Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Doppler Effect and Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370

Here is an article I just found concerning the fate of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.  Science is helping to determine the approximate location of where the plane has likely crashed:  the Doppler effect.  What I understand about the Doppler effect is as follows.  When someone is speaking to you and facing in your direction, the sound waves go toward you, therefore it's easy to hear the speaker.  When someone is facing away from you,  the sound waves are not going toward you, and their words will not sound as clear and distinct.  The article explains the Doppler effect further in terms of compression of sound waves or lack of compression.

Read here to learn how communication between the airplane and a communications satellite has provided information related to the Doppler effect.



Doppler effect analysis helped narrow Malaysian jetliner search            By JUSTIN PRITCHARD and KELVIN CHAN

Mar 25th 2014       5:42PM 


[In this Monday, March 24, 2014 photo, a crew member on board an RAAF AP-3C Orion aircraft looks at a radar screen whilst searching for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 over the Indian Ocean. After 17 days of desperation and doubt over the missing Malaysia Airlines jet, Malaysian officials on Monday said  an analysis of satellite data points to a "heartbreaking" conclusion: Flight 370 met its end in the southern reaches of the Indian Ocean, and none of those aboard survived. (AP Photo/Richard Wainwright, Pool) ]


HONG KONG (AP) - Investigators are closer to solving an international aviation mystery thanks to a British communications satellite and classroom physics.

An analysis of faint signals sent from  Malaysia Airlines Flight 370  to an Inmarsat satellite led officials to conclude the plane crashed in a remote area of the southern Indian Ocean. More precise information about the plane's position when it sent the last signals is helping authorities refine the search being undertaken  by planes and ships  in seas 2,500 kilometers  (1,550 miles) southwest of Perth, Australia. Investigators had little to examine otherwise because other communications were lost early in the flight of March 8.


THE TIMING

Even with other communications shut down, the plane sent an automatic signal --- a "ping" or a "handshake" --- every hour to an Inmarsat satellite.   Flight 370 completed six pings, and the time each took to be sent by the plane and received by the satellite showed the plane's range from the satellite, according to the U.K. Air Accidents Investigation Branch. This initial analysis showed the last ping came from a position along one of two vast arcs north and south from the Malaysian Peninsula.


DOPPLER EFFECT

Think of a horn being honked in a passing car. To an observer, the sound is high pitched as the car approaches and is lower after the car passes. On approach, each successive sound wave is sent from a slightly closer position to the observer. The sound waves get compressed, resulting in a higher frequency. The opposite happens as the car moves away. It's called the Doppler effect for Austrian physicist Christian Doppler, who put forward the theory in 1842.


The same effect applies to the pings, which would arrive to the satellite at a higher frequency if the plane was moving toward the satellite and decrease in frequency when moving away.



For the analysis that led to Monday's conclusion that the plane had crashed, Inmarsat studied the satellite communications made while the plane was on the ground at Kuala Lumpur airport and early in its flight.


It considered aircraft performance, the satellite's fixed location and other known factors.   By knowing how the Doppler effect would apply to the satellite communications, Inmarsat could calculate the possible positions, direction of travel and speed of the plane.


The company then compared its predictions to six other  Boeing 777  aircraft that flew the same day, and found good agreement, according to Malaysian Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein.   Inmarsat did not respond to repeated requests for comment   from The Associated Press.


"By analyzing that, you can determine speed and direction,"  said Joseph Bermudez Jr.,  chief analytics officer and co-founder of  AllSource Analysis,  a commercial satellite intelligence firm.  And by determining the area from which the last signal was sent, then estimating fuel left, it "could give you  an approximate area of where the aircraft impacted."


MORE ANALYSIS

Inmarsat sent its data to investigators days after the plane went missing.   But it continued to run its own analysis to see if it could wring out any more clues.

The company's engineers were dealing with a "totally new area," Chris McLaughlin, senior vice president of external affairs at Inmarsat, told the BBC. "This really was a bit of a shot in the dark." However, the latest information could only go so far in pinpointing the jet's location.

"We can't help you with any closer data," he said.


Gregory D. Durgin, a professor who teaches satellite communications at the Georgia Institute of Technology, said that because Inmarsat was using a different kind of satellite in a novel way, he expects it would locate the   last ping from the Malaysia Airlines plane within "around 100 miles (161 kilometers) of precision."


THE COMPANY

Inmarsat Plc started out in 1979 as an intergovernmental organization with the aim of helping ships communicate while at sea. It became a private company in 1999 and listed its shares in London in 2005. Customers now include governments, airlines, broadcast media, oil and gas companies, aid agencies as well as merchant shipping. They use hand-held satellite phones, laptop size Internet devices and antennas linked to the company's 10 satellites to communicate.

