Tag Archives: total solar eclipse 2017

The Show of Total Solar Eclipse, linking Mathematics in the Context

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MathFest_Talk_GraphicThe following post was published on Mathematical Correlations Blog (a little before the day of total solar eclipse), and thought of linking it here.

In keeping with the enthusiasm of the incoming total solar eclipse, I want to revive my presentation at the Astronomical Society of the Pacific annual meeting last year on this very topic The eclipse that changed the picture of the universe. Here is the abstract, and linked to it is its utube video (find in the widget area of the blog). I recorded the video after the talk, and so the discussion following the talk is missing in this video.

The Eclipse that Changed the Picture of the Universe

The distinguished total solar eclipse of May 29, 1919, gave new window to the universe. That eclipse truly stood as Einstein favoring cosmic phenomenon, authenticating his general theory of relativity; that the spacetime is conformed via gravity, upending the hitherto upheld Newtonian picture—gravity as force between masses. The bending of light due to mass that the eclipse captured reformed our understanding: from spacetime dynamics to black holes to the recently detected gravitational waves. [Video]

My recent visit to Math Fest 2017 (Mathematical Association of America annual meeting) was interesting and inciting, and there will be opportunities to discuss the sessions in detail here. Following the meeting it occurred to me that there wasn’t a talk that addressed total solar eclipse, surely would have been captivating in the spirit of all the current anticipation of the show of 21st August. I could have brought up in my own talk. And yes, mathematics can very well be seen in the context. The dynamics of total solar eclipse lets us capture the mathematics of spacetime geometry; that we call Einstein’s general relativity in physics.

I have just uploaded my talk Exposing general audience to the voice of mathematics. Here is its abstract, and the video (find it in the widget area, just following the ASP talk).

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Exposing general audience to the voice of mathematics

Under the theme of “Pursuit of Truth” at Saint Louis University I tried to shape up a TEDx talk on the subject of mathematics. From my perspective there isn’t a better subject to address reality than mathematics. Catching me off-guard, a facilitator in the rehearsal round frustratingly snapped for not to be able to follow anything. I scrambled to revamp the talk starting with plain and basic, such as squared and cubed number depictions, then moving to formulations of reality—first simpler of classical mechanics then more complex renderings, such as Dirac equation—to notice the audience cheerfully draw in into the farther intricacies of mathematics as detailed as the expressions in general relativity and quantum field. Foundational concepts and fitting analogies seems to be the key to garner enthusiasm. [Video]

A few important resources on now past total solar eclipse: NASA; Being in the shadow; Great American Eclipse. And the very recommended Sun Moon Earth by Tyler Nordgren has been worth a read by many that embarked to soak in the eclipse show.

Replies and suggestions welcome.

Hope all had rich time absorbing the phenomenon of total solar eclipse!

Neeti.

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True Beauty Resides in Fundamentals

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As I had mentioned, here is my write-up on the Archway Publishing Blog, on communicating complex scientific ideas. I was excited to bring in the Riemann Hypothesis to point out a elaborate mathematical complexity that is just as visionary and captivating:

Translating Complex Science for a General Audience

The last few posts were dedicated to gear us on the total solar eclipse that is approaching in our sight. The excitement among the educators, eclipse chasers, and anticipators is palpable. I had mentioned the veritable organizations and devoted scientists/educators (1, 2, 3, 4) that remain in full swing in disseminating the information and advice to spur on the audience from all backgrounds. The sight of a total solar eclipse is phenomenal. (I am told by those having savored it first-hand, I haven’t seen it myself. So despite my truly appreciating the fundamentals behind this cosmic display, I am looking forward to it as any other enthusiast.)

Although the cosmic and worldly wonders captivate us, it is the peek into the fundamentals that ticks enthusiasm, and keeps it alive. ASP (Astronomical Society of the Pacific) annual meeting presentations are uploaded, and you can find mine on fundamentals by the window of total solar eclipse there (the video of the same). Whether talking of gravitational waves, Einstein’s theories of relativity, hidden black holes, the origins and the acceleration of universe, the enigma of dark matter and energy, or the spectacle of total solar eclipse, at surface they all stir up wonder, but the real lure lies in the fundamentals that help us visualize how things shape up—and appreciate the true beauty.

