The weak force is different from the other three fundamental forces because it violates parity (P) symmetry.
CPT symmetry has never been found to be violated. The individual symmetries can be violated individually, but not all three at the same time.
The individual symmetries are:
C for 'charge conjunction': every particle can be replaced by its antiparticle counterpart.
P for 'parity': every particle, interaction or decay can be replaced by its mirror image counterpart.
T for 'time-reversal symmetry': the laws of physics are the same regardless of whether you run the clock forwards or backwards in time.
...mentions the "sphaleron", a composite particle of such high energy that it is currently unobservable in particle collisions.
Apparently, the sphaleron is a solution to the the electroweak field equations of the Standard Model of particle physics.
I read that sphalerons may convert matter (baryons) to antimatter (antibaryons) and vice versa.
In the electroweak explanation of baryogenesis, if the density of sphalerons was high enough during the extremely high temperatures of the early universe it could explain why there is an imbalance of matter and antimatter in the universe today.
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Baryogenesis
Never mind, just watch Steve's video! 😀
A correction to my post above the last: The weak force is different from the other three fundamental forces because it violates parity (P) and time-reversal (T) symmetry. Or is it all three symmetries?
The weak force only involves left-handed configurations and, puzzlingly, right-handed configurations simply don't exist. I don't think the physicists know why!
Neutrinos are particularly interesting:
Thanks to our friends in The Royal Society for correcting popular misconceptions of science.
Interestingly, I can still exactly remember what I was doing on 8th. May 1973.
It was my first year undergraduate Physics birthday at Bedford College, London. A day celebrated across Europe as V.E. day too. My Physics friends bought me a considerable number of shots of "Southern Comfort". 22 to be exact.
It ended disastrously for the Birthday Boy, IIRC. I was sick. But I survived. And to this day, I do not no more touch "Southern Comfort". Body memory.
Naturally all the smart people had the "Dark Side of the Moon" Floyd album, on vinyl in those days, these days on CD or streamed in 24 bit:
The advantage of vinyl is you got a poster of the Great Pyramid of Giza to stick to your wall.
A tradition minimally continued with the CD edition:
The geometers amongst us naturally spot that the Pyramids are half an Octahedron:
Maybe the whole thing works as a Desert Mirage.
I leave that to the detectives:
Anyway, I think my friend @Galu has surprised me again:
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Baryogenesis
And this leads naturally to the Neutral Kaon:
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Kaon
This my friends is the "Heart of the Matter". Symmetry is all. 😎
It was my first year undergraduate Physics birthday at Bedford College, London. A day celebrated across Europe as V.E. day too. My Physics friends bought me a considerable number of shots of "Southern Comfort". 22 to be exact.
It ended disastrously for the Birthday Boy, IIRC. I was sick. But I survived. And to this day, I do not no more touch "Southern Comfort". Body memory.
Naturally all the smart people had the "Dark Side of the Moon" Floyd album, on vinyl in those days, these days on CD or streamed in 24 bit:
The advantage of vinyl is you got a poster of the Great Pyramid of Giza to stick to your wall.
A tradition minimally continued with the CD edition:
The geometers amongst us naturally spot that the Pyramids are half an Octahedron:
Maybe the whole thing works as a Desert Mirage.
I leave that to the detectives:
Anyway, I think my friend @Galu has surprised me again:
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Baryogenesis
And this leads naturally to the Neutral Kaon:
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Kaon
This my friends is the "Heart of the Matter". Symmetry is all. 😎
Last edited:
I don't think Hoyle thought along the line of there must be a guiding hand. Just more the case that a number of things are rather finely balanced.
😉 Fine by me. If they were not we wouldn't be here to observe them.
If people want to look at things the other way the most miraculous stuff around is very probably water.
