Exploring Random Access Memory- Inside Your Computer

I love computers. I marvel at how far the human race has come every time I take one apart. I find it amazing that all these bits of plastic and metal can come together to make something that can do things no man can. However, I also expect a lot from computers, and I get very impatient if they run a few seconds to slow. This is where RAM comes in.

Firstly, what is RAM?

Random Access Memory allows your computer to access any bit of data at random from what are called integrated circuits. Though certainly not cleverly named, RAM plays an enormous factor in the speed of your computer.

I just-so-happen to have a handy-dandy dead laptop laying around, so I decided to take out the RAM to show you what it looks like.

I unscrewed it, opened it up, and...



Sure enough, there they were:
there are really two of these, but I took the picture with a microscope that did not like to zoom out.



There they both are, happily sitting in their places:



I did a bit of exploring, and was not disappointed. There was a very cool little world sitting on these RAM sticks.



No wonder that computer died. It only held 256 MB (there were, of course, two of them). To put that into perspective, macbooks typically have 2 GB, or 2048 MB. However, an amazing computer has 4 GB, and the best have 8 Gigs (Slang for GB). A very big difference.

I squeezed on the little metal clasps and pulled them out.



Before you throw away your computer, always remove the RAM, they can have some cash value. Of course, the 256 MB ones, are not worth more than a few dollars, however the ones with 2+ (or maybe even 1) GB can be sold on ebay...

BW Science Labs Glitch Found!

Hi Everyone,

I've gotten reports about a glitch here on BW Science Labs. The first voting poll does not appear to be working properly. I'll be working on it.

If you are having trouble as well, please let me know by posting a comment.


Thanks.

Unveiling the LHC- One Giant Leap For Physics

You may have seen the Linear Accelerator at Stanford University. If you have then you know how amazing it is, stretching nearly a mile long it is remarkable that it was build by a school. Now, a structure built by CERN will dwarf Stanford and all other atom smashers around the world.

The LHC (Large Hadron Collider) has been talked about in many books and lectures like one of my favorites: Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku. Now, the LHC has been built, and it more magnificent then anyone of us could have ever predicted.

Some people were supposedly worried that when the LHC was fired up for its first test the world would explode, every time I hear that I laugh out loud.



Picture Credit: Roy Langstaff, © CERN
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/08/the_large_hadron_collider.html



Picture Credit: Maximilien Brice, © CERN
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/08/the_large_hadron_collider.html

I look forward to upcoming tests, as this is a milestone in the development of Quantum Physics.

Exploring Radiation: A Science Quarterly Sneak Peek

As you may know, my publication Science Quarterly has been continuing for four years now. Last year, I built a website for it that would make its many articles avalible to the public for free. However, I refrained from publishing the website due to legal implications that I'm working on.

This edition will feature among other things, an article on radiation. So, I decided to give a sneak peek:

Practical Uses For The Geiger Counter

"When it comes, will you please let your readers know what practical applications in everyday life the Geiger Counter will have? I have heard of it for years and thought it was good mainly for finding metals under the soil."- Anonymous BW Science Labs Reader.

My Geiger Counter did arrive, but the only reason I was hesitant to immediately create a post was because the ebay seller failed to send the special headphones and the 6 dosimeter tubes as promised. The reason I can't use any normal headphones is because the Geiger Counter I have is so old that it was a "phone" jack rather than a headphone jack. The seller has not responded to any of the emails I have sent to him requesting the items he forgot.

Furthermore, the six dosimeter tubes are still missing. Dosimeter tubes display how much radiation the wearer has accumulated over a period of time. Dosimeter tubes are checked periodically to see how much radiation they have been exposed to since its last charge. Dosimeters can also be in the form of badges that you see dentists an x-ray operators wear. The difference between a dosimeter and a Geiger Counter is a Geiger Counter tells you how much radiation your GM (Geiger-Muller) tube on the counter is picking up at one point in time. Dosimeters are better to use in a radiation lab while Geiger Counters are better for searching for radiation leaks, sources, etc.

An experiment I wanted to do with the dosimeters is see how much radiation an average person accumulates in one day going to school, work, etc. because as you read this, tiny radioactive particles are zipping through your body, however only in trace amounts. I wanted to see how much radiation there would be total. Unfortunately, I cannot do so without a dosimeter tube.

Metal detectors are typically used to locate metal (i.e. underground as the asker mentioned), but they fail to locate radioactive sources. That's where the Geiger Counter comes in. Many houses are built on radioactive sources without knowing it. Also, something called Radon gas can inhabit enclosed areas, doing enormous long term damage to whoever lives in the house. By using a Geiger Counter you can check your home for radiation, which is pretty practical. After going through my home many times, I was "disappointed" to find nothing radioactive.

Many old watches are painted with radioactive materials to glow in the dark. Geiger Counters can pinpoint this radiation for you to clean up.

Thank you for your question, but please leave your first name later to make it easier to reply and reference.

Thanks.

The New BW Science Labs Look

Today, I upgraded BW Science Labs's look, which I think was a good decision overall. Unfortunately, many parts of BWSL were deleted (thankfully no content) like the poll, NASA picture of the day, etc. I will restore all of these, however it will take some time. Please, bear with me.



All of the opinions that were put up on the poll were deleted, so please post them again.

Let me know what you think about the new BW Science Labs look or by responding to the poll at the bottom left of the page. You only have 2 weeks to answer it!

Thank you.

My First (Real) C# Application

Sure, I've made some simple apps in the past, a few "Hello World"s and such. But I've never had the time or skill level to really make an effective application. All this recently changed. Armed with "Head First C#" I was able to create My own contacts list in C#. Click on an image to see its full size.



