2. Write a book
3. Learn how to scuba dive
4. Hitch hike
5. Go to the pyramids of Giza
6. Go to the rainforest
7. Machu Pichu
8. Faroe Islands
9. Iceland
10. Photograph the Northern Lights
11. Plant a tree
12. Go to the Large Hadron Collider
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Bucket List
1. Go on an African safari
2. Write a book
3. Learn how to scuba dive
4. Hitch hike
5. Go to the pyramids of Giza
6. Go to the rainforest
7. Machu Pichu
8. Faroe Islands
9. Iceland
10. Photograph the Northern Lights
11. Plant a tree
12. Go to the Large Hadron Collider
2. Write a book
3. Learn how to scuba dive
4. Hitch hike
5. Go to the pyramids of Giza
6. Go to the rainforest
7. Machu Pichu
8. Faroe Islands
9. Iceland
10. Photograph the Northern Lights
11. Plant a tree
12. Go to the Large Hadron Collider
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
The Fabric of the Cosmos
The book I chose is called The Fabric of the Cosmos by physicist, Brian Greene. The book has about 500 pages and I just did the math today; I'll have to read about 50 pages a week. I've already read a large portion of the book and I am convinced I'll finish it well before the due date, but I don't have a specific day set for myself.
The book's main idea, from what I can tell, is that things are not as they seem. I think that Greene's overall goal is to inspire the reader to re-examine the very essence of common experience. I have read two of the five parts of the book. The first part of the book covered the topic of how we seem to experience reality and why. He covers the history of the physics of space-time, beginning with Newtonian physics and ending on quantum physics. In the second part of the book, he explores the topic of time and why it appears to be asymmetric or one dimensional. This is one of the reasons I chose this book. I am really interested in the arrow of time and why we actually experience it.
I'll discuss three aspects of the first two parts that really blew my mind and have caused me to re-examine reality which, in my opinion, is the main idea or overall goal of the book. Greene explained how Einstein came to the famous mass-energy equivalency formula. He described how Einstein wondered what it would be like to travel next to a beam of light. He continued to explain that through experimentation, we learned that the speed of light, no matter how fast the observer is moving, always appears to be the same. In physics this is called a reference point and this point can change based on your position or velocity. No matter what your reference point is (your speed and position), light always travels the same speed. The crazy part is what this physically allows for; in order for light to stay constant, space and time literally have to warp and dilate. Einstein unified space and time and they became space-time. If we sit still, ALL of our motion is through time because we are not actually moving through space. What is weird is when we begin to move, or transfer some of our motion to space, our motion in time has to become 'smaller' or slower since we are dealing with time. Time slows down when we move. It is really cool because this concept is illustrated very well with vector resolution which I just learned about in physics.
Another mind blowing concept in the book is which has changed the way I look at things is that our past and our future have already occurred at some other reference point in the universe. Greene uses an example of someone who is on a planet 10 billion light years away. If the person walked toward our planet at a speed of 10 mph, his objective, present time would be 150 years into our planet's future. This means that as he moves, his present time is actually 150 years into our future. This means that our 'future' has already occurred to someone with a specific reference point. The huge amount of space between us allows for maximum time delay due to just a little motion. What is amazing about this is now that we know our past, present, and future could have existed in someone else's present time, you wonder who's present is 'correct'. If you look at the big picture, Greene says, all events of space-time already exist. We are only experiencing a tiny slice of the whole and our tiny slice is no more correct than someone else's tiny slice.
The final concept I want to talk about is what initially got me interested in this book, but for the sake of time I will only reveal the initial question and not Greene's proposed answer. The question of why time appears to flow like a river arises purely from math. Greene explains that our math and our science does not treat positive time any different from negative time. There is no reason in our math that explains why we can seem to 'know' the past, but only affect the future. We cannot change the past and we cannot know the future, it only works in one way. The fact that time has an 'arrow' or a preferred direction that we seem to experience is a mystery in modern physics and no real 'answer' has been revealed, but Greene offers a suggestion. It ultimately boils down to quantum mechanics, the big bang, and entropy, but I won't get into the details.
