blog.
     

    This picture shows the edge of a horizontal diffraction grating.


     
    And finally this is the third plate which the universities crest was etched on.

     
    Thanks for reading, and if you have any younger siblings interested in the camp I highly recommend it!
     
    -ThePeculiarParticle
  5. ThePeculiarParticle
    It is a known fact that the United States is lagging behind in the area of infrastructure. The true problem with this question is how far forward should we upgrade in a world where other countries have passenger bullet trains. A solution to this may come from of a new era of transportation technology referred to as Hyperloops.
     
    The open sourced design was released by a joint team working with SpaceX and Tesla to be modified by the public and worked into a functioning design. The overall concept of this type of transportation surrounds the idea of a large car which travels through a system of tubing located above or below ground. Many designs from here differ with the car being levitated on electromagnets/air, traveling through a vacuum tube system, or being propelled by a fan system. Many companies have stepped in unveiling their prototypes for this system of travel, most recently the company Virgin, who claims their design would reach speeds of 760 miles per hour. To put that in perspective, if a straight track was put between Rochester and New York City, the travel time would only be around 32 minutes. It's a very large claim for a large company who wishes to see a final working route by 2021.
     
    Here is a travel calculator if you wish have a little fun.
     

    https://hyperloop-one.com/route-estimator/rochester-us/new-york-city-us/travel-times
    Am I skeptical? Yes.
    How will a vacuum seal be maintained over hundreds of miles?
    How will passengers be slowed gradually in the event of an emergency?
    How well can people be protected in a hunk of metal moving over 700 miles per hour?
    If there is something like a fire, how would people escape their car if they are surrounded by miles of vacuum tubes?
     
    Then again, around one hundred years ago, people would have had the same questions regarding the thousands of hunks of metal which carry thousands of people through our skies every day. Only the future will truly know what is in store for the technology of transportation.
  6. ThePeculiarParticle

    Who I Am

    By ThePeculiarParticle,

    I enjoy being a student at IHS and being able to take a lot of classes in the STEM areas. I like to problem solve and create solutions, following them through from design phase to hands on building. Encountering a challenge is rewarding to me, and I believe that is the main reason I picked this class. I also have always been fascinated by concept of putting numbers to nature since I was a kid. To me, physics is like taking a big mess and then breaking it up piece by piece to understand it and bring some order to natural behaviors. That is not to say everything can be, with 100% certainty, explained in the present. After all, there is still theoretical physics and these points of points of possibility can be just as, if not more, exciting.
    What I am mainly looking forward to about the class is the university feel of it. It is easily one of the most independent classes in the school and will be a good course in preparation for next year. The thing I look the least forward to is the workload, but it seems, with some time management and determination, the workload will be fine. I look forward to reading all the other posts on here and the topics you guys choose.
    -ThePeculiarParticle

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