It looks pretty good, and it works even better.



The great thing about C# is that the IDE writes most of the repetitive code for you.



Finally, I packaged it up and gave it an installation package, so it could be put on other computers, which can be very useful.

Remembering 9/11

Today's NASA image of the day (featured down on the right column) is something truly special. This image was taken by the International Space Station the day of the attack. Even the peaceful and quiet outer space was not the same that day, as astronauts from all over the world watched this tragic incident take place.



Rather than only remember those who died 1 day a year, I decided to put this image as my background for now, so I would always remember. I suggest you do the same.

Geiger Counter Update

Apparently, the delay of my Geiger Counter has quickly flipped into a positive. To compensate the lateness of the Geiger Counter the ebay seller is sending a more expensive unit. Though he wasn't very specific on what model, I'm happy to wait for a higher quality device.

I am anxiously awaiting its arrival.

Visual C# Update

I ordered Head First Visual C# from my local bookstore today, so it should be ready for me to pick it up tomorrow. I look forward to doing some OOP (Object-Oriented Programming) for a change. In the meantime, I've been writing code in PYTHON, which I will do a formal post on very soon.



Picture credit: Amazon.com

Geiger Counter Delay

My Geiger counter should have arrived on Friday, however the ebay seller's "relative got sick".

Ah well, at least it will come some time (hopefully this week).

The Return of Visual C#

In my early days of computer programming, I contacted MIT's programmers. To my surprise, I got great feedback in information from very nice and sincere people. I owe my love of programming to MIT's John Maloney, Tamara Stern, Andres Monroy-Hernandez, and of course Mark Stafford at Extend Health.

I won't pretend to be a pro at programming at all, on the contrary, I'm still learning, and I've got a very long way to go. I've spent the past two years bouncing around from programming language to programming language, and I've finally decided to settle down once and for all at the first real language I started at, Visual C#. Though I can't program much hardware with it, it has proven its self worthy as I can create all sorts of applications with much less code to write than other languages like C++.

I have re-installed C# for my macbook, and I'm ordering a "Head First" book on C#. my Parallels Desktop has proven its value, something I never anticipated.

The Geiger Counter

This is just a quick update, as I have little time to do any formal experiments or projects. I have ordered a Geiger Counter, six dosimeter pens, and a dosimeter charger. I'm getting some fun projects and experiments in line for future posts.

This is a model of a Geiger Counter I made when I was on a plane flight a few months ago. Every time I see it I laugh at myself, and my lack of drawing skills, though then I was very new to radiation tools, its pretty much accurate, to my surprise.



Brennon W.

The Mathematics, Science, and Future of Flight: Exploring Flight Theory

“Can you write something about theory of flight and new navigation technology?”
This is what a BW Science Labs reader asked me a few days ago.
I am now very comfortable writing about flying as I have written many articles on the topic.
I first discovered the true basis of Flight Theory when I was 11. In Alaska, I asked a pilot to teach me to fly. It was a bolder statement than I first realized, but not at all impossible. It was then that I learned about weight (ok, when I was 11 I knew what weight was), lift, drag, and thrust.
Weight is the most obvious factor, the measure of the gravitational pull on an object, any fourth grader can tell you that. Because the plane stays on Earth during flight (excluding space ships, of course. “I’ll have to wait until I’m 16 to fly those,” I thought.) weight is a constant. It never fluctuates, though its Gs can of course. If you fly in an arc theWeightne point you will reach 0 Gs you will simulate zero gravity for a short period of time. NASA has a plane to train astronauts by taking them into a zero G environment for up to 40 seconds. NASA calls it the “Weightless Wonder” (cough*, cough* the Vomit Comet). Weight can be easily calculated using the basic equation w= mg, or Weight = Mass multiplied by the acceleration of gravity as a result of the pull between the Earth and the plane.
Lift is what keeps the plane up, and I find it more frustrating to explain. The Alaskan pilot Dan taught me that as you pull up, air particles are forced downward pushing the plane upward. This is in accordance with Newton’s third law that everything has “an equal [or proportionate] and opposite reaction”. I read another explanation years later, one a bit more confusing, but equally logical. The Bernoulli principle or effect as its called says that the shape of the wing splits the air into two parts. The air above the wing has less pressure than the air below it. Thus, the plane is pushed up not by air particles, but by a pressure difference. To this day there is still much debate over which explanation is correct.
Drag is the force that slows the plane down. Drag is also a fancy name for “air resistance” which a seventh grader can tell you about easily. The air in front of the plane resists the plane’s forward movement. Imagine running through a pit of floating bowling balls, the heavy spheres would get in your way, and you would have to push through them to continue. Though this metaphor is exaggerated quite a bit, the plane would feel similar resistance, just not on the same scale.
Finally we’re left with thrust, what moves the plane forward. Newton’s Second and Third Law are at work here. Propellers can pull the plane forward (or push if they’re on the back of the wings) by taking in air and pushing it backwards (once again, reverse the two for planes with propellers on the back).
In the title I promised to put a little something about the future of flight. In later posts, papers, and articles I will dive into depth of aerodynamics and how that will affect flight. By making plane airfoils and bodies more aerodynamic we can maximize efficiency in terms of speed and fuel consumption. I would like to see what future planes will look like. Unfortunately, I have to wait.

All data was checked for accuracy at:
http://web.mit.edu/16.00/www/aec/flight.html
and
http://www.livescience.com/technology/060828_how_planes_fly.html