Jew-fro-Jon
Jew-fro-Jon t1_j2006ty wrote
Reply to comment by r3dl3g in ELI5 What is Thermodynamics? by SheeshKebabi
This is a great explanation. I have a masters in physics, so let me know if you have a deep question.
In class, we start by learning that “temperature” is a macroscopic quantity, and it is trying to describe the microscopic motion of particles. Heat transfer is really momentum transfer (of small things).
In grad school the class is labeled as statistical mechanics, because the coursework focuses on the statistics of it all.
Some cool concepts are things like heat capacity, which is the amount of energy it takes to change the temperature of a material. Water takes a lot of energy to change the temperature. We learn that this is because of the degrees of freedom that the molecule has. So a single atom can move in 3D, a pair of atoms like H2 can also spin along its axis, and H2O can spin along multiple axis. Each extra degree of freedom means it can store energy in more ways before a it “speed” increase (which is measured by temperature).
One useful application in life is diamonds: real diamonds need more energy to change temp. So if you touch it, and it’s cold, then it’s real. If it’s warm, then it’s fake.
Jew-fro-Jon t1_iyo0qz1 wrote
Reply to Did the impact from the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs change the earth’s orbit? by phoinex711
Not in a measurable way. We cant do accurate calculations of orbits too far into the future or past due to the 3 body problem (no analytical solutions to 3 bodies orbiting each other).
There are small changes going on all the time, but we have to talk in terms of what is measurable. Even the calculations they did to confirm general relativity (perihelion of mercury, observed during an eclipse) aren’t perfect. This would be even smaller than the error of those calculations.
Jew-fro-Jon t1_j9txugy wrote
Reply to It seems like we havent heard anything about carbon nanotubes for almost a decade. is there anything exciting involving those these days? by mintysmellshowntell
Hey, physicist here who worked with CNT during graduate work about 8 years ago. CNT research is extremely saturated. Everything easy has been looked at, and it’s more on the industrial side now.
Last i looked, there are still a ton of issues with mass production, so that’s probably what industries are working on.
However, you won’t see the results until someone makes something patentable. Don’t hold your breath. Have 5-30 years to go before you hear more, + or - 30 years.