When it comes to methodic delineation even beauty has fundamentals behind it. How much we have figured that out is a different issue. This brings up a narrative book A Beautiful Question compiled by a renowned physicist Franck Wilczek on the conception of beauty and the forces it embodies. (I am just finishing reading it.) With big chunks of basic facts, and on laws governing the universe, the text unfolds the cast of beauty that seeps the natural world, and how reality and beauty can be seen synonymously. Written with ethereal tone, it is informative and enjoyable read for audience from all backgrounds.

Disseminating deep-seated scientific formulations and complex theories to all audience isn’t very straightforward, mainly for the fact that it’s in these very intricate renderings that the true sense of beauty can be sniffed. It is where an educator enthralls, and a scientist draws in. The play of symmetry in quantum mechanical enactment or deep views of mathematical physics is one such example. Simplifying beyond a point would necessarily dampen down on beauty, and in a way mutilate the truth.

I have been in touch with friendly staff of Archway publishing with the hope of writing a post on their Writer’s Blog. The post had to be on the process of writing and publishing. Disseminating scientific advancements to general audience seemed an appropriate topic, and I recited some of my thoughts on communicating intricate concepts of physics and mathematics without taming the aesthetics—A demanding thing. The post should be out soon, and I will let you know.

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Whether abysmal structure of the universe, the abstractly play of quantum field, the order of nature, or the subliminal sense of aesthetics, in the core of all resides the commonality of mathematical voice. And I am always looking for opportunities to communicate on this very aspect of mathematical truth. To that end I have just started writing on Science Blog site, under the title Mathematical Correlations. Take a look and let me know your views.

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Scientific, educational, pedagogic, and creative aspects of mathematics blend in MAA (Mathematical Association of America) annual meetings. This year it is held in Chicago, and I am hoping to speak on how to entice non-mathematicians into mathematics, especially those that are apprehensive of the subject.

I am happy to see Facebook visitors, and appreciate their stopping by for scientific nuggets.

See you all soon.

Neeti.

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Total Solar Eclipse and the Picture of the Universe

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Few are aware of the imminent cosmic phenomenon that sweeps all across USA in its splendor and rarity—the wonder of total solar eclipse. August 21st of this year will mark its occurrence after a void of almost 100 years, when it had painted the entire nation in the year 1918 (In the year 1979 it touched a tiny spot in the northern USA before veering off northbound). The whole effort of this year’s annual ASP (Astronomical Society of the Pacific) meeting was to spread out the word, engage as many science followers as possible into the majesty of this celestial display; urge them on into once in a lifetime kind of show.

There were stimulating talks disseminating the scientific background, and the enormous efforts that have been put in to popularize, educate, and incite on the appearance and experience of a total solar eclipse itself. And the ASP plans to upload all the talks on their website, in the hope to spur on a wider enthusiasm and interest.  Here is some useful set of information to help you prepare and indulge if you feel interested: NASA (1), Being in the Shadow (2), Great American Eclipse (3).

I being an ardent proponent of the physical sciences indeed tuned in, and pitched my own take on the subject of total solar eclipse, and how this phenomenon has played a vital role in revealing the basic principles of how the universe structures and continues. So here is my talk—The Eclipse that Changed the Picture of the Universe—at the meeting, in case you feel inspired.

Total solar eclipse takes place when the earth, moon and sun together strike a perfect alignment such that the moon situated in the middle fully blocks out the sun for a brief moment in space and time, leaving out the halo of corona—the usually invisible sun’s outer atmosphere—a brilliant ring that glows from behind. For that brief period we remain under the shadow of the moon while the radiating corona flags the sun’s only identity in the sky. It is the only instance in time when although the sun is present in our view of the sky, its intense glare remains occluded. Albert Einstein around the year 1915 realized that this relatively rare instance gives us an astonishing window into the nature of reality. How? In the year 1915 Einstein had proposed—by his theory of general relativity—that spacetime conforms to the force of gravity. Simply, gravity gives geometry to the universe. And if this is true then matter bends light.