As I've already said, I think the author wrote the book to affect people's outlook on everyday experience. I know it has certainly affected me and I think it would make a big difference if everyone knew this information. It's crazy stuff and I love reading it. I can't wait to finish it.
The book's main idea, from what I can tell, is that things are not as they seem. I think that Greene's overall goal is to inspire the reader to re-examine the very essence of common experience. I have read two of the five parts of the book. The first part of the book covered the topic of how we seem to experience reality and why. He covers the history of the physics of space-time, beginning with Newtonian physics and ending on quantum physics. In the second part of the book, he explores the topic of time and why it appears to be asymmetric or one dimensional. This is one of the reasons I chose this book. I am really interested in the arrow of time and why we actually experience it.
I'll discuss three aspects of the first two parts that really blew my mind and have caused me to re-examine reality which, in my opinion, is the main idea or overall goal of the book. Greene explained how Einstein came to the famous mass-energy equivalency formula. He described how Einstein wondered what it would be like to travel next to a beam of light. He continued to explain that through experimentation, we learned that the speed of light, no matter how fast the observer is moving, always appears to be the same. In physics this is called a reference point and this point can change based on your position or velocity. No matter what your reference point is (your speed and position), light always travels the same speed. The crazy part is what this physically allows for; in order for light to stay constant, space and time literally have to warp and dilate. Einstein unified space and time and they became space-time. If we sit still, ALL of our motion is through time because we are not actually moving through space. What is weird is when we begin to move, or transfer some of our motion to space, our motion in time has to become 'smaller' or slower since we are dealing with time. Time slows down when we move. It is really cool because this concept is illustrated very well with vector resolution which I just learned about in physics.
Another mind blowing concept in the book is which has changed the way I look at things is that our past and our future have already occurred at some other reference point in the universe. Greene uses an example of someone who is on a planet 10 billion light years away. If the person walked toward our planet at a speed of 10 mph, his objective, present time would be 150 years into our planet's future. This means that as he moves, his present time is actually 150 years into our future. This means that our 'future' has already occurred to someone with a specific reference point. The huge amount of space between us allows for maximum time delay due to just a little motion. What is amazing about this is now that we know our past, present, and future could have existed in someone else's present time, you wonder who's present is 'correct'. If you look at the big picture, Greene says, all events of space-time already exist. We are only experiencing a tiny slice of the whole and our tiny slice is no more correct than someone else's tiny slice.
The final concept I want to talk about is what initially got me interested in this book, but for the sake of time I will only reveal the initial question and not Greene's proposed answer. The question of why time appears to flow like a river arises purely from math. Greene explains that our math and our science does not treat positive time any different from negative time. There is no reason in our math that explains why we can seem to 'know' the past, but only affect the future. We cannot change the past and we cannot know the future, it only works in one way. The fact that time has an 'arrow' or a preferred direction that we seem to experience is a mystery in modern physics and no real 'answer' has been revealed, but Greene offers a suggestion. It ultimately boils down to quantum mechanics, the big bang, and entropy, but I won't get into the details.
As I've already said, I think the author wrote the book to affect people's outlook on everyday experience. I know it has certainly affected me and I think it would make a big difference if everyone knew this information. It's crazy stuff and I love reading it. I can't wait to finish it.
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Project Update
I have been volunteering at the Chabot Space and Science Center since June. I go every other Friday for about 4 or 5 hours. The first hour is a meeting with all of the people on the astronomy team. We usually watch a video or sometimes we have a guest speaker or a presentation of some sort. We had a professor from East Bay come in and talk about what we know and don't know about dark matter which was really cool. After the first hour, we take out the telescopes if it isn't cloudy or humid. We usually have two people at each telescope. Some of my favorite objects to show people are the Perseus double cluster, the owl cluster, Albireo, and Pleaides. The clusters are just a bunch of stars that either appear close to each other or are physically close to each other. Albireo is a double star in the constellation Cygnus or the Northern Cross. It looks like one star, but once it is magnified it reveals two very different stars. One of them is much hotter than the other which causes it to burn blue, while the other one appears red. It is really frustrating when we try and view deep space objects like M31 the Andromeda Galaxy and the moon is out. The moon's light causes every object in the sky to be a bit fainter. There is one full moon about every 4 weeks. After spending time up there I have been able to point out a lot of new objects which I usually don't look at.
