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Physics !
March 22, 2009
The long awaited spring break is here and students finally get time to relax and enjoy the great Florida weather. I had also made plans to visit my friends up North or do something really adventurous however, thanks to my “early” planning skills it was too late for me to do any of that so instead I chose to stay at Rollins and just relax.
As spring break ends soon, everyone must be recharged and ready for the last five weeks of this semester. I have two exams in the following weeks. One is on Modern Physics; one of my favorite classes this semester taught by Dr. Christopher Fuse. Hopefully, I will also get to do some research with Dr. Fuse this summer. We will be using radio waves and infrared waves, collecting data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and using programming software to distinguish between the Sa and the S0 galaxies. This will aid in the morphology of galaxies since distinguishing between the Sa and the S0 galaxies has been a problem in the field of astronomy for so long and many have not considered or been successful in completely separating one from the other.
My entire modern physics class
Besides research, I enjoy Dr. Fuse’s Modern Physics class. The concepts of Modern Physics amaze me. What if you fall right through the chair that you are sitting on right now, as you read my article? Yes, that’s possible however the probability of this event happening is close to zero. I had the exact feeling that you have right now when I first came across such a concept which is explained by quantum physics and statistical mechanics. What happens if an astronaut traveling at the speed of light flicks opens torchlight? The beam of light will go backwards and the space in front of you will still be dark (Although it is impossible for a particle to travel at the speed of light)!
Personally, I find the concepts of relativity and quantum physics to be fascinating, challenging and unbelievably fun. Length contracts and time dilates when a particle travels with a very high velocity (especially near the speed of light). So it is true that when one travels in an airplane his life span increases by tenths of a fraction of picoseconds. Well, an interesting experiment is the “Twin Paradox” experiment which considers the aging process of twins; if one of the two is sent in a spaceship to space at a speed of 0.8 times the speed of light in air then after 50 years on earth she will have aged by only 30 “earth” years when she returns since her inertial frame undergoes time dilation with respect to the earth.
This class has just five students so every class is like a conference where the professor makes sure that each and every one of us contributes equally. The learning experience is great when the professor places so much emphasis on the opinion of each student and they receive so much attention. This is true with the other classes at Rollins too, which have very small class sizes. I feel the small class size with an emphasis on open discussion and free exchange of ideas and opinions is central to a Rollins education
| More about Aditya... From a completely different cultural, religious and social setting, Aditya (Adi) comes from Nepal, the Himalayan Kingdom. Having almost lived his entire life in Kathmandu, he is overwhelmed by his positive experiences so far in a new country.
Adi is an International Cornell Scholar who is interested in physics, math and economics but is currently not sure what he would want to major in. Adi is a member of Desi Club and is seeking to join various other clubs like, The Model UN. In the past, as the president of Awareness Club, Adi organized a general health camp in a rural part of Nepal treating more than 700 patients. He was also a part of the Khaptad Camp organized by SHF, Nepal.
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Aditya's R-Journal archives:
| Date |
Link |
| April 27, 2009 |
It's over, already ? |
| April 23, 2009 |
It's Fox Day !!! |
| April 09, 2009 |
Homecoming 2009 |
| March 22, 2009 |
Physics ! |
| March 04, 2009 |
Good neighbour ? |
| February 03, 2009 |
My Warm Winter |
| December 12, 2008 |
Bottom Rung on the top! |
| December 01, 2008 |
Diwali Dinner |
| November 10, 2008 |
Go Bottom Rung !! |
| October 27, 2008 |
Bela Fleck Rocks Rollins |
| October 06, 2008 |
Life in Ward Hall |
| September 20, 2008 |
Home...8,600 miles away |
| September 18, 2008 |
Nine Days in Khaptad |
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