Perhaps this is the wrong thread wherein to discuss Janis Joplin. I think Leonard Cohen mentioned her in a roundabout way in one of his typically gloomy and mournful songs. Kris Kristofferson wrote a bittersweet song about her too, which drew praise from "Boxcar" Willie Nelson.
https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/kriskristofferson/meandbobbymcgee.html
I think I know what is unusual about Water and its surprising density plot in liquid and solid phase,
https://www.sciencealert.com/water-unique-properties-tetrahedral-molecule-arrangement
And at a deeper level:
https://www.chemistryworld.com/features/the-weirdness-of-water/4011260.article
Tetrahedral and hexagonal symmetry both for sure. The molecular bond angle of near 120 degrees gives that away. And I don't mean James Bond 007! 🤣
But I must think about it more, and in fact haven't quite taken Sphalerons on board yet, either. 🙁
https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/kriskristofferson/meandbobbymcgee.html
I think I know what is unusual about Water and its surprising density plot in liquid and solid phase,
https://www.sciencealert.com/water-unique-properties-tetrahedral-molecule-arrangement
And at a deeper level:
https://www.chemistryworld.com/features/the-weirdness-of-water/4011260.article
Tetrahedral and hexagonal symmetry both for sure. The molecular bond angle of near 120 degrees gives that away. And I don't mean James Bond 007! 🤣
But I must think about it more, and in fact haven't quite taken Sphalerons on board yet, either. 🙁
Last edited:
Personally, it’s Scotch for me. Very little beats a Bruichladdich, Drambuie or a Ledaig.
My son drinks bourbon.
My son drinks bourbon.
You may have a (triple) point there!
https://sciencenotes.org/triple-point-of-water/
P.S. I would never put water in my whisky!
I've long been aware of the unusual properties of water as outlined in Steve's science alert link.
Water is unusual in that, instead of continuing to increase in density as it cools down toward its freezing point, it starts to become less dense below 4 degrees Celsius. Consequently, the ice that forms at 0 degrees Celsius is less dense than water. That is of course why ice cubes float on top of your glass of water.
This phenomenon is important to life in ponds because, as the ice forms on the surface of the water, fish can survive in water at a temperature of 4 degrees Celsius at the bottom of the pond.
The Royal Meteorological Society link below explains better than I can how ponds freeze in terms of the processes of convection and conduction:
https://www.rmets.org/metmatters/frozen-ponds
Quote: "This property of water has large effects, especially on the ecology of cold regions. Some fish and amphibians use the stable environment at the bottom of ponds to survive cold winters."
Water is unusual in that, instead of continuing to increase in density as it cools down toward its freezing point, it starts to become less dense below 4 degrees Celsius. Consequently, the ice that forms at 0 degrees Celsius is less dense than water. That is of course why ice cubes float on top of your glass of water.
This phenomenon is important to life in ponds because, as the ice forms on the surface of the water, fish can survive in water at a temperature of 4 degrees Celsius at the bottom of the pond.
The Royal Meteorological Society link below explains better than I can how ponds freeze in terms of the processes of convection and conduction:
https://www.rmets.org/metmatters/frozen-ponds
Quote: "This property of water has large effects, especially on the ecology of cold regions. Some fish and amphibians use the stable environment at the bottom of ponds to survive cold winters."
A little trick with water. Place three medium size bowls 10” diameter or thereabouts of ice water out in front of speakers all in a row. Next, listen to the sound.
Last edited:
Apparently hot water freezes more quickly than room temperature water when both are placed in the freezer at the same time.
Might be nonsense of course but perhaps if the water molecules are zipping around they may more easily be able to settle into the ice crystal line structure in the warmer fluid. I suspect this starts off as a very thin layer on the water surface and then grows more quickly in the warmer water.
Might be nonsense of course but perhaps if the water molecules are zipping around they may more easily be able to settle into the ice crystal line structure in the warmer fluid. I suspect this starts off as a very thin layer on the water surface and then grows more quickly in the warmer water.
This listening test would surely produce better results using three (not two, not four!) refrigerated bowls containing supercooled ice cubes.
After all, you have written of the the magical acoustic qualities of crystals - a consequence of their "highly symmetrical structures".
However this suggestion could result in no audible difference. As you yourself have said, "Crystals can be Unpredictable." 😉
https://www.sciencefocus.com/nature/does-all-life-need-water
Simply put.
Looks like NSA had a bit more but has been removed
Water is a liquid which allows the chemistry of life to take place. It is also a polar molecule which allows most other molecules to be dissolved. Because of this, we call water a “solvent”. Having such a good solvent as water is critical for the functions of life.
It doesn't like being pure either.
Simply put.
Looks like NSA had a bit more but has been removed
Water is a liquid which allows the chemistry of life to take place. It is also a polar molecule which allows most other molecules to be dissolved. Because of this, we call water a “solvent”. Having such a good solvent as water is critical for the functions of life.
It doesn't like being pure either.