I will start breaking my larger tasks up into smaller tasks to help me with time management the rest of the year. For example, my homework assignments, essays, and projects. I think it will help a lot if I divide the work up.
I will start breaking my larger tasks up into smaller tasks to help me with time management the rest of the year. For example, my homework assignments, essays, and projects. I think it will help a lot if I divide the work up.
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Codes
My Myers-Briggs code ended up being INTJ. I originally thought it would be INTP. My Holland codes were IRA, IRS, IAR, IAS, ISR, and ISA. I can't say that I was surprised by the results, but I think they confirm a few things, provided that the tests are accurate. The only reason that I thought I might have been perceptive rather than judgmental is because I like to pick up as much information about something as I can before commenting on it or talking about it. The rest of the ones I guessed correctly on. I think that the codes provide an idea of who I am, but I don't agree with all of it. My Holland codes all began with Investigative and then finished with a combination of Artistic, Realistic, and Social. I was a little surprised at the social aspect because even though I like to work with people, I really like to work with ideas and theoretical things. The test also said that my job match was a market research analyst. Investigative means that you like to work with data, but I feel that the job wouldn't fit me very well at all. I have no interest in marketing research. I am much more interesting in the fundamentals of nature than with recommendations and analyzing data for a client.
The Myers-Briggs code that I received makes sense to me. I think that both of these codes reflect my future in some way or another. I think they describe me accurately, and may reflect what I do in the future. The codes somewhat predict what types of classes I might be taking in college and maybe my future career, even if I don't agree with it right now.
The Myers-Briggs code that I received makes sense to me. I think that both of these codes reflect my future in some way or another. I think they describe me accurately, and may reflect what I do in the future. The codes somewhat predict what types of classes I might be taking in college and maybe my future career, even if I don't agree with it right now.
Sunday, October 20, 2013
TED
The TED video I decided to write about was called "Is our universe the only universe?". The lecture was given by a theoretical physicist named Brian Greene in Long Beach in February of 2012. The video summarizes the multiverse theory and gives some good evidence to believe that the theory is true. He goes into detail and explains that dark energy is responsible for the increase in speed of expansion. He gives the exact number of dark energy which is needed to account for the rate of change in speed. He explains string theory and how it unifies all the forces of the universe. He explains that the math needed to explain string theory must include other dimensions on a microscopic level. He talks about the shapes that were predicted and how the list grew and grew. Then he speculates that the number that we predicted correlates to the shape of the possible extra dimensions and that the number may be different in different universes. This means that our universe is "just right". If the number were too big, matter would not form galaxies and if the number were too small, the same thing would happen. Then he talks about the big bang and how it might not be a unique event. He also talks about the CMB and how it may be able to provide tangible evidence of other universes. This was my favorite part of the lecture.
The CMB is a cosmic microwave background. Astronomers use their telescopes to view the hot and cold parts of the early universe on a HUGE scale. Greene suggests in the video that if our universe were to collide with another, we might be able to see some disruptions in the CMB. It might look like a ripple of some sort as the heat of another universe interferes with the heat of our own. It would be really cool to see that one day, but I don't think it would happen like he suggests in the video.
Since this is all highly speculative I want to insert an idea I had based on other readings and my own knowledge of the subject. The number that Greene suggests, which would differ between universes and also cause the difference in "vibrations" of the strings, would create universes with strings vibrating in completely new dimensions. Like he said in the video, these vibrations of strings would make up new particles. The numbers in the video represent the amount of dark energy in the given universe. Since the amount of dark energy is accepted to make up 72% of the universe and the rest is made up of matter and dark matter, the laws of physics would change as that 72% changes. Gravity and the nuclear forces may be lacking from these universes completely and may perhaps be replaced by forces completely foreign to us. My readings prior to this video suggest that changes in physics come hand in hand with new dimensions, which does not seem so far-fetched after viewing the video. This means that things would be unimaginably different from our own universe. I would imagine that if our universe suddenly collided with another, nothing could happen because our matter and energy (heat) may exist in a different dimension than those of the universe that we are colliding with. The heat of our own universe could not change or ripple like in the video because it would be colliding with virtually nothing at all. The universe would occupy a space which would be completely unknown, even if it were superimposed on top of our universe, we may not be able to sense its properties because of a gap of dimensional occupation. Only a portion of its properties may be able to collide with our own. Heat may not be one of these properties. To make this easier for someone to understand, imagine setting a cube on top of a piece of paper. The cube's bottom face would be the only thing interacting with the piece of paper, and it is because of the difference of dimensions between the two objects. There is no way for the height of the cube to interact with the piece of paper. Similarly, if the heat of any given universe existed in some 'nth' dimension of space, there would be no way for it to interact with our own three dimensional space. Again, everything here is highly speculative, but it is fun to think about and that's why I love the subject.
