Writer and Geek Show

An update A brief update on the Writer & Geek Show. We have been on a sabbatical since we completed a year of podcasting. But we are using this time to improve our show and our website. We plan to come back with more episodes starting August. Stay tuned! — Shankar and Vishnu

The top notch Formula one is the highest class of racing sanctioned by FIA. The inaugural season was in 1950. A season consists of races called Grand Prix (Grand Prize in French). “Formula” is set of rules to be followed by the manufacturers and the drivers. One of the fastest type of races owing to the aerodynamic design of cars. History Grand Prix Motor Racing: A precursor to the modern day Formula One racing. Started in France in 1894. Involved racing from one town to the next. Evolved into endurance races. High rate of fatality owing to poor safety standards. Post World War II, evolved into Formula One. Was a medium for car manufacturers to promote their cars. French has special interest in motor cars. First racing took place on July 22, 1894 organised by Le Petit Journal between Paris and Rouen distance of 126 km. Count Jules-Albert de Dion won the race in 6 hours 48 minutes at an average speed of 19 km/h (12 mph) and 3 mins the 30s ahead of the runner-up. James Gordon Bennett Jr., who was the owner of New York Herald, started the Gordon Bennett cup which was an international event with countries participating against each other. Each country entered up to three cars in the even and the cars were fully manufactured in those particular countries. Each country had their racing colours (Green for UK, Red for Italy etc.). After fatalities in the Paris-Madrid race, a closed circuit was used in Ireland at Athy in 1903 and was the first closed circuit race. Grand Prix Automobile Club de France organised regular races that were called Grad Prix races starting 1906. A circuit which was roughly triangular in shape situated in Le Mans was used with a lap distance of 105 km. A total of six laps were required to be covered per day with a lap taking around an hour of each car. Use of the circuit was a direct result of the 1903 Paris-Madrid race which resulted in the death of drivers and pedestrians were killed. Races were mostly nationalistic and had cars with 50hp, 10-15L engines. Each car carried a mechanic along with a driver and they were the only ones allowed to work on the car. Renault won the Grand Prix by using detachable wheel rims developed by Michelin. Pre World War II days Monaco Grand Prix was the first time race grid was determined by using qualifying time rather than using a lucky draw. By the late 1930s, mechanics had long gone and cars were single seaters. Also, they were 600hp 8 or 16 cylindered monsters by this time. Mercedes and Auto Union dominated due to support from Nazis. Post war Post war, Formula One took shape in 1950. Due to economic difficulties, 1952 and 53 races were held using Formula 2 cars. First Word Championship race was held on May 13 in Silverstone, UK. The first championship was won by Italian Giuseppe (Nino) Farina driving an Alfa Romeo in 1950 defeating Juan Manuel Fangio. Fangio later went on to win five world championships which were a record for 45 years until Schumacher broke the record in 2003. The routine Usually 12 teams compete with two drivers each. Race weekend consists of free practice, qualifying session and race. To participate in a race, a driver should complete at least one lap in the free practice session. Free practice usually happens on Fridays except for Monaco Grand Prix, where the practice happens on Thursday and Fridays are reserved for other activities. Qualifying consists of three sessions namely Q1, Q2 and Q3. Cars are ranked according to their lap time. During Q1 and Q2, 7 drivers are eliminated respectively leaving 10 drivers in Q3. The driver with the fastest time gets the pole position - the first on the grid. After qualification, cars are inclosed park, meaning that no significant changes can be done to the settings. Top ten cars have to start using the same tires that they set the lap times on. In few cases they can be replaced by a set of similar tyres subject to approvals. On the race day, the cars are aligned on the grid according to the grid locations decided as per qualifying on the previous day. Race is usually held around 2 pm on the Sunday for most of the European races. Some races like Singapore and Abu Dhabi happen during the evenings. Number of laps is selected so that the total distance is more than 305 km except for Monaco where the minimum race distance is set at 260km. Also the race time cannot exceed 2 hours and in case that happens the race positions at the 2 hour mark would be considered to be the final grid positions. The car Engine The chassis is made using carbon fibre and other ultralight materials to save weight and for safety. Minimum permissible weight is 728kg including the driver without fuel. Sometimes ballast was used to add weight and lower the center of gravity. Prior to 2006, cars had V10 engines with 3 litre engines producing close to 1000 hp with top speeds reaching 375kph. In 2006, FIA came up with a rule that stated all cars must have a naturally aspirated (no turbocharger or supercharger) 2.4 litre V8 engines. Turbochargers were banned in 1989. Since 2014, engines are 1.6l turbocharged for an improved fuel efficiency of 29%. In 2009 engines were limited to 18,000 rpm for engine reliability. Engines consume close to 450lof air per second. Engine is located between driver and the rear axle and forms a structural support of the car. In 2004, engines were required to last a race weekend and subsequently the number of engines that could be used for a season were reduced to 8 and now to 3. That means an engine has to last for more than one race which would reduce the cost and make the units more reliable. -Fuel used is similar to normal petrol with a controlled mix and FIA requires fuel suppliers to submit samples for testing and can ask for a sample at any time during the course of a season. Transmission All cars have a semi-automatic gearbox with 8 forward and 1 backward gears. Carbon-titanium is used to make gearbox and is connected right behind the engine. Paddles behind the steering wheels are used to upshift and downshift. Clutch is controlled by electro-hydraulics except when starting from a standstill when the driver operates a lever in the steering wheel. Limitations exist on the number of gearboxes over a season as well. Gearboxes must complete six consecutive races before being replaced. Steering wheel Steering wheel houses many controls including gear shift, rev. limiter, fuel mix controller etc. Data related to various parameters are also displayed in LCD displays on the wheel. They weight around 1.3kg and can cost up to $50,000. Tyres Tyres used are: Hypersoft Ultrasoft Supersoft Soft Medium Hard Superhard Intermediate(for partially wet conditions) Wet (rain tyres) During rain, wet tyres can remove almost 250l of water a second from the track. Other systems Aerodynamics are controlled by using spoilers in the front and rear. If the throttle is let go, the aerodynamic drag will slow down the car at the same rate at which a sports car decelerates under breaking. KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) is used to give the car additional boost and stores the energy dissipated while braking. Some facts Car costs anywhere between 6 to 8 millions. Around 800 parts. Engine normally lasts for few races. Earlier it was an engine per week. Revs up to 16,000 - 18,000 RPM. Tyres last for around 90-120 km. Can accelerate from 0 to 160 kph back to 0 in 4 sec. Drivers lose close to 3-4 kg every race. At 130 kph, car has a downforce equal to its weight and can go upside down in a tunnel. Flight principles reversed. Roughly 2600-3000 gear shifts, Monaco has the most number of shifts. 1200 litres of fuel is used per race weekend. Efficiency of 70l/100km. Brake discs reach temperatures of 1000°C, exhaust pipe reaches 900°C and tyres reach 130°C during a race. Champagne tradition started in 1950, locals fans presented a three litre bottle of champagne to the race winner Fangio. In 1966, Jo Siffert in 24 hours of Le Mans opened a bottle of champagne which wasn’t sufficiently cooled. The cork flew up and resulted in the drink splashing on everyone. This tradition continues to this day with the exception of Bahrain Grand Prix where it champagne is replaced with sparkling fruit juice. In 2005, a BAR Honda car set an unofficial speed record of 413kph at Bonneville Speedway. Image: Pixabay

