What is the newest installment of 'Random Thoughts' on Physics Forums?

[Jarvis323]

Problem I see isthe left believes unequal outcomes are necessarily a sign of structual inequality. I don't think this is necessarily the case. I prefer the mixed approach: partially personal, partially societal. You are affected by society, sure, but for most cases, you can choose how to react.

I realize that your views are well reasoned and not overly simplistic. So just should clarify that my criticisms are not directed at you.

At face value, it's a reasonable sounding viewpoint that people are responsible for their actions and so long as they theoretically have the same opportunities then no one but themselves can be blamed when outcomes are unequal given equal opportunity. But realistically, it isn't that simple. Sometimes the outcomes are predictable based on the situations, and expecting people to have the fortitude to overcome them and assigning responsibility/blame on individuals when they fail, becomes unproductive. The goal should be helping people succeed in my view. If people are having trouble, whether it is due to their shortcomings, or external factors, should mostly be a matter that affects how we try to help. I.e., it's a matter of distinguishing/clarifying the difference between blame and cause, and addressing issues through causal analysis rather than assigning blame.

 

[WWGD]

Nice, simple proof of the irrationality of $\sqrt 2$ : Use rational coefficient theorem for $x^2-2$ . Fancier: Use Eisenstein.

 

[Astronuc]

Cracked Memphis Bridge Remains Indefinitely Closed, Disrupting Supply Chain
https://www.npr.org/2021/05/12/9964...s-indefinitely-closed-disrupting-supply-chain

It didn't just crack. I wonder how they missed it earlier.

This could have been another bridge collapse like I-35W in Minneapolis.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I-35W_Mississippi_River_bridge#Collapse
https://www.lrl.mn.gov/guides/guides?issue=bridges

 

[WWGD]

Cracked Memphis Bridge Remains Indefinitely Closed, Disrupting Supply Chain
https://www.npr.org/2021/05/12/9964...s-indefinitely-closed-disrupting-supply-chain

It didn't just crack. I wonder how they missed it earlier.

This could have been another bridge collapse like I-35W in Minneapolis.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I-35W_Mississippi_River_bridge#Collapse
https://www.lrl.mn.gov/guides/guides?issue=bridges

Still, does this happen often enough to fall into systemic problem territory/criterion?

 

[dlgoff]

We must start to tell the world that we actually do vegan science!

I should email my daughter this post, as she has been a vegetarian/vegan for a few years now. I too love vegetables, grow them every summer, but not enough to only eat them. The last time she visited, she stocked up my refrigerator with only vegan eats.

 

[WWGD]

I should email my daughter this post, as she has been a vegetarian/vegan for a few years now. I too love vegetables, grow them every summer, but not enough to only eat them. The last time she visited, she stocked up my refrigerator with only vegan eats.

I don't want to get too involved in it because from what I understand, Veganism is not as cruelty-free as its proponents claim. For one, cutting down trees destroys the habitats of several animals which will die as a result. Then there is the use of fertilizers, pesticides causing more deaths. Then there is the fact that most vegans, often out of necessity, import and eat vegetables from far away, which increases greenhouse gases.

Edit: Then there is too, the use of tractors/combines which end up killing more animals. Just mostly not farm animals , but just about every other one.

 

[WWGD]

A redo of an old post.

A recent conversation:
" Sir, what time is it?"
A: " YES, YES, I AM A VEGAN!...er, it's 2 p.m ".

 

[nuuskur]

at times I have the urge to visit this forum and type "psychicsforums.com" in the address bar :D

 

[WWGD]

Wikipedia emailed me and ask me to include it in my will ( I have donated small amounts). Not sure what to make of it.

 

[Ibix]

at times I have the urge to visit this forum and type "psychicsforums.com" in the address bar :D

On Psychics Forums they don't have a homework template because they already know what your question is.

 

[Ibix]

Wikipedia emailed me and ask me to include it in my will ( I have donated small amounts). Not sure what to make of it.

Donate, as long as they create a page in your memory.

 

[WWGD]

Donate, as long as they create a page in your memory.

