Computer Science: Testing your graphics card

Probably the most demanding task a home computer preforms is rendering 3D games. In some case the GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) can outperform the CPU on the motherboard.

Here is a list of Link to some Graphics Card Benchmark programs.

Benchmark test using DirectX11
Unigine Heaven DX11 Benchmark
Futuremark 3DMark 11

Benchmark test using DirectX10
Futuremark 3D Vantage

Benchmark test for DirectX9
(Dude! If you are still using DirectX9 for your gaming needs go back to playing Farmville or Freecell on your computer)
Futuremark 3DMark06

Benchmark Stress Test
(This test has temperature data as well)
3DGeeks' FurMark

Physics: Dics Brakes and Work done by Friction

In the following video we see the kinetic energy of a rotating tire (or moving car) converted into heat. As the brake is applied, the friction in the systems does work to slow the wheel down. The energy from the work done by friction manifest itself as heat. The disc brake become hot enough to glow brightly. Here are some sample videos.

Physics and Math: Vectors, Direct X11 and Tessellation

It take million of calculation to make a modern video game look good. In some cases the GPU (graphics processing unit) preformance puts the CPU (central processing unit) to shame.

 Check out the stats of a Mid range graphics card.

Nvidia's GeForce GTX 560 Ti

So what does all that graphics power get you? Try running these in full screen mode.

 

Physics: Nonnewtonian Fluids

An Explanation of Non-Newtonian fluids.

And this one because I think it's fun!

Physics & Chemistry: Supercooled Water

How do you get water to freeze in a matter of seconds? Here an explanations:

Here are some other demonstrations.

Physics - Crash Test Dummies

From 120 mph to zero in 0.068 seconds. Imagine the force on a human body during the crash.

Environmental Science: World Population!

Listen to the following story.

NPR: Visualizing how a population Grows to 7 Billion
How does it make you feel? Scared? Concerned? Hopeful?

Here is another way of looking at the world's population.

Why study S.T.E.M. in college?

STEM stand for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Yes, I could beat my head against the wall trying to tell you why it's good for you, but let just show you some number.

First from Forbes: 15 Most Valuable College Majors

Notice anything about the types of majors?

How about Kiplinger: 10 Best College Majors for a Lucrative Career

See it yet?

Compare the previous two links with this: Worst College Majors for Your Career

Still don't get it? Do some self exploring with this site from the Wall Street Journal.
From College Major to Career



Aside: Moving is always good when you are young. Don't get stuck in the same small town where you grew up. 12 Best Cities for High Paying Jobs

Physics and Astronomy: Curiosity Mars Landing

Here is a Link to the Curiosity Footage. The lander goes from 13,000 MPH to 0.67 meters per sec (1.5 mph less then walking speed), in these "seven minutes of terror". The Clip lasts 50 seconds. You may also check out the Fox news site where a similar video has the mission control voice over from NASA. Watch Mars rover Curiosity landing in glorious, high definition

General Science - Policies and Politics

What do you know about Federal, State and Local policies? Which candidate is most in tune with your personal views? Try ISideWith.com and find out.

Environmental Science - The Paradigm Shift

Paradigm shift — noun a radical change in underlying beliefs or theory

 [C20: coined by T.S. Kuhn (1922--96), US philosopher of science]

Example: The Fosbury Flop Before Mr Fosbury. ALL high jumper cleared the bar one of two way: A Straddle Kick Jump, or a Siccior Kick Jump. In 1968, at the Oylmpics in Mexico, Mr. Fosbury clear the high jump and obtained the gold medal by what appeared to be jumping backwards over the bar and "flopping" into the pit below. His method was so succesful it is now the dominate way of mastering the high jump. He techinque represent a paradigm shift in the way to approach the high jump.

General Science - Order of Magnitude and Critical Thinking

Often the silliest questions are the most interesting to answer. A good question reveals more about a person thinking process, instead of the final answer. Estimating order of magnitude, critical thinking, problem solving skills are all qualities sought after by top companies around the world. many times these skills are tested in an interview by throwing potential employees oddball questions? Enrico Fermi, a famous physicist, favorite question was. "How many piano tuners are in New York City"?

Here are some links to typical order of magnitude and critical thinking questions often ask in interviews.

 15 Google Question that will make you feel stupid

 How to Ace a Google interview

 Think Fast! Cray Job Interview Questions

140 Goggle Interview Questions

 Top 25 Oddball Interview Questions

Physics - Nikola Tesla's lab is up for sale!

Nikola Tesla, the unsung hero of AC current, private lab is going and the auction block. The Long Island lab called, Wardenclyffe, is being sort after by Matthew Inman. Inman is a popular internet cartoonist and runs the blog "The Oatmeal". You can read the story: here  The iconic image above is a double exposure. The Tesla coil was photographer in operation first then turned off. The man, not Nikola Tesla, was place in the scene for the next exposure.

Who was Nikola Tesla? I'm glad you asked! Read the Comic: Here

Meteorolgy and Environmental Science: The Little Ice Age

An excerpt form Wikipedia:

"The Little Ice Age (LIA) was a period of cooling that occurred after the Medieval Warm Period (Medieval Climate Optimum). While not a true ice age, the term was introduced into the scientific literature by François E. Matthes in 1939. It is conventionally defined as a period extending from the 16th to the 19th centuries, though climatologists and historians working with local records no longer expect to agree on either the start or end dates of this period, which varied according to local conditions. NASA defines the term as a cold period between 1550 AD and 1850 AD and notes three particularly cold intervals: one beginning about 1650, another about 1770, and the last in 1850, each separated by intervals of slight warming. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) describes areas affected by the LIA:

"Evidence from mountain glaciers does suggest increased glaciation in a number of widely spread regions outside Europe prior to the 20th century, including Alaska, New Zealand and Patagonia. However, the timing of maximum glacial advances in these regions differs considerably, suggesting that they may represent largely independent regional climate changes, not a globally-synchronous increased glaciation. Thus current evidence does not support globally synchronous periods of anomalous cold or warmth over this time frame, and the conventional terms of "Little Ice Age" and "Medieval Warm Period" appear to have limited utility in describing trends in hemispheric or global mean temperature changes in past centuries... [Viewed] hemispherically, the "Little Ice Age" can only be considered as a modest cooling of the Northern Hemisphere during this period of less than 1°C relative to late 20th century levels."


New Evidence suggest the Little Ice Age was cause be four separate volcanic eruptions during the 13th century between 1275 AD and 1300 AD.

Read the stories here:

Little Ice Age triggered by volcanic eruptions

Four huge volcanic eruptions are to blame for the 'Little Ice Age' that cooled Earth up until the late 19th century

Meteorology: Atmosphere

High Student succeed in putting a "Lego Man" into the stratoshpere, an amazing 15 miles above the surface of the earth.

Read the articles.

Watch the video.

Teens send Lego man into near space

Lego man launched into space by 2 Toronto teens