Moose

This is my favorite part of "Six not so easy pieces" by richard feynman. I think it is super awesome.

"For a reason which we cannot make clear at the level of the present discussion - a fact that most physicists still find somewhat staggering, a most profound and beautiful thing, is that, in quantum mechanics, for each of the rules of symmetry there is a corresponding conservation law; there is a definite connection between the laws of conservation and the symmetries of physical laws. We can only state this at present, without any attempt at explanation.

The fact that the laws are symmetrical for translation in space when we add the principles of quantum mechanics turns out to mean that momentum is conserved. That the laws are symmetrical under translation in time means, in quantum mechanics, that energy is conserved. Invariance under rotation through a fixed angle in space corresponds to the conservation of angular momentum. These connections are very interesting and beautiful things, among the most beautiful and profound things in physics.

There are a number of symmetries which appear in quantum mechanics which have no classical analog, which have no method of description in classical physics. One of these is as follows: If psi is the amplitude for some process or other, we know that the absolute square of psi is the probability that the process will occur. Now if someone else were to make his calculations, not with this psi, but with psi prime whcih differes merely by a change in phase, the absolute square of psi prime, which is the probability of the event, is then equal to the absolute square of psi... therefore the physical laws are unchanged if the phase of the wavefunction is shifted by an arbitrary constant. This is another symmetry. Physical laws must bee of such a nature that a shift in the quantum-mechanical phase makes no difference. As we have just mentioned, in quantum mechanics there is a conservation law for every symmetry. The conservation law which is connected with the quantum-mechanical phase seems to be the conservation of electrical charge. This is altogether a very interesting business!"

CAMPING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IN THE FOREST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! COUGARS AND BEARS AND WOLVERINES and wild HEIFERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Isn't our world weird? I think it's wonderful too, but some people might call it cruel and unusual.

"Bullfighting or tauromachy (Spanish toreo or tauromaquia) involves professional performers (matadores) taunting bulls at close range and often slowly killing them."


link

Well my initial giddiness is wearing off, and I am feeling a little homesick. The chemistry is fantastic. I have never been so excited about working as I am now, but it's all I have to do here. There isn't much else going on in Moscow. There is a mountain, which is actually a hill, and its called Moscow mountain and we're going to climb it on Saturday. Also, the weather should start getting better. It's been grey and rainy and bloody cold. In bloody June. But the coffee here is good. You can buy a cup for 99 cents and it tastes better than a 3 dollar cup in Texas. I learned yesterday that there are approximately 10^200 molecules under 850 amu in the world. Thats all. Have a good day!

I'm in Idaho! It's beautiful! I love it! It's like a prehistoric remnant or something. It's not anything like Texas. Texas is hot and rich and sweaty and frantic and big and overflowing. Idaho is quiet and serene and slow and uncomplicated. Some might call it boring but I call it cool. I don't know what else to say but goodbye ya'll. Goodbye ya'll! fer now. at least. or most. If you want me to send you a postcard, inform me of your desire and I will do my best to make you happy.

love,
goosy goose III

"What's the point of supersaturated solutions? Who cares about them.

Be quiet and don't move! We'll be naughty and put a whole lot of sugar in
this boiling water, and if we're really quiet and we don't move, and we let
the water cool, we'll play a dirty little prank on that water and it will be
holding more molecules than it's supposed to! Then we'll all laugh at that
stupid water."

(From Google: sci.chemistry posted by seth goldin)

Ok!