Comments on: Q & BA Episode 2: Journey to the Center of the Sun http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/11/q-ba-episode-2-journey-to-the-center-of-the-sun/ I am an astronomer, writer, and skeptic. I likes reality the way it is, and I aims to keep it that way. My real name is Phil Plait, and I run the Bad Astronomy blog. Sun, 21 Mar 2010 16:41:46 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Luke http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/11/q-ba-episode-2-journey-to-the-center-of-the-sun/comment-page-1/#comment-29923 Luke Mon, 19 Nov 2007 05:46:25 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/11/q-ba-episode-2-journey-to-the-center-of-the-sun/#comment-29923 I am sure you know this, but when speaking about Kelvin you don't use the term degrees I am sure you know this, but when speaking about Kelvin you don’t use the term degrees

]]> By: Jeremy http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/11/q-ba-episode-2-journey-to-the-center-of-the-sun/comment-page-1/#comment-29922 Jeremy Wed, 14 Feb 2007 03:39:36 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/11/q-ba-episode-2-journey-to-the-center-of-the-sun/#comment-29922 One minor complaint about this clip. A couple years ago I heard a seminar about acoustic waves in the sun. The numbers being thrown around for the speed of sound were actually very slow. I had to stop the speaker and ask why sound was so slow when everything I had heard about the sun was that it was so incredibly dense. It turned out that most of the sun is actually very low density (I don't remember exactly, but I want to say 1/20th of the earth's atmosphere.) Big numbers are always cool to throw around, but you run the risk of giving the wrong overall picture if you focus on the extremes. One minor complaint about this clip. A couple years ago I heard a seminar about acoustic waves in the sun. The numbers being thrown around for the speed of sound were actually very slow. I had to stop the speaker and ask why sound was so slow when everything I had heard about the sun was that it was so incredibly dense. It turned out that most of the sun is actually very low density (I don’t remember exactly, but I want to say 1/20th of the earth’s atmosphere.) Big numbers are always cool to throw around, but you run the risk of giving the wrong overall picture if you focus on the extremes.

]]> By: ZB http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/11/q-ba-episode-2-journey-to-the-center-of-the-sun/comment-page-1/#comment-29921 ZB Wed, 14 Feb 2007 03:28:23 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/11/q-ba-episode-2-journey-to-the-center-of-the-sun/#comment-29921 I was very strongly reminded of Carl Sagan with both of these shows. Yay! I hope you keep them coming. I was very strongly reminded of Carl Sagan with both of these shows. Yay! I hope you keep them coming.

]]> By: BC http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/11/q-ba-episode-2-journey-to-the-center-of-the-sun/comment-page-1/#comment-29920 BC Tue, 13 Feb 2007 02:54:55 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/11/q-ba-episode-2-journey-to-the-center-of-the-sun/#comment-29920 Just in case anyone didn't figure it out: a Hydrogen nucleus is composed of 1 proton. A Helium nucleus is 2 protons + 2 neutrons. Take 4 hydrogen, convert 2 protons to 2 neutrons than add the other 2 protons, ending up with the 2 protons + 2 neutrons in a single helium nucleus. Just in case anyone didn’t figure it out: a Hydrogen nucleus is composed of 1 proton. A Helium nucleus is 2 protons + 2 neutrons. Take 4 hydrogen, convert 2 protons to 2 neutrons than add the other 2 protons, ending up with the 2 protons + 2 neutrons in a single helium nucleus.

]]> By: Cameron http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/11/q-ba-episode-2-journey-to-the-center-of-the-sun/comment-page-1/#comment-29919 Cameron Tue, 13 Feb 2007 02:04:44 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/11/q-ba-episode-2-journey-to-the-center-of-the-sun/#comment-29919 Sticks: Plasma is a superheated, ionized form of gas. It is kind of a "sub-state" of matter. Sticks:
Plasma is a superheated, ionized form of gas. It is kind of a “sub-state” of matter.

]]> By: schowster http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/11/q-ba-episode-2-journey-to-the-center-of-the-sun/comment-page-1/#comment-29918 schowster Tue, 13 Feb 2007 01:12:00 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/11/q-ba-episode-2-journey-to-the-center-of-the-sun/#comment-29918 I had a professor in college who said that when you are explaining differences in temperature scales you leave out the "degrees". So the difference between 270 K and 300 K = 30 Kelvin And the difference between 25 C and 50 C = 25 Celsius But if we go outside and want to know how warm it is, it would be "298 degrees Kelvin", or "25 degrees Celsius". He knew it wasn't a consensus among the scientific community, but that's the way he liked to differentiate and I've taken a liking to it. I had a professor in college who said that when you are explaining differences in temperature scales you leave out the “degrees”.

So the difference between 270 K and 300 K = 30 Kelvin
And the difference between 25 C and 50 C = 25 Celsius

But if we go outside and want to know how warm it is, it would be “298 degrees Kelvin”, or “25 degrees Celsius”.

He knew it wasn’t a consensus among the scientific community, but that’s the way he liked to differentiate and I’ve taken a liking to it.

]]> By: Bryan D. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/11/q-ba-episode-2-journey-to-the-center-of-the-sun/comment-page-1/#comment-29917 Bryan D. Tue, 13 Feb 2007 00:40:25 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2007/02/11/q-ba-episode-2-journey-to-the-center-of-the-sun/#comment-29917 I love that face you make you you say "and for the rest of the World" :) Don't you like Imperial mesurement?? :) I love that face you make you you say “and for the rest of the World” :)

Don’t you like Imperial mesurement?? :)

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