What is the Universe expanding into..

[Galu]

First we need to understand octagonal symmetry. Something exhibited by a Radar Reflector on a yacht. Three squares of metal at 90 degrees produces all the 8-fold symmetry we need.

I'll add some images to illustrate that.

In the octahedral reflector the plates form 8 trihedral corners.

No matter what angle the light or radar arrives at a trihedral corner it bounces in turn off all three surfaces and returns at just the angle from which it arrived.

We just need Steve to visit Boots to buy three shaving mirrors in order that he can demonstrate that!

 

[system7]

Excellent expedition into town today. Have got all my ducks in a row for our investigations of Quantum Chromodynamics!

The balls were in the children's section at Wilko. I picked up a reference book to brush up my maths too. Some of the questions were surprisingly hard.

I also found the Ladybird book of "The Hangover" in the children's section. Seemed surprisingly adult to me, but what do I know about modern kids and their drinking habits? We got lemon barley water when I were a kid.

The icing on the cake was my horse 2-y-o "Tenebrism" coming in for me at a tasty 14-1 in the 14.25 at Newmarket! Aidan O'Brien's usual Irish raider tactic when there's big money in it. I know his game.

UK & Ireland Results - Horse Racing - BBC Sport

You will be unsurprised to learn it's dad was "Caravaggio".

 

[MITsound]

Excellent expedition into town today. Have got all my ducks in a row for our investigations of Quantum Chromodynamics!

There's a name that somehow avoided mainstream use. Quantum Chromodynamics sounds like a cable company, 🤪

 

[Galu]

If only Steve had picked up the Ladybird Book of Quantum Mechanics!

 

[Galu]

There's a name that somehow avoided mainstream use. Quantum Chromodynamics sounds like a cable company, 🤪

Does QCD sound any better?

I can't wait until Steve uses his balls to illustrate antiquarks!

 

[system7]

Galu, you may think you are being extremely clever in setting a "Heffalump Trap" for system7!

I am well aware I currently lack anti-quarks in my experiments.

I assure you I have contingency plans. We also have a Tesco, but a long walk in our current Petrol crisis.

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/305292198

I think I can pass those off as secondary colours, Cyan, Magenta and Yellow, if the need arise. Though the Blue ones are only Cyan at a stretch. Who designs these children's selections? Not even educational, IMO.

Worst comes to the worst, I will leave anti-quarks as an exercise for the interested student. An old academic trick!

 

[Galu]

No elephant trap intended, Steve.

I think the country has fallen into an even bigger trap.

Let's hope there is no supply problem when it comes to your Tesco balls.

 

[Bonsai]

I read in the Guardian that in the next decade, 7 out of the UK’s 8 nuclear plants will close leaving only one active. A nuclear power station takes 10 yrs or more to approve, plan and build.

This year, the winds in the North Sea were the lowest they’ve been since 1961 and here where I stay, almost continuous cloud cover for about 6 weeks in the middle of summer, yielding lower than normal solar energy outputs (although this is a tiny part of the total energy supply mix). Even my damn tomatoes failed to ripen on the vine, as was the case with my neighbors as well. Given all this, gas usage was abnormally high.

Where’s the ‘slap my forehead’ emoj?

People have been sleeping at the wheel on this for decades.

Hopefully Steve will make a breakthrough today with his Wilco balls and devise some new energy generation system so we can fix something up in our kitchens to get through this mess.

 

[system7]

We have a glut of tomatoes here in The Mediterranean climate of Pompey! My friend Lorna brought me a jar of Tomato Chutney made by her own fair hand yesterday.

I gave her my Hangover book in return, since she is fond of Morgan's Rum, and frequently disappears for days after being "Out with Captain Morgan" as I like to jest.

Bonsai, it occurs to me that a mix of pale red and green tomatoes might be ideal for Mesonic Colour Force experiments.

I may be busy today at the Bookies. An excellent race at the Curragh at 15.35:

Racecard | 15:35 Raa Atoll Loughbrown Stakes (Group 3) | Curragh (IRE) | Sky Sports Horse Racing

The Mediterranean (Respectable third in the St. Leger this year, when I was on it) is a bit short at evens, IMO. Search for a Song (2019 Irish St. Leger winner) might be more interesting odds at 11/4. Can't see anything else living in their exalted company.