I would highly recommend this video to anyone who likes to think deeply about big things. It is an extremely interesting speculation and the video is also a very good introduction to string theory, other dimensions, and the future of the universe.
The CMB is a cosmic microwave background. Astronomers use their telescopes to view the hot and cold parts of the early universe on a HUGE scale. Greene suggests in the video that if our universe were to collide with another, we might be able to see some disruptions in the CMB. It might look like a ripple of some sort as the heat of another universe interferes with the heat of our own. It would be really cool to see that one day, but I don't think it would happen like he suggests in the video.
Since this is all highly speculative I want to insert an idea I had based on other readings and my own knowledge of the subject. The number that Greene suggests, which would differ between universes and also cause the difference in "vibrations" of the strings, would create universes with strings vibrating in completely new dimensions. Like he said in the video, these vibrations of strings would make up new particles. The numbers in the video represent the amount of dark energy in the given universe. Since the amount of dark energy is accepted to make up 72% of the universe and the rest is made up of matter and dark matter, the laws of physics would change as that 72% changes. Gravity and the nuclear forces may be lacking from these universes completely and may perhaps be replaced by forces completely foreign to us. My readings prior to this video suggest that changes in physics come hand in hand with new dimensions, which does not seem so far-fetched after viewing the video. This means that things would be unimaginably different from our own universe. I would imagine that if our universe suddenly collided with another, nothing could happen because our matter and energy (heat) may exist in a different dimension than those of the universe that we are colliding with. The heat of our own universe could not change or ripple like in the video because it would be colliding with virtually nothing at all. The universe would occupy a space which would be completely unknown, even if it were superimposed on top of our universe, we may not be able to sense its properties because of a gap of dimensional occupation. Only a portion of its properties may be able to collide with our own. Heat may not be one of these properties. To make this easier for someone to understand, imagine setting a cube on top of a piece of paper. The cube's bottom face would be the only thing interacting with the piece of paper, and it is because of the difference of dimensions between the two objects. There is no way for the height of the cube to interact with the piece of paper. Similarly, if the heat of any given universe existed in some 'nth' dimension of space, there would be no way for it to interact with our own three dimensional space. Again, everything here is highly speculative, but it is fun to think about and that's why I love the subject.
I would highly recommend this video to anyone who likes to think deeply about big things. It is an extremely interesting speculation and the video is also a very good introduction to string theory, other dimensions, and the future of the universe.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Goal Setting
What I've learned about goals in iQuest is that goals are a way to make dreams and aspirations come true. By creating goals, you are pushing yourself and committing to what you want to achieve. I have also learned the criteria for creating effective goals. Smart goals are a way to really achieve something as efficiently as possible. They force you to know exactly what you need to do. Specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time bound goals are what I need to create in order to reach my dreams. With these goals, I will avoid a number of obstacles.
When I set goals in the past, I usually didn't come through in the end. I would procrastinate and not get it done or I would 'finish early'. What I mean by that is I would just say 'well I was close enough', but with goals that are specific and measurable, I will be able to avoid this. I also think that with goals that are time bound, I can reduce procrastination. Another thing that will be avoided with smart goals is getting to a point and realizing that the goal itself was just unrealistic. You may set a goal and not even realize that it is unreasonable and cannot be done within the time you've given yourself. Smart goals will fix, or at least reduce, the common obstacles of achieving goals.
I, along with every other single person, can apply what I've just discussed in my own life. Here are a few of my own smart goals:
I want to view and photograph, if possible, comet ISON in the last week of November when the comet will be closest to the sun and therefore at its brightest.