I doubt I have that much money. I can imagine a Wikipedia guy following me and tryng to push me in front of the bus to get my tiny donation. A bit too vulture-like for my taste. Or emailing me weekly: " Will you be dying soon?

 

[Ibix]

I've been vaccinated and have to sit around for fifteen minutes and I'm watching people queuing for their vaccine. There's the usual serpentine queue with coloured "stand here" dots on the floor. Most people have one or both feet on their dot or are straddling it, but a fairly constant 5-10% seem to stand anywhere but their dot - a half metre past or behind it or just off to one side or other. It's really weird. It's not exactly a difficult task...

 

[Keith_McClary]

Wikipedia emailed me and ask me to include it in my will ( I have donated small amounts). Not sure what to make of it.

I will donate when they tell me who decides what is a "Reliable Source".

 

[WWGD]

I will donate when they tell me who decides what is a "Reliable Source".

I just donated small amounts herr and there, never more than $10 at a time, as I am not by any means wealthy. Just kind of weird to receive that request. But you have a valid point.

 

[WWGD]

But that reminds me of a similar bizarre recent experience involving death. I was getting some take out food , and the person handing it to me, whom I had never seen before, asked me if I thought dying would be such a bad thing . I just thought of that as not being a topic for casual conversation.

 

[fresh_42]

But that reminds me of a similar bizarre recent experience involving death. I was getting some take out food , and the person handing it to me, whom I had never seen before, asked me if I thought dying would be such a bad thing . I just thought of that as not being a topic for casual conversation.

I'm not sure I had the nerves to eat that food anyway.

 

[WWGD]

I'm not sure I had the nerves to eat that food anyway.

Technically, the conversation came up after he gave me the food, but you're right that he may be somewhat disturbed. I should have checked if his name was Jim Jones ( from the 1978 mass suicide in former british guyana).

Edit: But that was around a year ago. So nothing, unless it is an extremely slow-acting poison.

 

[WWGD]

I will donate when they tell me who decides what is a "Reliable Source".

But that is also a maddening issue nowadays. Different people quote different sources to argue opposite points. Which source do you then agree with? Besides, often these studies contradict each other. So we went from the thrill of having all information available at the click of a mouse , to the agony of having to filter through it all and decide which part of it makes sense.

 

[WWGD]

I'm not sure I had the nerves to eat that food anyway.

Just to add context I should have included, the comment was in reference to Covid 19 and not death in general. He asked wether it would be so bad to die from it. Not the type of small talk I would do with strangers: " What time is it , sir?" . " Oh, 3 p.m? Sure, are you afraid of death? And what is your wife's favorite sexual position? ".

 

[WWGD]

What is " Uncured Ham"? Is it still sick? Should I wait until it recovers to eat it? Or is it just a political division in the UK? Brits love their ham(s)? Still, Robin Hood and the sheriff of Uncured Ham does not sound right to me. Bet the clerk in the story I mentioned would consider it " To die for".

 

[nsaspook]

 

[WWGD]

I can't remember the name of the hunchback of Notre Dame, but ' Quasimodo' rings a bell.

 

[WWGD]

How do you respond to " Tschuss"? Yes, Adidas Tschuss, or " Gesundeheit"?

 

[Astronuc]

Still, does this happen often enough to fall into systemic problem territory/criterion?

It is a serious matter to miss such a defect in a critical structure. There are signs of corrosion, and one has to wonder what else has been missed. An inspection should be based on the most highly stressed areas of the bridge, since that is where corrosion and fatigue are mostly likely. It is clear that the inspection program was deficient.

In fact, the Inspector who failed to catch interstate bridge crack fired, according to the AP.
https://apnews.com/article/business-205afe66ae13ef7cd945db9c48947da1

Arkansas Department of Transportation Director Lorie Tudor said the inspector was fired after drone video showed the crack on the bridge spanning the Mississippi River in May 2019. Tudor said the crack was not noted by the inspector in his reports that fall or the following year.

Arkansas’ DOT on Monday released an image and video from the drone, which showed the crack. The drone footage was taken by a consultant inspecting the bridge’s cables.

