Can we think of other cheap ways to do this? Are there natural structures or organisms that can do this? Keep in mind that these structures cost about $1000 US, but that is a fortune in local currencies in poor parts and countries of Africa and other continents. Clearly this is the type of thing that is necessary with population growth and climate change. This could be a new path of research for high school students!
Thursday, May 30, 2019
Structures to collect drinking water from air
Check out structures that started to be built a few years ago in parts of Ethiopia, that collect ~25 gallons of water overnight via condensation or moisture from the air.
Can we think of other cheap ways to do this? Are there natural structures or organisms that can do this? Keep in mind that these structures cost about $1000 US, but that is a fortune in local currencies in poor parts and countries of Africa and other continents. Clearly this is the type of thing that is necessary with population growth and climate change. This could be a new path of research for high school students!
Can we think of other cheap ways to do this? Are there natural structures or organisms that can do this? Keep in mind that these structures cost about $1000 US, but that is a fortune in local currencies in poor parts and countries of Africa and other continents. Clearly this is the type of thing that is necessary with population growth and climate change. This could be a new path of research for high school students!
Saturday, May 4, 2019
Good example of simulation of solar system formation - testing theories and models
Scientists use advanced computer simulations to test theories. For anyone who has done even basic programming, mathematical equations can be put into code and the computer does the calculations. For simulations, this takes the equations from some theory or mathematical model and runs them to see what happens in one tiny amount of time, called a time step. For something like a solar system, where everything is moving and things like the gravitational force, acceleration, speeds, energy, momentum, radius from other objects, and so on, are all changing constantly, by advancing an object through some small time then allows the computer to re-calculate all of those quantities through another small time interval, readjusts where everything is, and then re-computes the next advancement of all quantities, over and over and over again. This is why fast computers are needed for simulations with multiple objects moving around and interacting with each other, such as through gravity.
In the end, astronomers can use the relevant mathematics like Newton's laws of gravity and motion, and even corrections coming from Einstein's general theory of relativity, to create a simulation for the creation and evolution of our solar system over billions of years of simulated time. This is a computer experiment that produces results from a theory, that can then be compared directly to the present structure and behavior of the actual solar system. If there is agreement, of course we then have good confidence that the theory is valid and providing some understanding for how Nature works.
In the end, astronomers can use the relevant mathematics like Newton's laws of gravity and motion, and even corrections coming from Einstein's general theory of relativity, to create a simulation for the creation and evolution of our solar system over billions of years of simulated time. This is a computer experiment that produces results from a theory, that can then be compared directly to the present structure and behavior of the actual solar system. If there is agreement, of course we then have good confidence that the theory is valid and providing some understanding for how Nature works.
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