Page 98 - August 2015 Life In Naples Magazine

SCIENCEWe are surrounded by

by Joseph Donahue

Science is applied around us in massive quantities everyday by humans and Mother Nature to an extent far greater than is
generally appreciated. The extent of our involvement with science is shown by a few examples cited below.

WHAT IS TEMPERATURE?

Temperature is the measurement of the rate of vibration of atoms. The faster that atoms are vibrating in a material the higher
is the temperature of that material. If a material is cooled the vibration slows until at absolute zero the vibrations cease. Thus, there
is a lowest possible temperature, absolute zero, which is - 273.15o Celsius or - 459.67o Fahrenheit.

There is no upper limit on temperature. As the temperature increases most materials proceed from a solid to a liquid and to a
gas. At higher temperatures molecules separate into atoms which then lose electrons and at very high temperatures become bare
atomic nuclei. Such high temperature gasses are called ion plasmas. Plasmas with a temperature of 1,000,000,0000 C. have been
created on earth.

WHAT IS LIGHT?

Visible light is a small part of electromagnetic spectrum
which ranges from radio waves to gamma rays as is shown in
the chart. Electromagnetic radiation waves are fluctuations of
electric and magnetic fields, which can transport energy from
one location to another.

To include all of the wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation
the above chart should be extended down another two inches.
Note that the wavelength of the waves range from extremely small,
about a billionth of an inch for gamma rays, to over a thousand
miles for long radio waves. All of these rays travel at the speed of
light, 185,282 miles per hour.

Electromagnetic radiation has no mass. That is the reason that
emissions at the speed of light can be readily made. There is no
inertia to overcome.

Our eyes can detect only visible waves which are an extremely
small portion of the total electromagnetic spectrum. Eyes evolved
to detect the primary radiation from the sun and not all of the
other waves which are less common in nature. These other waves
are detected by instruments.

There are many uses of the different electromagnetic
spectrum rays.

Examples include tumor destruction by gamma rays,
photographs by x-rays, sterilization by ultraviolet rays, sight
by visible waves, cooking by microwaves, many forms of
communication by radio waves and communication with
submerged submarines by long radio waves.

98 Life in Naples | August • September • October 2015