The video you've been waiting for is here!
If you have ever wanted to know what a wammy bar is for, why pickups are magnetic or why an electric guitar is so different from an acoustic guitar, then today is your lucky day!
The Physics of the Electric Guitar video for AAPT Films delves into the physics of sound and how the construction of the electric guitar uses physics to create all the songs we love so much. This video has demos, excellent visuals, and physics equations too.
After watching the video, you may want to focus on certain details and read in the textual form, so check out my blog entry on this topic: Rock Out to Electric Guitar Physics. Or just go watch the video again!
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Sally Ride
The Many Pivotal Roles
of Sally Ride:
Physicist, Astronaut, Leader, Teacher
What
if one day you were on your college campus and noticed an intriguing ad in the
college newspaper? This may be a rather common experience, but for Sally Ride, this
common experience became an uncommonly important moment in her life.
While
studying at Stanford University, Sally Ride noticed an ad placed by NASA
recruiting astronauts, which piqued her interest. As an undergraduate, Ride
double-majored in physics and English literature and then continued her studies
at Stanford University to earn a Ph.D. For her dissertation research, Ride
studied the theoretical behavior of free electrons in a magnetic field.
Sally
Ride was chosen for our list of eminent and influential women physicists for
several reasons:
1) her impact
on the field and children (potential future scientists) through science
outreach and education
2) a role
model for women and all scientists
3) the
pivotal role she played in demilitarizing NASA and representing scientists in
space
4) her physics research
Ride’s
work in outreach has lit the fire of interest in science for many children through
Sally Ride Science and her foundation’s efforts
have a huge impact on many children. According to the Sally Ride Science website: "Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, started Sally Ride Science in 2001 to inspire young people--especially girls--to stick with their interesting in science and consider pursuing careers in science and engineering."
Photo from the Sally Ride Science website
In 1978, Ride was chosen by NASA as an astronaut candidate;
she was only one of six women among 35 trainees who were selected. That same
year, she earned her Ph.D. in physics from Stanford University.Later she went on
to engage in rigorous astronaut training, from flying jets to parachute jumping
to working on the shuttle’s robotic arm.
Her role as an astronaut also marked a shift
in the American space program. Sally Ride was the first American woman in space
and went on to become a role model for aspiring astronauts and young women
interested in studying physics and astrophysics. On another level, Ride’s
involvement in the space shuttle program was a step toward demilitarizing NASA.
Prior to Ride’s time at NASA, most astronauts had served as fighter pilots.
Ride’s contributions to the space program signified a growth period for NASA,
where scientists, not just pilots, would board American spaceships.
Learning
about Sally Ride’s full life can inspire many students, young women in
particular, to pursue physics as a career. As a child, Sally Ride loved to play
tennis and pursued a professional career in tennis for a time. She attended an
all-girls high school in Los Angeles, and studied both literature and physics
as an undergrad. She conducted challenging physics research, taught as a
physics professor at UC San Diego, and served important roles at NASA, both
through being an astronaut and other work there. Later, she took part in the
Challenger investigation before retiring from NASA. She never fully retired
from her mission as a leader in the sciences—months before her death (of
pancreatic cancer in 2012), Sally Ride still played a leadership role at Sally
Ride Science, as President and CEO.
“I would like to be remembered as someone
who was not afraid to do what she wanted to do, and as someone who took risks
along the way in order to achieve her goals.” ~quoted from an interview at
Achievement.org
Links
https://sallyridescience.com/
http://www.aerospaceguide.net/women_in_space/sally_ride.html
Check
out a photo gallery of her life here.
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