I want to finish the book I am currently reading in my free time, Quantum Physics, Near Death Experiences, Eternal Consciousness, Religion, and the Human Soul, by the end of winter break and determine to what extent I agree or disagree with its thesis.
I want to schedule a show with my band at a venue, not a house, by December 1st.
When I set goals in the past, I usually didn't come through in the end. I would procrastinate and not get it done or I would 'finish early'. What I mean by that is I would just say 'well I was close enough', but with goals that are specific and measurable, I will be able to avoid this. I also think that with goals that are time bound, I can reduce procrastination. Another thing that will be avoided with smart goals is getting to a point and realizing that the goal itself was just unrealistic. You may set a goal and not even realize that it is unreasonable and cannot be done within the time you've given yourself. Smart goals will fix, or at least reduce, the common obstacles of achieving goals.
I, along with every other single person, can apply what I've just discussed in my own life. Here are a few of my own smart goals:
I want to view and photograph, if possible, comet ISON in the last week of November when the comet will be closest to the sun and therefore at its brightest.
I want to finish the book I am currently reading in my free time, Quantum Physics, Near Death Experiences, Eternal Consciousness, Religion, and the Human Soul, by the end of winter break and determine to what extent I agree or disagree with its thesis.
I want to schedule a show with my band at a venue, not a house, by December 1st.
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Inflation
Five people who can help me achieve my goals and dreams are my mom, dad, sister, and a few friends. The obvious response to why my parents will help me achieve my dreams is because they will support me no matter what. However, there are a couple of other reasons as well. My dad is a very precise person. One thing that I've learned from him is that if you are going to do anything, it doesn't matter what it is, do it the right way and the best way possible. I think that this skill is key to achieving goals and dreams and he will always help me improve. My mom really pushes me. She always strives to make me the best I can be and even though I hate it sometimes, it will pay off in the end. I disagree with almost everything my sister will say, but I still have learned a lot from her. She is never afraid to say her opinions or try something new or push the limits. I think it is an important factor to achieve goals. She wants the best for me, supports me, and, even though she doesn't know it, I've learned a lot from her. I have a number of friends I can talk about, but I am going to pick two who have helped me in the past few months. My friend Austin is interested in science just like me. We bounce ideas off each other and it has a positive outcome every time. The last person who can help me achieve my goals is my friend Mackenzie. She always has something to ask me about space or science. The questions are extremely difficult for me to explain to someone who does not have a tremendous amount of scientific knowledge. It is probably one of my favorite things to do. The questions force me to explain concepts and my own unique ideas in the simplest terms possible. It forces me to really understand what I am talking about. I think this is a positive thing and it gives me confidence which I think is helpful when it comes to fulfilling goals. She always wants to know more. I have known her for over ten years now and I know she will always support my decisions.
A couple of things I need to do are start my college essays, clean my room, clean my car, apply to colleges, and play my guitar. I plan on applying to two more colleges by the end of the week and also starting my essays or at least one essay. I really need to play my guitar. I haven't played it by myself for a long time and so I am making it number 3 out of my priorities. If any time remains I will clean my car and room.
A couple of things I need to do are start my college essays, clean my room, clean my car, apply to colleges, and play my guitar. I plan on applying to two more colleges by the end of the week and also starting my essays or at least one essay. I really need to play my guitar. I haven't played it by myself for a long time and so I am making it number 3 out of my priorities. If any time remains I will clean my car and room.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
The Big Bang
My name is Jon Annunziato and I am a senior at California High School in San Ramon, California. I am excited about senior year because I am in classes that I am actually interested in. I am also excited to almost be done with high school. So far, I am enjoying calculus, physics, photo, and of course iQuest. I am signed up to explore my interest in astronomy and science in my free time that I will get out of iQuest. I have a couple of goals for my senior year in hopes of setting up my immediate future at whatever college I end up attending. Not only do I have goals for my academic performance, but also for my work experience and my hobbies.