Monday, March 17, 2014

CAMBRIDGE SCIENCE FESTIVAL 2014 -- Science Carnival Sat., April 19



Mark your calendars for this year's Cambridge Science Festival  2014 which is   Friday, April 18, to Sunday April 27.  Below is one of their offerings,     the Science Carnival.  This is only a selected list of what you'll find there, mostly physics-related.  Check out their website to find out about ALL their offerings.  It's a great activity for the whole family!  And it's free.

CAMBRIDGE SCIENCE FESTIVAL 2014
Science Carnival 2014
Cambridge Public Library, 449 Broadway
Saturday, April 19, 2014             
12:00-4:00pm 
                                                                           
The 2014 Science Carnival has 5 themes:
Earth & Space         Micro-Zone             No Limits          Game Corner          Robot Zoo

EARTH & SPACE
  • Mystery Material: Is It Liquid or Solid?
Visitors will make and explore the unique properties of a non-Newtonian fluid and other fun polymeric materials.

  • Squishy Circuits
Come learn about electricity: how it flows and how to make it do work. At Squishy Circuits you use homemade play dough that is conductive (it lets electricity through) and insulating (it doesn't)  to make your own circuits and turn on lights, buzzers and other electrical devices. Kids of all ages can have some creative fun and learn something along the way!          by: The Methot Family

  • Optical Demonstrations
New England is full of technology based on the science of optics. The New England Optical Society will demonstrate the principles behind flat panel displaces to telecommunications to telescopes with our optical demonstration suitcases. We will have our giant kaleidoscope and other hands-on demonstrations.   by: New England Section of the Optical Society of America

  • H2Wh0a
Do you know how to bend water or how to turn a jar of water upside down without spilling it?           Come and try some fun water experiments with the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts and learn why this is possible.    by:      Girl Scouts of Eastern Mass.

  • Discovering Physics Through Interactive Exhibits
Clark University physics students present several hands-on demonstrations that make learning the laws of physics accessible and fun.

  • Observe Hydrogen Emission from Our Galaxy
Come join us for a demo of a home-built horn antenna radio telescope, repeating the Ewen & Purcell 1951 Harvard experiment to detect Galactic hydrogen emission.    by:    Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, and MIT

  • Paper Airplanes That Fly Forever
Soar a paper airplane on a piece of cardboard. Learn to build and pilot your own plane using a novel flying technique.      by: Build and Pilot Your Own Walkalong Glider
 

     *   Lightning Safety on Land and Water

Learn what lightning is and how to protect yourself and your friends. What preparation and knowledge you need to know when a lightning storm approaches and you are going to be in the middle of it. What would a plan to prepare for a 100% lightning safe event look like?
  • Kite Aerodynamics
See brilliant kites  and gain a better understanding  of  the  aerodynamics of flight and the force of wind through experiments and flying demonstrations.     by: Kiting USA
MICRO-ZONE
  • Dynamic Fluids!
Did you know cells are 70% water?!     When studying  biological engineering, it is important to consider fluids, like water. Using hands on demonstrations we will illustrate some really cool properties of fluids, such as how fluids move in microscopic environments and the importance of thick fluid, polymers in your body – mucus! by: EBICS (Emergent Behaviors of Integrated Cellular Systems)


NO LIMITS
    *    Science from Scientists
·         Explore the amazing world of physics through hands-on demonstrations. We'll discuss basic physics concepts that affect you every day!  by: Science from Scientists

  • Science Club for Girls Presents: MadSciMag
The teens of the Science Club for Girls Media Team will present their research in a specific area of science they have chosen to document via video, photo, and news stories.                         by: Science Club for Girls

  • Einstein's Workshop Presents: Hands-on Math
Come explore interesting math not usually taught in schools, such as tessellations and Penrose tiles!                       by: Einstein's Workshop

·                   *    Sister-City Schools Share Their Science Projects
Whether it's planting trees or making robots, students in Yerevan, Armenia share  their projects by video and Skype.   by: Cambridge-Yerevan Sister City Assoc.

  • What Inquisitive Minds Wanted to Know?
Student presentations, the result of inquisitive minds answering how, and why questions - the beginning of the practice of a scientific investigation. Come Hear/Interact.                     by: TTT Mentor Program

·               *     Bright Horizons Early Education and Preschool “Science Rocks” Photo Booth
Capture your Carnival experience and the excitement of your young scientists   at Bright Horizons' Science Rocks themed photo booth. Stop by with the whole family!      by: Bright Horizons Early Education and Preschool

  • Science Club for Girls: STEM Internship Program
What do underwater remote-operated vehicles, muscular dystrophy, cell phone applications, and plant flowering time have in common?      They're all things that our High School STEM Interns are working on this year.    Come by the Science Club for Girls STEM Internship booth to find out more!   by: Science Club for Girls

  • Boston GreenFest
Learn about recycling through recycled art!  by: Foundation for a Green Future, Inc.

