Wheeler's delayed choice experiment Wheeler's delayed choice experiment is actually several thought experiments in quantum physics, proposed by John Archibald Wheeler, with the most prominent among them appearing in 1978 and 1984.[1] These experiments are attempts to decide whether light somehow "senses" the experimental apparatus in the double-slit experiment it will travel through and adjusts its behavior to fit by assuming the appropriate determinate state for it, or whether light remains in an indeterminate state, neither wave nor particle, and responds to the "questions" asked of it by responding in either a wave-consistent manner or a particle-consistent manner depending on the experimental arrangements that ask these "questions."[2] This line of experimentation proved very difficult to carry out when it was first conceived. Introduction[edit] "Wheeler's delayed choice experiment" refers to a series of thought experiments in quantum physics, the first being proposed by him in 1978. Simple interferometer[edit]
Today in Energy Apr 18, 2014 Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly About 6.2% of total U.S. electricity supplies in 2013 were generated from nonhydro renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, biomass, and geothermal, up from 5.4% in 2012. But 11 states produced electricity at more than twice the national average from these sources—accounting for between 14% and 32% of their net electric generation—according to preliminary 2013 generation data in EIA's Electric Power Monthly report. Read More › Apr 17, 2014 Source: U.S. Crude oil inventories on the U.S. Read More › Apr 16, 2014 Source: U.S. Personal travel, measured in light-duty vehicle miles traveled (VMT) per licensed driver, reached 12,900 miles per year in 2007 and decreased to about 12,500 in 2012. Read More › Apr 15, 2014 In 2013, 12 states accounted for 80% of U.S. wind-generated electricity, according to preliminary generation data released in EIA's March Electric Power Monthly report. Read More › Apr 14, 2014
Scientists Are Beginning To Figure Out Why Conservatives Are…Conservative Scientists are using eye-tracking devices to detect automatic response differences between liberals and conservatives.University of Nebraska-Lincoln You could be forgiven for not having browsed yet through the latest issue of the journal Behavioral and Brain Sciences. If you care about politics, though, you'll find a punchline therein that is pretty extraordinary. Click here to read more from Mooney on the science of why people don't believe in science. Behavioral and Brain Sciences employs a rather unique practice called "Open Peer Commentary": An article of major significance is published, a large number of fellow scholars comment on it, and then the original author responds to all of them. That's a big deal. It is a "virtually inescapable conclusion" that the "cognitive-motivational styles of leftists and rightists are quite different." The authors go on to speculate that this ultimately reflects an evolutionary imperative. That's pretty extraordinary, when you think about it.
10 More Common Faults in Human Thought Humans This list is a follow up to Top 10 Common Faults in Human Thought. Thanks for everyone’s comments and feedback; you have inspired this second list! The confirmation bias is the tendency to look for or interpret information in a way that confirms beliefs. The Availability heuristic is gauging what is more likely based on vivid memories. Illusion of Control is the tendency for individuals to believe they can control or at least influence outcomes that they clearly have no influence on. Interesting Fact: when playing craps in a casino, people will throw the dice hard when they need a high number and soft when they need a low number. The Planning fallacy is the tendency to underestimate the time needed to complete tasks. Interesting Fact: “Realistic pessimism” is a phenomenon where depressed or overly pessimistic people more accurately predict task completion estimations. Interesting Fact: unfortunately, this bias has serious consequences. Bonus Attribute Substitution
50,000 year old woman's toe reveals Neanderthals had sex with everyone According to an international team of anthropologists and geneticists at the University of California, Berkeley, our ancient Neanderthal cousins were a randy and apparently not very picky conglomerate of sexual deviants. Thanks to their remarkable research, in which DNA was extracted from a 50,000-year-old woman's toe, the team at Berkeley discovered Neanderthals had a long history of interbreeding among at least four different types of early humans living in Europe and Asia at the time. The team compared the Neanderthal genomes with those of modern humans and a recently recognised group of early humans called Denisovans, discovering that Neanderthals and Denisovans are very closely related, with their common ancestor splitting off from the ancestors of modern humans around 400,000 years ago. The research team estimates that between 1.5 and 2.1 percent of the genomes of modern non-Africans can be traced to Neanderthals.
Geology Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth by providing the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates. In modern times, geology is commercially important for mineral and hydrocarbon exploration / exploitation as well as for evaluating water resources. It is publicly important for the prediction and understanding of natural hazards, the remediation of environmental problems, and for providing insights into past climate change. Geology also plays a role in geotechnical engineering and is a major academic discipline. Geologic time[edit] Geological time put in a diagram called a geological clock, showing the relative lengths of the eons of the Earth's history. Important milestones[edit] Brief time scale[edit] Millions of Years Relative and absolute dating[edit] Geological events can be given a precise date at a point in time, or they can be related to other events that came before and after them. Relative dating[edit] Absolute dating[edit]
Overcome Social Anxiety with the 3-Second Rule Raynaud's phenomenon In medicine, Raynaud's phenomenon /reɪˈnoʊz/ or Raynaud phenomenon is excessively reduced blood flow in response to cold or emotional stress, causing discoloration of the fingers, toes, and occasionally other areas. This condition may also cause nails to become brittle with longitudinal ridges. Named after French physician Maurice Raynaud (1834–1881), the phenomenon is believed to be the result of vasospasms that decrease blood supply to the respective regions. Raynaud's phenomenon by itself is just a sign (hypoperfusion) accompanied by a symptom (discomfort). Signs and symptoms[edit] An image taken by a thermographic camera. The condition can cause pain within the affected extremities, discoloration (paleness), and sensations of cold and/or numbness. All three color changes are observed in classic Raynaud's. In pregnancy, this sign normally disappears owing to increased surface blood flow. Cause[edit] Primary[edit] Secondary[edit] Diagnosis[edit] Management[edit] Surgery[edit] See also[edit]
The unanswered questions The phrase unanswered questions or undeclared questions (Sanskrit avyākṛta, Pali: avyākata - "unfathomable, unexpounded"[1]), in Buddhism, refers to a set of common philosophical questions that Buddha refused to answer, according to Buddhist texts. The Pali texts give only ten, the Sanskrit texts fourteen questions. Fourteen questions[edit] According to their subject matter the questions can be grouped in four categories.[citation needed] Questions concerning the existence of the world in time 1. 2. ...or not? 3. ...or both? 4. ...or neither? (Pali texts omit "both" and "neither") Questions concerning the existence of the world in space 5. 6. ...or not? 7. ...or both? 8. ...or neither? Questions referring to personal identity 10. ...or is it different from the body? Questions referring to life after death 11. 12. ...or not? 13. ...or both? 14. ...or neither? Pali Canon[edit] Majjhima Nikaya 63 [2] & 72 [3] in the Pali canon contain a list of ten unanswered questions about certain views (ditthi):