Traffic on the six-lane bridge was shut down last Tuesday after inspectors found a “significant fracture” in one of two 900-foot (274-meter) horizontal steel beams that are critical for the bridge’s integrity. River traffic under the span was closed Tuesday but reopened on Friday.

Edit/update: ARDOT Confirms Failure in Inspection Process and Vows to Increase Redundancies to Avoid Repeat Event
https://www.ardot.gov/news/21-134/

The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) has confirmed that there was a failure in the inspection process which allowed evidence of damage to the I-40 Mississippi River Bridge to go unnoticed, according to agency officials.

“From our investigation we have determined that the same employee who conducted the inspection in both 2019 and 2020 failed to carry out his responsibilities correctly,” Director Lorie Tudor said. “This is unacceptable and this employee has been terminated as of this morning,” she continued.

The drone video that showed evidence of this fracture in May of 2019 was taken when Michael Baker International was performing an inspection of the cables and upper portion of the bridge, not the metal supports below. The Department will start changing the inspection process by adding redundancies, with further changes possible in the future.

It appears from the last paragraph that there was evidence of 'the crack' from May 2019. It's not clear to me at present, if they are saying the crack was partial or fully through the beam. If it was clear that there was a crack, then there was a complete failure in the inspection process that allowed continued operation of the bridge in that condition.

 

[WWGD]

It is a serious matter to miss such a defect in a critical structure. There are signs of corrosion, and one has to wonder what else has been missed. An inspection should be based on the most highly stressed areas of the bridge, since that is where corrosion and fatigue are mostly likely. It is clear that the inspection program was deficient.

In fact, the Inspector who failed to catch interstate bridge crack fired, according to the AP.
https://apnews.com/article/business-205afe66ae13ef7cd945db9c48947da1

Is it realistic today to have some sort of AI check the condition of different infrastructure?

 

[WWGD]

If you are the father or mother of someone transgendered, you are (a) trans parent.
If you are invisible too, you are a transparent trans parent.

 

[Astronuc]

Is it realistic today to have some sort of AI check the condition of different infrastructure?

One would need some data from calculations or predictive analysis and/or non-destructive inspection results in order to process with AI. I used to work for a company that specialized in predictive analysis for large structures, including bridges. The engineers used sophisticate finite element analysis to determined locations of peak stress under normal and off-normal conditions, and the results were used to reinforce structures. The results could be and were combined with periodic inspections which include visual (for flaws and corrosion) and techniques like ultrasonic inspection, eddy-current, radiography, magnetic particle, dye penetrant, or some combination.

An example of available technologies for steel bridges (and other structures).
https://www.bakerhughesds.com/waygate-technologies
https://www.tac-atc.ca/sites/default/files/conf_papers/elbeheri.pdf

Reinforced concrete structures require additional technologies, e.g., ground-penetrating radar.
https://www.giatecscientific.com/education/bridge-inspection-technologies/
https://www.ndt.net/article/ndtce03/papers/v001/v001.htm

systemic problem territory/criterion

The American Society of Civil Engineers does an annual report card on the nation's infrastructure, and they typically rate a D (lately a C-) due to the large proportion of bridges and other critical infrastructure that are in need of repair or replacement. The article from tac-atc.ca mentions the ASCE reports and a similar report for Canada.

https://infrastructurereportcard.org/

There are more than 617,000 bridges across the United States. Currently, 42% of all bridges are at least 50 years old, and 46,154, or 7.5% of the nation’s bridges, are considered structurally deficient, meaning they are in “poor” condition. Unfortunately, 178 million trips are taken across these structurally deficient bridges every day. In recent years, though, as the average age of America’s bridges increases to 44 years, the number of structurally deficient bridges has continued to decline; however, the rate of improvements has slowed. A recent estimate for the nation’s backlog of bridge repair needs is $125 billion. We need to increase spending on bridge rehabilitation from $14.4 billion annually to $22.7 billion annually, or by 58%, if we are to improve the condition. At the current rate of investment, it will take until 2071 to make all of the repairs that are currently necessary, and the additional deterioration over the next 50 years will become overwhelming. The nation needs a systematic program for bridge preservation like that embraced by many states, whereby existing deterioration is prioritized and the focus is on preventive maintenance.

https://infrastructurereportcard.org/cat-item/bridges/

 

[Astronuc]

Skyscraper Begins Swaying, Sparking Mass Panic As People Flee
https://www.newsweek.com/skyscraper-begins-swaying-sparking-mass-panic-people-flee-1592406

The 356-meter (1,167-foot) SEG Plaza skyscraper began swaying causing panic and subsequent evacuation.