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An event of a total solar eclipse extends us a perfect window into which we can verify such bending of the light. The ultra bending of the light reaches a detection level only when caused by a massive cosmic body, such as sun. The bending of the light by the sun is ascertained by measuring the shifts in the positions of the background stars—the deflections of stars as the sun passes through (Picture 1). Measured in arcseconds—an extraordinarily miniscule amount—this deflection, however, would be impossible to pin down due the intense glare of sun on a usual day. The event of a total solar eclipse thus gives us a perfect window for studying sun’s gravitational field without being bedazzled by the blinding glow.

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The total solar eclipse of May 29, 1919, became a legendary eclipse (Picture 2) that attested the bending of light by matter, theorized by Einstein. The discovery of spacetime curvation by the force of gravity led us to a bigger and finer picture of the universe: From the way the universe might have begun to the existence of black holes to theory of wormhole to the pulsation of gravitational waves, recently detected by LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory).

The new picture emerged, and Einstein celebrated, by the mechanics of the natural grandeur.

Neeti.

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The Upcoming 2017 Solar Eclipse, Sweeping America on its Totality

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The simple mechanics of total solar eclipse exposes deep-seated fundamentals of spacetime. Total solar eclipse occurs in an event of earth, moon, and sun alignment such that moon fully blocks out the sun, casting its shadow on earth on the zone of totality. What remains on sky is sun’s corona shimmering behind the bulbous moon: Includes a rendering imaginatively known as diamond ring. On August 21, 2017 we will transit such a mesmerizing and momentous (literally!) event, and the eclipse experts, chasers and broadcasters have their bits and takes on this. Here are some genuine picks  (1, 2) for those interested in details, and here is an interactive map of the upcoming totality. This year the ASP (Astronomical Society of the Pacific) is holding its annual meeting just for the purpose of convening the ideas and topics around the wonder of total solar eclipse, particularly toward preparing the upcoming 2017 one. Those interested in cosmic magnificence, and like to partake in grasping the nature of reality, would truly benefit from the event.

As profound as the cosmic phenomenon itself is, total solar eclipse has been pivotal in our understanding of the way universe shapes and continues, and a linchpin in rubber stamping a revolutionary theory to be a truly authentic reality. On the May 29 of 1919, an English astronomer, physicist, and mathematician, Arthur Eddington, captured total solar eclipse on the island of Principe to validate Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity. General relativity offered to blend gravity in the earlier picture of Einstein’s own special relativity, showing that gravity is the geometry of spacetime itself. The endeavor set out by Eddington and his team pinned the precise bending of light that occurs due to the presence of a massive body, in accordance with the principle of general relativity, thus fully endorsing Einstein’s Magnum Opus. Sun as a massive body too bends light that travel from distant stars, but we cannot verify such bending simply because sun’s intense glare blocks out the positions of distant stars. The shade of a total solar eclipse enables us to measure such deflections in the position of stars, as the sun observes its gravity.

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The ramifications of general relativity are wide and far reaching, many we are still trying to fathom: From the origin of the universe to the existence of black holes (remember the fascinating Interstellar Gargantua), the phenomenon of wormhole, the prodigiously expanding universe to speculations of dark matter and dark energy to the recent detection of gravitational waves that employed state of the art technological sensitivity (10-16 cm in 4 km). General relativity has stood a century of experimental verifications, one recent with the validation of gravitational waves by LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory), and some tests are still brewing that involve extraordinary precisions to further endorse general relativity, like appraising the contortions due to the black hole at the center of our galaxy or seeing the free fall of different materials in space missions.

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The theory has shown the way universe propels, but also made our lives efficient on a daily basis. General relativity is a part of GPS navigation that we employ every day. Two well crafted titles that shed light on this deeply enriching theory are 1) The Perfect Theory by Pedro Ferreira, and 2) Big Bang by Simon Singh.

The first real validation of general relativity was ticked by the 1919 total solar eclipse. I will be attending the ASP meeting, and in the context of total solar eclipse, I will be speaking on the fundamental architecture of spacetime that the general relativity imparted.

For those interested in cosmic mechanics, deeper universal structure, or just scientific outreach to a wider community, it will be a good venue to participate and connect.

See you soon,

Neeti.

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