Week 8 Assignments - Classical Physics

Newton's Three Laws and Me:

So, finally we get into some of the concepts in physics that are more difficult for me to get my head around...nevertheless, I will take a stab at it here. The law of inertia is probably one that I am most familiar with, as I am definitely a body at rest if at all humanly possible, and if there is no measurable motivation I can remain at rest indefinitely (LOL). But I get it, the baseline, if you will, is that you start with an object that just "is" - without any additional stimulus or interaction, that object will remain where it is, without change or growth - without getting either better or worse.

I have a lot more trouble with the second law - 'cause this is where the math comes in. Again, in essence I understand the concept, that my ass is more likely to get up off the couch and go for a walk if the sun is shining and there is nothing good on tv or there is nothing interesting in front of me to eat (ok, just kidding here, but I suppose to get a body out of the state of inertia there needs to be an outside force acting upon it - say motivation, in the example above?) - but I guess this is the part where the equation explains the strength of that motivation. Just don't ask me to actually calculate that equation, because my brain will break and it won't be pretty.

The third law - which makes more sense to me when stated as "to every action there is an equal and opposite reaction" is much easier for me to relate to. Again, from a strictly scientific perspective, it seems like it would be impossible for anything to actually ever move at all, because according to Newton's theory, objects are always pushing against each other, and I believe this is the essence of this law. That being said, in a more metaphysical sense, and perhaps more related to chaos theory and the theory of quantum mechanics - it seems to me that objects (or events, or thoughts) that are in motion will affect objects (or events, or thoughts) in a directly proportional way - not necessarily in an oppositional way....such as the stone in the pond analogy - throwing a stone in a pond creates motion in the water, which expands and moves ever outward from the source.

Our "Energy Efficient" Culture:

Does not exist. A lot of people are talking a lot about energy efficiency, and it is certainly popular to talk the talk - but actually walking the walk is a totally different matter, and it seems to me that there are more than just a few things that need to change in order to achieve this state; and I am actually not sure it is possible to achieve at any rate. Since energy "is conserved" in the universe, it never goes away or increases, it just changes from one thing to another.

I used to live in a collective household which was theoretically committed to green living - and a prime example of a very simple way in which energy efficiency can be thwarted would be the fact that the house (three story victorian) was completely fitted out with low wattage light bulbs - and then people left the lights on in rooms and stairwells on all three floors all night long, all day long, all the time. So. Not very "efficient".

Descartes has a lot to answer for!:

I think that it really is truly amazing that in our history as humans on this planet, that there have consistently been people who have challenged the dominant paradigm with new ideas and theories and who have also consistently advanced our knowledge of our world and ourselves in the process. The scientists of the 17th and 18th centuries had so many social and religious parameters which framed their consciousness and beliefs, both restricting and expanding their ability to understand and to even consider alternate truths - and yet in so many ways they "got it" and were able to move scientific thought and ultimately human understanding forward on the backs of those truths. I think that most likely the truths that scientists are now beginning to embrace and tinker with will do the same thing.

That being said, I am also really grateful that science appears to be moving into a new era of holistic thought - acknowledging the power of the mind and factoring in that power as they re-examine the work of their predecessors. Western science for too long has influenced overall human thinking and interaction - in the sense that it has separated out the power of the mind and emotions and the overall metaphysical aspect of our existence - and this has led to untold imbalances which have been destroying our world.