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Showing content with the highest reputation on 05/16/22 in all areas

  1. Permanant dipoles are easy to explain. You have a molecule with partial +ve charge in one place and a partial -ve charge somewhere else. The partial +ve charge will attract a partial -ve charge in a neighbouring molecule and vice versa. So it's just like the attraction between oppositely charged ions but involving only partial charges. London forces, also known as dispersion forces, arise due to "flickering, fleeting dipoles" due to motion of the electrons in an atom or molecule, which induce dipoles in the neighbouring ones. The strength of dispersion forces is greater between atoms (or molecules involving them) that have greater polarisability, which tends to mean larger atoms with a more diffuse outermost shell of electrons. As I recall, the random fluctuations in electron density that give rise to this arise from the same quantum mechanical principle responsible for vacuum fluctuations - basically another manifestation of the uncertainty principle. The name Van der Waals forces is given to all intermolecular attractions that don't involve a chemical bond. So the term includes both London (dispersion) forces and the attraction between permanent dipoles. (But it would not include hydrogen bonds, as these have some directional bonding character and are thus not entirely electrostatic dipole attractions.)
    3 points
  2. J. Diderik van der Waals's "inter-molecular" forces explanation is distance-dependent, and are "comparatively weak, and vanish at longer distances", theoretically. To complicate the matter further, I ask: are we dealing with nuclear droplets, or have we, "flown to the Moon" model, of nuclear structure? I for one do not understand hydrogen bonding, either, and need to review the basics. +1 for exchemist's explanation, and I agree with MigL there is not much to add to address the question properly (caveat: Again, I need to review even these basics). In my opinion the better formulation of Occam's razor states that the explanation needs to be as complicated as needs be dictated by the nature of the question posed...
    1 point
  3. Kendal Principles of Neuroscience was pretty good back in the days (good overview and easy to understand).
    1 point
  4. I really like V.S. Ramachandran's, Phantoms in the Brain: Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind. Another good (popular) intro to the field is Oliver Sacks, The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat. If you want to go a little deeper, try Stanislas Dehaene, Consciousness and the Brain.
    1 point
  5. You know the refrain: "Now is not the time for legislation; now is the time for thoughts and prayers."
    1 point
  6. If you're lucky as a scientist you get to have a few of these "Eureka!" or "It is alive!" moments. I had one - I was the first person to see fluorescence from radioactive K-37 and our lab was the first to magneto-optically trap it. It was, AFAIK, the shortest half-life atom ever trapped (about 1.25 s), a record that we broke a short time later when we trapped K-38m, which has a half-life just under a second. (I don't know if anyone has broken that record) But just figuring things out, getting past some issue that's stumped you - are these moments on a much smaller scale. There are always roadblocks in experimental physics (and, I imagine, other sciences) that you have to figure out. As my thesis advisor put it (when I felt stupid for not getting a result quickly because of a roadblock) "If we knew the answer it wouldn't be research"
    1 point
  7. Probably a minimal effect. I did find this though.............................. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012825220302257#:~:text=If the tidal forces influence,of the baselines of Figs. Tidal modulation of plate motions: Abstract: While mantle convection is a fundamental ingredient of geodynamics, the driving mechanism of plate tectonics remains elusive. Are plates driven only from the thermal cooling of the mantle or are there further astronomical forces acting on them? GPS measurements are now accurate enough that, on long baselines, both secular plate motions and periodic tidal displacements are visible. The now >20 year-long space geodesy record of plate motions allows a more accurate analysis of the contribution of the horizontal component of the body tide in shifting the lithosphere. We review the data and show that lithospheric plates retain a non-zero horizontal component of the solid Earth tidal waves and their speed correlates with tidal harmonics. High-frequency semidiurnal Earth's tides are likely contributing to plate motions, but their residuals are still within the error of the present accuracy of GNSS data. The low-frequency body tides rather show horizontal residuals equal to the relative motion among plates, proving the astronomical input on plate dynamics. Plates move faster with nutation cyclicities of 8.8 and 18.6 years that correlate to lunar apsides migration and nodal precession. The high-frequency body tides are mostly buffered by the high viscosity of the lithosphere and the underlying mantle, whereas low-frequency horizontal tidal oscillations are compatible with the relaxation time of the low-velocity zone and can westerly drag the lithosphere over the asthenospheric mantle. Variable angular velocities among plates are controlled by the viscosity anisotropies in the decoupling layer within the low-velocity zone. Tidal oscillations also correlate with the seismic release.
    1 point
  8. Good points, I like the last line especially. +1 But remember also this is a resurrected thread from 2018
    1 point
  9. Where I live, right now the sky is clear and the Moon is a beautiful dark orange ball! About the max of the total eclipse.
