Lately in reading about modern physics and watching video interviews on contemporary cosmology, the number 10^100 (ten to the power of 100) kept coming up. Well, I found out probably why. Googol (not Google) is a large number: “In decimal notation, it is written as the digit 1 followed by one hundred 0s.” A googol has… Continue reading Googol, googolplex
Sometimes we say, “that person is going through a phase.” Somethings are the same; somethings are changing. So, if and when that phase ends, we may need to describe that person differently, alter the way we talk about their personality or attitudes (mental state). Might be for the better or not. More or less permanent.… Continue reading Phase transition
Supernovas are mind-boggling. But supernovas are not all the same. For example, magnetars. Like other neutron stars, magnetars are around 20 kilometres (12 mi) in diameter and have a mass 2–3 times that of the Sun. The density of the interior of a magnetar is such that a thimble full of its substance would have a mass… Continue reading Magneto’s star
Pondering the infinitely large and small, … there’s the neutrino. Grok this: “The sun is emitting neutrinos like mad, so that about a hundred trillion of them pass through your body every second , …” — Carroll, Sean (2016-05-10). The Big Picture: On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe Itself (p. 177). Penguin… Continue reading Neutrino madness
