Manywele - Slashdot User

Comment Re:You are teaching them science is boring. Stop i (Score 1) 314

by Manywele on Wednesday March 18, 2009 @08:49PM (#27250279) Attached to: How To Get High-Schoolers Involved In Real Science?

Could you provide a little more info on the Sterling engine from a bike wheel and rubber bands? I'm a high school physics teacher (done most of what you mention) and I've tried two different hand made Sterling engine models, including the one from Make magazine two years ago or so. Couldn't get either one even close to working.

Yeah, I realize 20 years makes the memory a little hazy.

Submission + - The Alps of the Antarctic

Submitted by CaroKann on Tuesday February 24, 2009 @11:50PM

CaroKann writes: Recently, scientists have been creating the first detailed maps of the Antarctic Gamburtsev mountains using radar and gravity sensors. As a result, scientists have discovered that the Gamburtsev mountains, which were originally discovered by Russian explorers fifty years ago, are similar in size and shape to the European Alps, with lofty peaks and valleys. This discovery suggests that the Antarctic ice sheet formed relatively quickly, covering the mountains before they could be ground down. In addition, liquid water has been discovered in valleys about 3 km below the ice surface. It is estimated that the Gamburtsev mountains are approximately 500 million years old. By comparison, the Alps are approximately 55 million years old. It is hoped that this new data can be used to better understand how the ice sheets work and how they may react to global warming.

Submission + - Iranian Student proves P=NP (waset.org) 1

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 23, 2009 @04:21PM

An anonymous reader writes: Iranian student Zohreh O. Akbari, a native of Tehran, and currently a graduate student at Payame Noor University, claims to have proven that P=NP in her recent paper entitled "A Deterministic Polynomial-time Algorithm for the Clique Problem and the Equality of P and NP Complexity Classes". Her paper was published in the Proceedings of the World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, and if true has some very serious consequences. It should be noted that most Computer Scientists have believed that P does not equal NP. This follows on the heels of a paper by Dr. Rafee Kamouna that SAT is not NP-Complete, another proof that shoved aside established belief in theoretical computer science.

Comment Re:Don't want to pay (Score 5, Insightful) 538

by Manywele on Friday January 23, 2009 @01:46PM (#26577259) Attached to: 2/3 of Americans Without Broadband Don't Want It

The older generation doesn't know they want it. My parents (~70 years old) resisted dumping AOL dial-up until they were more or less pushed into getting broadband. Now both of them have discovered all the high bandwidth stuff on the web that they actually like and want to watch like videos on gardening or quilting. They don't use it much to communicate, they're not on facebook or twitter, they use the internet for finding information they want and now really appreciate the bandwidth. With dial-up finding what they wanted was just too painful so the percieved value was very low.

Submission + - A new layout for internal combustion engines

Submitted by zero_offset on Wednesday June 20, 2007 @02:14PM

zero_offset writes: A certain sector of the geek world is into cars and motorcycles, and what could be more newsworthy and exciting than a whole new layout for the internal combustion engine? The NEVIS Engine Company has taken on a task that The Red Herring describes as downright Sisyphean: reinventing the venerable internal combustion engine to dramatically improve efficiency and reduce emissions. We've heard that claim before, but this engine, using the new "Bortone cycle," is a complete re-think of the typical four-stroke piston-in-cylinder internal combustion process. They are claiming twice the efficiency of a standard Otto cycle engine. Their prototype is producing 250 HP at 2000 RPM from a 1 liter 2-cylinder setup, so yes, it runs. A detailed description is available on the Technology Overview page, but be sure to hit their images page and step through the pictures in order: watching the person assemble the engine step-by-step helps clarify how it works.

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