We are also knocking my neighbour's garden into shape. It's coming along. Now the pruning is done, I feel the visually jarring clothesline and white garden furniture has to go, along with the dustbins and traffic cone. Less is more, IMO.

 

[Galu]

...a long walk in our current Petrol crisis.

...in the next decade, 7 out of the UK’s 8 nuclear plants will close leaving only one active. A nuclear power station takes 10 yrs or more to approve, plan and build. This year, the winds in the North Sea were the lowest they’ve been since 1961 and here where I stay, almost continuous cloud cover for about 6 weeks in the middle of summer, yielding lower than normal solar energy outputs.

Where’s the ‘slap my forehead’ emoj?

At least we won't have to worry about petrol supplies when we're all driving electric cars!

 

[Bonsai]

Indeed. I was down in Cornwall and Devon week before last and there were loads of Tesla's running around - quite surprising. Then, given the places we were (Fowey, Charlestown etc) I suspect the other car in the garage down there would have been a Porche or Maserati.

I bought a new car a year ago (diesel 'Blue tech). Wife and I do some quite long trips so going electric, given the present electric car infrastructure, would have been a bit premature. The next one will be electric though, that's for sure.

 

[Bonsai]

Steve, I have been told green tomatoes make great chutney - yet to try it since chocolate cake is higher on my cooking/baking priority list. I put my tomatoes in brown paper bags and they've ripened up magnificently.

 

[Galu]

The next one will be electric though, that's for sure.

I wonder where the electricity to power in excess of 32.7 million electric cars will come from?

Hot air perhaps?

 

[Disco-Pete]

Diesel powered generators.

But seriously, it's bewildering why 'hydrogen on demand' technology is not being promoted. The only residue is pure distilled water.

 

[Galu]

Has there been any advancement on the 'hydrogen on demand' front for cars in 2021, Pete?

I'm not getting anything recent in my searches. Hydrogen On Demand - Technology for Vehicles | Hydrogen Cars Now

 

[Galu]

I see that the Scottish Government has produced an Assessment Report on Hydrogen Technology.

Scottish hydrogen: assessment report - gov.scot

Whether consumers accept and want to use hydrogen, will be key to how much it is used in the economy. One key advantage of hydrogen is that, as a gas, it often gives a similar user experience to the hydrocarbons solutions it will displace. For example, hydrogen fuel cell vehicle refuelling is more similar to diesel/petrol vehicles, than electrical vehicles that require much longer charging durations.

 

[Bonsai]

Diesel powered generators.

But seriously, it's bewildering why 'hydrogen on demand' technology is not being promoted. The only residue is pure distilled water.

I made a comment similar to this years ago, and Sy put me right. Getting hydrogen requires energy - so in fact in the big scheme of things its not that efficient end to end - there's very little of it floating around in the atmosphere - its all bound up.

Once we have a lot more wind, solar and nuclear up and running, we should be ok. But, (and this is specific to the UK - I don't know what the US situation is), it will take another 10-15 yrs to get to be completely carbon neutral. We still use a lot of gas for primary energy production here and that is what we have to get weaned off. In that regard, I don't see how nuclear can be ignored.

Here's a link to the live energy mix dashboard

Energy Dashboard - real time and historical UK energy figures, analysis and mapping

 

[Galu]

Here's a link to the live energy mix dashboard

Energy Dashboard - real time and historical UK energy figures, analysis and mapping

What is glaringly obvious is that we need more hydro!

Given its lochs and mountains (not to mention its rain!) Scotland is ideally suited, and curently accounts for 85% of the UK's hydroelectric energy resource.

However, large scale hydroelectric schemes are sooo expensive to implement.

Smaller scale installations exist, but require subsidies from the government.

Hydroelectric power Scotland | Institution of Civil Engineers

 

[Bonsai]

I think you’d have to look at the total energy available from this to make an assessment Galu.

The Severn tidal generation scheme was toyed as being able to supply 10% of the UK’s energy requirements but was dropped for some reason. Maybe it will get resurrected.

 

[Bonsai]

Separately, I’m back on the Motion Mountain books again and found this gem on page 385 of book 1 ( hope you are happy Steve ) wrt to the lowest temperature achieved to date

‘Sodium gas in certain laboratory experiments–coldest temperature ever achieved by man and possibly in the universe = 0.45 nK’


That’s 0.45 nano Kelvin.