    1 point
  10. That's technical analysis. It's bullshit. The stock doesn't know what it did yesterday any more than a coin knows what it did in the last 50 flips. However, it's still rational to know a little about it, because so many other players believe in it! You need to know what the chart watchers are thinking in order to make your own moves. It's rational to pay attention to the irrational beliefs of others. Strange but true.
    1 point
  11. You’re in a regime where classical physics gives a good description if it involves an antenna, but I think the “time of detection” concept has a classical application. If you don’t emit or detect for long enough the sine wave will be truncated, so it will have higher-frequency harmonics and you might detect that, or detect nothing at all.
    1 point
  12. So, up until about day six the plants used nutrients and organic matter stored in the seeds, and used the soil just to hold to something. After that, the plants needed more from the substrate and then "discovered" that something is missing. I'd guess that botanists know what is missing. I read this news and couldn't understand what was so astonishing, what did they expect, what new knowledge have they obtained...
    1 point
  13. Yes, regulation. But cars are not banned, lest we crash them; working in scaffolding and towers are not banned, lest we fall off, and fireplaces and stoves are not banned, lest we burn our homes down. And we do all those things: drive carelessly, build and work carelessly, heat and cook carelessly. Accidents do happen, because nobody can force us to be sensible. Government can only try to minimize the damage we do to ourselves. And that's all legalization of drugs is meant to accomplish: make regulation possible; re-allocate the money from the futile attempt at prevention of the cause to mitigation of the effects.
    1 point
  14. You keep saying that, and as yet are unable to show any real evidence supporting banning alcohol or anything invalidating the myth of karma! 🤣 But par for the course for you. You offered an opnion, that's all. Thankfully the general moral standards of my society, will never see the ignorant banning of alcohol, nor the legitimising of any other drug already on the illegal list, for the reasons given. Sort of supports at least one of the reasons I presented a while back......"In reality I'n not really interested with any political agenda, and that appears to be the only aspect people taking part in this thread are pushing...that and of course the line one would expect those that do or have partaken in illegal drugs to take, in a kind of self defence case mechanism". But thankfully, you seemed to have emerged from such rebellion against authority. I congratulate you on that score, but suggest perhaps you are just one of the lucky ones. As I have said before, I never ever had any desire, inkling or move to try anything other then what was legal, and I was far from being an angel. My old man told me he would buy me a shandy when I turned 18. I had already been drinking for more then 12 months...Mum knew that but kept it from the old man. I encouraged my own Son to drink, and at the same time informed him of the dangers and unpleasentness of over indulging. Like me, he has occasionally over indulged on special occasions, but also like me, never let that over indulgment affect others. Thankfully, and I say it again, thankfully, he has also like me, never seen the need to indulge in any other illegal drug taking. I'm as sure of that as any parent can be. It was something always worrying the Mrs about our own Son, and the potential to go out and experiemnt. Many times I needed to comfort her and explain that I was reasonably sure he was and would remain clean. As usual, another wise question/post, without fear nor favour from political ideologies or simply supporting some self defence mechanism. THANKS.
    -1 points
  15. Drunk or sober. Instead of pontificating on my position and age, I would be more concerned with your own generally unworkable life philosophy, and that position never being able to be achieved, along of course with your condescending nature. That imo points to a wasted life.
    -2 points
  16. Too true, Phi for All. And like I said, for whatever reason, it appears that Alcohol just may be a "necessity" in that walk of life at least. from : https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/05/us-economy-foreign-policy-tatters-pelosi-s-new-capitol-caterer-delivers-booze-directly-office/ " Nancy Pelosi has a history of ridiculous statements and positions. Now, with the US economy and foreign policy falling apart, she’s making it easier for lawmakers to access liquor at the US Capitol. Now Nancy and her comrades don’t have far to go to get their drinks. The Daily Wire reports: Members of the House of Representatives may now order beer, wine, and spirits and have them delivered directly to their offices, a new development that could help lubricate those late-night budget negotiations. The perk is courtesy of Capitol Hill’s new caterer, hospitality services giant Sodexo, and was first reported by Fox News Channel’s Chad Pergram. 2) Wine and beer was often available at catered receptions on Capitol Hill. But now booze can go directly to a Member’s office. And, they can order in bulk. Fox is told that this can be paid with private money or a campaign funds. " links to peruse : https://t.co/P5HmEv5xGV https://thehouse.misofi.net/menugrid.asp?mode=p&a=13&cg=22&intOrderID=&intCustomerID Capitol Hill Drinks on Demand and Quick FixDrinks on DemandView All Check Date Availability Drinks on Demand (Bulk Orders) Drinks by the Case Drinks ready for pick up or delivery to your office. Call us at 202-225-1403 with any questions. Price Varies DETAILS Beer - Same Day A variety of beer selections sold per case of 24 packs. Price Varies DETAILS Liquor - Same Day A variety of liquor selections sold per 750 ml bottles. A variety of sauvignon blanc wine selections sold per 750 ml bottles. Price Varies DETAILS *"dictates"
    -2 points
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