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Humanity and Science in Perspective

Humanity and Science in Perspective. CC105 Prof. Jackson. Today’s Music. “The Universe Song” Monty Python. Today’s Lecture. The story of everything Math in Nature The cosmic size-scale The cosmic time-scale Science and truth Humans The future. What is Science?.

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Humanity and Science in Perspective

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  1. Humanity and Science in Perspective CC105 Prof. Jackson

  2. Today’s Music “The Universe Song” Monty Python

  3. Today’s Lecture • The story of everything • Math in Nature • The cosmic size-scale • The cosmic time-scale • Science and truth • Humans • The future

  4. What is Science? “Science is the marriage of skepticism and wonder.” Carl Sagan

  5. The Story of Everything • In the beginning…Big Bang, and there was light. • Primordial soup spawns particles, and eventually hydrogen and helium. • Stars form from the hydrogen/helium gas. • Stars make heavy elements and explode. • More stars form, enriched with heavy elements. • The Sun forms • The Earth forms as a byproduct • Chemistry on earth spawns life • Humans evolve from ancient ancestors.

  6. “It is Nature herself, and not the mathematician, who brings mathematics into natural philosophy.” Kant

  7. Math in Nature • Does math form the fundamental basis for everything? • Math revealed in nature • LAWS • FORMS

  8. Reflect through a mirror Symmetry In mathematics, “symmetry’’ refers to an operation that leaves an object unchanged. Rotate by 90o

  9. Crystals

  10. Ice: hexagonal symmetry

  11. Ice Edward Weston

  12. What about life? • Many creatures have mathematical shapes • Many creatures exhibit symmetries • Bilateral • Rotational

  13. Mathematical Forms in Life Equiangular Spiral

  14. The Chambered Nautilus Edward Weston

  15. Nautilus Shell A perfect logarithmic spiral!

  16. More Equiangular Spirals

  17. More spirals

  18. Bilateral Symmetry

  19. Bilaterally Symmetric Life

  20. Bilaterally Symmetric Life Edward Weston

  21. Bilaterally Symmetric Life Edward Weston

  22. Bilaterally Symmetric Life Edward Weston

  23. Rotational Symmetry

  24. Rotationally Symmetric Life

  25. Rotationally Symmetric Life

  26. Rotationally Symmetric Life

  27. Rotationally Symmetric Life

  28. Rotationally Symmetric Life

  29. Mushroom Gills

  30. Mushrooms Gill spacing never too large

  31. Fractals in nature • Fractals are objects that look the same regardless of the magnification. • “Scale-invariant”

  32. Fractals River drainage

  33. More fractals

  34. More fractals

  35. More fractals

  36. More fractals

  37. Fractal Life

  38. Fractal Life

  39. Fractal Life

  40. Fractal Life

  41. Fractal Life

  42. Fractal Life

  43. Examples of fractals in nature • Trees • Lungs • Viscous fingers (fluid flow) • Rain clouds • Electrical discharges • Shorelines

  44. Fractals in music: Music is pink noise White noise Af Amplitude Pink noise Af-1 Brown noise Af-2 Frequency

  45. Mathematics is relevant It is everywhere, and part of everything, both inanimate and animate.

  46. The Cosmic Perspective • Where do humans fit in? • Size • Time

  47. The Cosmic Size Scale Movie: Powers of Ten

  48. The Cosmic Time Scale • The Universe began about 14 billion years ago. • The solar system formed about 5 billion years ago. • Life appeared 3 billion years ago. • Homo sapiens appeared 100,000 years ago.

  49. Life begins Trilobites The Cosmic Time Line Universe begins Solar system forms today 15 billion yr 10 billion yr 5 billion yr Earth forms 3 billion yr 2 billion yr 1 billion yr today 5 billion yr 4 billion yr

  50. today 15 billion yr 10 billion yr 5 billion yr Mammals Amphibians Hominids Trilobites Reptiles Fishes The Cosmic Time Line Universe begins Solar system forms 300 million yr 100 million yr 500 million yr

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