Why would a building sway? Well, if not ground motion, then wind, especially if the wind increases then decreases, or if the wind blows periodically and particularly if it matches a natural frequency, which depends on the building's height and geometry, or if a steady (or periodic) wind results in vortex shedding on the backside, which also matches a natural frequency.

Appropriate damping is necessary in areas that are seismically active and windy.

 

[WWGD]

Skyscraper Begins Swaying, Sparking Mass Panic As People Flee
https://www.newsweek.com/skyscraper-begins-swaying-sparking-mass-panic-people-flee-1592406

The 356-meter (1,167-foot) SEG Plaza skyscraper began swaying causing panic and subsequent evacuation.

Why would a building sway? Well, if not ground motion, then wind, especially if the wind increases then decreases, or if the wind blows periodically and particularly if it matches a natural frequency, which depends on the building's height and geometry, or if a steady (or periodic) wind results in vortex shedding on the backside, which also matches a natural frequency.

Appropriate damping is necessary in areas that are seismically active and windy.

Wasn't there a similar case with some bridge in Washington state a while back with a bridge? I thought they would have learned to avoid the eigenvalues.

 

[Astronuc]

Wasn't there a similar case with some bridge in Washington state a while back with a bridge? I thought they would have learned to avoid the eigenvalues.

Yes, the Tacoma Narrows Suspension Bridge, which is a classic example. And yes, architects and structural engineers, should know this stuff.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacoma_Narrows_Bridge_(1940)#Collapse

 

[DrGreg]

Wasn't there a similar case with some bridge in Washington state a while back with a bridge? I thought they would have learned to avoid the eigenvalues.

The Millennium Bridge, London, a pedestrian footbridge across the River Thames, started resonating on the day it opened and had to be closed for two years of remedial work.

 

[WWGD]

@etotheipi: Following up on sleep, something else I wonder is wether lack of sleep can be " repaired" by sleeping , say, 15 hrs in one day.

 

[Jarvis323]

I'm in the minority I expect, but after thoroughly analysis, I have determined with 100% confidence that a bowl of cereal with milk IS, or should be considered to be, a form of soup.

I won't go into the details, but ALL of the counter arguments fall short.

Ultimately, it becomes a matter of whether something, which does fit the rough description of a soup, should be discluded from the category based on bias subjective reasoning. However, IF we do not categorize cereal with milk as a soup, then we are left with a type of food that has no reasonably specific higher level category. Maybe this is OK, but it goes against the idioms of complexity management in language and communication to put cereal with milk (which is not particularly novel) in a sub category of food with size 1.

Typically, categories are hierarchical. If we find a new creature, we don't just make a new isolated tree in the animal kingdom. We find where it fits into the existing hierarchical/categorical models.

For cereal, I believe it belongs in the category of cold instant soups. Hypothetically, if a suitable subcategory of soup could not be found to classify cereal with milk, then we should add one.

 

[Rive]

I'm in the minority I expect, but after thoroughly analysis, I have determined with 100% confidence that a bowl of cereal with milk IS a form of soup.

This bring another interesting train of thought regarding coffee with milk as the 'sister' of tea with butter

By the way I think the difference is about the usage of salt. If it's with salt, then it's closer to soups. If it can be eaten sweet then it's... dessert

 

[Jarvis323]

This bring another interesting train of thought regarding coffee with milk as the 'sister' of tea with butter

By the way I think the difference is about the usage of salt. If it's with salt, then it's closer to soups. If it can be eaten sweet then it's... dessert

Hmm this is a good point.