Why astronomy? Honestly, when I was younger, outer space scared the hell out of me, but I have learned to look at it in a different way and it is less frightening and also extremely interesting. The reason I am so interested with space started with a quote that I heard. "We are a way for the cosmos to know itself" - Carl Sagan. This was what ultimately started my questions about space and how things work. I started asking things I wouldn't have ever thought of before and what was great was that answers were available because hundreds of years ago people asked the same questions. I watched all of the TV shows on the universe, how it behaves, and how it could have started. There was so much to learn. After watching a documentary about how Galileo crafted the first telescope I figured it was time to buy one. Within the next week I purchased my first telescope and have been viewing the stars and planets since then. I've learned a lot, but there is a lot more. This is why I thought iQuest would be a good fit for me. With my iQuest time I will be volunteering at the Chabot Space and Science Center, operating telescopes and doing demonstrations for the public. I've been doing it since June and enjoy it a lot. I also want to spend some time reading and using my personal telescope and camera for astrophotography.
On top of learning as much as I can about astronomy and space I hope to get a 4.0 GPA for the year. It might be more challenging than last year because of the weighted courses, but I think I'll be able to do it. Another immediate goal I want to reach is just to bump my SAT score up as much as possible. I do really want to get a strong foundation in physics and calculus because I have a good feeling it will give me a good start in college. I want to really learn the two subjects in as much detail as possible. I hope that setting a goal to achieve a 4.0 will help me with this.
I have been working at Clementine's for about a year and a half and I have made a lot of progress there. I started as a host, but I moved to expediter after 8 months of hosting. Now I am in the progress of becoming a server. I want to reach that point by the end of the school year, but the earlier the better. I need to save for college and since servers make a lot more money in tips it will definitely be a plus.
As far as my hobbies go, I have been playing drums and guitar for years and I have no intentions of giving those hobbies up just because I am busy with school and work. I am in two different bands right now and I hope to make progress with both of them during this year. I want to finish up a demo with one of them and I also want to play a couple of shows with both of them. I also spent a lot of time hiking this summer and I wanted to hike to the top of Mt. Diablo, but I never got around to it and that's why I am adding it to my list of things to do this year.
Why astronomy? Honestly, when I was younger, outer space scared the hell out of me, but I have learned to look at it in a different way and it is less frightening and also extremely interesting. The reason I am so interested with space started with a quote that I heard. "We are a way for the cosmos to know itself" - Carl Sagan. This was what ultimately started my questions about space and how things work. I started asking things I wouldn't have ever thought of before and what was great was that answers were available because hundreds of years ago people asked the same questions. I watched all of the TV shows on the universe, how it behaves, and how it could have started. There was so much to learn. After watching a documentary about how Galileo crafted the first telescope I figured it was time to buy one. Within the next week I purchased my first telescope and have been viewing the stars and planets since then. I've learned a lot, but there is a lot more. This is why I thought iQuest would be a good fit for me. With my iQuest time I will be volunteering at the Chabot Space and Science Center, operating telescopes and doing demonstrations for the public. I've been doing it since June and enjoy it a lot. I also want to spend some time reading and using my personal telescope and camera for astrophotography.
On top of learning as much as I can about astronomy and space I hope to get a 4.0 GPA for the year. It might be more challenging than last year because of the weighted courses, but I think I'll be able to do it. Another immediate goal I want to reach is just to bump my SAT score up as much as possible. I do really want to get a strong foundation in physics and calculus because I have a good feeling it will give me a good start in college. I want to really learn the two subjects in as much detail as possible. I hope that setting a goal to achieve a 4.0 will help me with this.
I have been working at Clementine's for about a year and a half and I have made a lot of progress there. I started as a host, but I moved to expediter after 8 months of hosting. Now I am in the progress of becoming a server. I want to reach that point by the end of the school year, but the earlier the better. I need to save for college and since servers make a lot more money in tips it will definitely be a plus.
As far as my hobbies go, I have been playing drums and guitar for years and I have no intentions of giving those hobbies up just because I am busy with school and work. I am in two different bands right now and I hope to make progress with both of them during this year. I want to finish up a demo with one of them and I also want to play a couple of shows with both of them. I also spent a lot of time hiking this summer and I wanted to hike to the top of Mt. Diablo, but I never got around to it and that's why I am adding it to my list of things to do this year.
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