  • The Innovation Institute Visits the Street!
The Innovation Institute is an after school and weekend science and engineering academic enrichment program for students in grades K-11. We are a vibrant learning community that focuses on the "how's" and "why's" --  stimulating critical thinking through hands-on investigation and design.             by: The Innovation Institute

  • Science of Silly Putty!
Make your own silly putty! The MIT Undergraduate Biochemistry Association will provide materials and teach the science behind the fun and unusual properties of silly putty!     by: MIT Undergraduate Biochemistry Association

GAME CORNER
  • TestTubeGames Booth
Come play the latest science creations from local game studio TestTubeGames. Make a whirling solar system, solve particle physics puzzles, or fly through electric fields in these browser and mobile games.       by: TestTubeGames

  • LED Art!
Do you like art, colored lights, and/or science? We will be creating designs using LEDs!   You can come by and create your own masterpieces using different colored LEDs while also learning the basic idea behind circuits. So be sure to stop by for some fun LED Art!       by: MIT Society of Women Engineers

  • Hello, Watson
Test your wits against Watson, the IBM computer featured on the popular quiz show Jeopardy!
  • East End House
Showcasing various hands-on, STEM-focused games that youth in East End House’s Middle School Program have created; this will include sharing the game design and engineering insights that the youth have discovered throughout the process.  Participating youth will be led through discovery-based learning to design, prototype, and produce games that engage STEM concepts in an age-appropriate and fun way.       by: East End House

ROBOT ZOO
  • If Only There Was a Way to Throw Yoga Balls...
One robot is a frisbee tosser. The other is a robot that throws and picks up a  yoga ball!    by:   CRLS Robotics Team  (Cambridge Rindge & Latin School)

Special Performance:
·          Marvelous Molecules in Play    Science demonstrations geared toward middle school aged children that are designed to entertain and inspire. Experiments and demonstrations might include the combustion of elements, a smoking chemical transformation, hot potato carbon dioxide balloons, a colorful chemical reaction, playing with liquid oxygen, and other inspirational demonstrations.
 Two Shows: 12:30pm and 2:00pm. Each of the shows lasts about one hour.

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Gateway to Science: Sports and Games Episode 2




GATEWAY TO SCIENCE:  SPORTS AND GAMES             March 5, 2014       Quincy Access TV

As promised, here is what the show covered:
A)  A review of the difference between linear, or straight-line, momentum.  
Demonstrated this (1) by rolling a ball, which follows its natural tendency, a straight line,  generating linear momentum,
and (2) by giving it a turn and making it spin in a circle, and because it goes constantly at 360 degree angles, generating angular momentum. 


TODAY'S VIDEO    Science of NHL Hockey:  Hockey Geometry  Includes circles and angles, too, but more.  It includes squares and many other shapes.  Its the geometry of hockey.  The video introduces all the shapes associated with a hockey rink.  Clearly explains angles and their relationship to a circle.         I used two pencils to illustrate this.  We saw that a hockey stick lies at an obtuse angle of 135 degrees (called the "lie" of the stick) and, in fact, a stick just happened to be lying around and was shown to the audience.    ; )

Different types of angles pertinent to hockey:   Angle of access (AKA angle of attack) to the net needs to be restricted by the defenders to keep the attackers from getting the puck into the net.  Another angle:  When the puck hits the board, the angle is called the angle of incidence.  The puck ricochets, or rebounds, off the board at the same angle, called the angle of reflection.  (This has applications, too, in basketball and in the physics of light.)

After the video we resumed what we started in the first show, reading a story I'd written for children, The Sled:  A Matter of Some Gravity.  Erin Corbett, a special needs teacher, was kind enough to come on the show (her first time on TV!) and read the book with me, taking turns as we went through it.  Erin did beautifully, and I really enjoyed doing it with her.  Reminder:  the story--which talks about give and take between energy and gravity in climbing and going down a hill--is elsewhere on this blog, so you can read it, too.  Who knows, some day maybe I'll be able to get it published and tell you where you can buy or borrow it!!

How can you get involved?  I issued an invitation to people to try writing similar stories:  Stories with a science lesson worked into the dialogue.  Try it, it's fun!  And send them in to me, please!

Announcements:  1)  Mad Science at the Quincy Library on Saturday morning, March 15 on Acids and Bases.  2)  Ongoing activity is at the Boston Museum of Science called Science in the Park.  An indoor playground, it displays signs at all of the stations (swings, seesaw, and others) that explain the physics of the activity.  If you don't have a membership, get passes at the library, and you can book up to 2 weeks ahead.

By the way, did you see the Sport Science Newton Awards on ESPN last month?  A brand new awards show, it features outstanding athletic events and uses a video demonstration to explain the physics behind it.  I missed it, but Frank saw half of it, and I look forward to finding it again, on ESPN or ESPN2. 

Remember.  Sports and games are the gateway to science -- and YOU hold the key!!

                                                                        INFO
VIDEO
Science of NHL Hockey:  Hockey Geometry  NBCLearn.com or science360.gov

MY BLOG
sportscience-kathy.blogspot.com