I believe also it might be the case that pizza is a form of open face sandwich.

 

[WWGD]

Ah, the great philosophical questions: So when, if ever, does a can of beans with a light broth become a soup? Does it make a sound? ( just to throw in another philosophical question).

 

[Jarvis323]

Beans with water is definitely soupy. It would be hard to argue it's not a soup in my opinion. Maybe it depends on the viscosity.

Some canned chili is probably too viscous to be a soup while at room temperature.

 

[WWGD]

I remember a power breakfast I used to make using beef soup with barley, vegetables and eggs. But brutal for summer.

 

[BillTre]

There is a poorly defined line between soaps and stews. Just a matter of concentration.

My dog's kibble, with water thrown on, sounds like a soup from your point of view.

 

[WWGD]

There is a poorly defined line between soaps and stews. Just a matter of concentration.

My dog's kibble, with water thrown on, sounds like a soup from your point of view.

How about gravy? But I read the labels on soup : " Soup Concentrate". I concentrate but nothing changes.

 

[Jarvis323]

My dog's kibble, with water thrown on, sounds like a soup from your point of view.

One of the primary arguments that I've seen against milk and cereal being a soup, is that it's neither cooked nor processed together to form something more cohesive.

In the case of cereal, I say that cereal is preprocessed to react with the milk quickly. That reaction is an accelerated process, in which the cereal absorbs the liquid and is softened, while (in most cases) the flavor from the cereal is also imparted into the milk (forming a broth). So it can be seen as an instant cold soup in this regard.

I don't know if the "heating or processing" condition is necessary.

Kibble and water may coincidentally react together when mixed in a similar way as milk and cereal. Technically it may also meet that criteria, but at least with cereal it is by design.

 

[WWGD]

One of the primary arguments that I've seen against milk and cereal being a soup, is that it's neither cooked or processed together to form something more cohesive.

In the case of cereal, I say that cereal is preprocessed to react with the milk quickly. That reaction is an accelerated process, in which the cereal absorbs the liquid and is softened, while (in most cases) the flavor from the cereal is also imparted into the milk (forming a broth). So it can be seen as an instant cold soup in this regard.

I don't know if the "heating or processing" condition is necessary.

Kibble and water, may coincidentally react together when mixed in a similar way as milk and cereal. Technically it may also pass meet that criteria, but at least with cereal it is by design.

How about gravy? Or sauces of different sources? Or thick hot chocolate?

 

[Jarvis323]

How about gravy? Or sauces of different sources? Or thick hot chocolate?

I can't say for sure. I've only analyzed cereal in depth.

With hot chocolate we already have a category, which is drink. Some say a drink may become a soup if it is thickened.

Gravy I think might be a sauce? It might be enough to determine if a sauce is a soup. This is tough question, but I don't think it has s bearing on cereal being a soup.

 

[Rive]

Some say a drink may become a soup if it is thickened.

A soup may become a drink if served in a cup.

I've seen some coffee vending machines which had 'soup'.
I've checked it. It was ... well: 'something like that'.

 

[DrGreg]

One of the primary arguments that I've seen against milk and cereal being a soup, is that it's neither cooked nor processed together to form something more cohesive.

So is porridge a soup?

 

[fresh_42]

So is porridge a soup?

No. That's a torture instrument for sick kids.

 

[Keith_McClary]

There is a poorly defined line between soaps and stews.

Soap has a lot more lye in the recipe.

 

[dlgoff]

I've often said, "my biggest regret in life was not going to Graduate School."

Well, I decided to go to the https://physics.ku.edu/overview-physics-ms and printed out all the relevant documentation. I looked in my file cabinet and found my GRE Interpretation Booklet for Candidates 1972-73. My scores in Math and Physics were well above what's required but I'm wondering if they would be accepted or if I could do it again if I had to retake the GRE.

Thoughts?

I've now applied. Just waiting to see if my application is accepted.

edit: actually I applied to the School of Engineering's graduate program
http://eecs.ku.edu/prospective-students/graduate/masters

 

[WWGD]

Soap has a lot more lye in the recipe.

And none in soups; that's no lye.