The top notch Formula one is the highest class of racing sanctioned by FIA. The inaugural season was in 1950. A season consists of races called Grand Prix (Grand Prize in French). “Formula” is set of rules to be followed by the manufacturers and the drivers. One of the fastest type of races owing to the aerodynamic design of cars. History Grand Prix Motor Racing: A precursor to the modern day Formula One racing. Started in France in 1894. Involved racing from one town to the next. Evolved into endurance races. High rate of fatality owing to poor safety standards. Post World War II, evolved into Formula One. Was a medium for car manufacturers to promote their cars. French has special interest in motor cars. First racing took place on July 22, 1894 organised by Le Petit Journal between Paris and Rouen distance of 126 km. Count Jules-Albert de Dion won the race in 6 hours 48 minutes at an average speed of 19 km/h (12 mph) and 3 mins the 30s ahead of the runner-up. James Gordon Bennett Jr., who was the owner of New York Herald, started the Gordon Bennett cup which was an international event with countries participating against each other. Each country entered up to three cars in the even and the cars were fully manufactured in those particular countries. Each country had their racing colours (Green for UK, Red for Italy etc.). After fatalities in the Paris-Madrid race, a closed circuit was used in Ireland at Athy in 1903 and was the first closed circuit race. Grand Prix Automobile Club de France organised regular races that were called Grad Prix races starting 1906. A circuit which was roughly triangular in shape situated in Le Mans was used with a lap distance of 105 km. A total of six laps were required to be covered per day with a lap taking around an hour of each car. Use of the circuit was a direct result of the 1903 Paris-Madrid race which resulted in the death of drivers and pedestrians were killed. Races were mostly nationalistic and had cars with 50hp, 10-15L engines. Each car carried a mechanic along with a driver and they were the only ones allowed to work on the car. Renault won the Grand Prix by using detachable wheel rims developed by Michelin. Pre World War II days Monaco Grand Prix was the first time race grid was determined by using qualifying time rather than using a lucky draw. By the late 1930s, mechanics had long gone and cars were single seaters. Also, they were 600hp 8 or 16 cylindered monsters by this time. Mercedes and Auto Union dominated due to support from Nazis. Post war Post war, Formula One took shape in 1950. Due to economic difficulties, 1952 and 53 races were held using Formula 2 cars. First Word Championship race was held on May 13 in Silverstone, UK. The first championship was won by Italian Giuseppe (Nino) Farina driving an Alfa Romeo in 1950 defeating Juan Manuel Fangio. Fangio later went on to win five world championships which were a record for 45 years until Schumacher broke the record in 2003. The routine Usually 12 teams compete with two drivers each. Race weekend consists of free practice, qualifying session and race. To participate in a race, a driver should complete at least one lap in the free practice session. Free practice usually happens on Fridays except for Monaco Grand Prix, where the practice happens on Thursday and Fridays are reserved for other activities. Qualifying consists of three sessions namely Q1, Q2 and Q3. Cars are ranked according to their lap time. During Q1 and Q2, 7 drivers are eliminated respectively leaving 10 drivers in Q3. The driver with the fastest time gets the pole position - the first on the grid. After qualification, cars are inclosed park, meaning that no significant changes can be done to the settings. Top ten cars have to start using the same tires that they set the lap times on. In few cases they can be replaced by a set of similar tyres subject to approvals. On the race day, the cars are aligned on the grid according to the grid locations decided as per qualifying on the previous day. Race is usually held around 2 pm on the Sunday for most of the European races. Some races like Singapore and Abu Dhabi happen during the evenings. Number of laps is selected so that the total distance is more than 305 km except for Monaco where the minimum race distance is set at 260km. Also the race time cannot exceed 2 hours and in case that happens the race positions at the 2 hour mark would be considered to be the final grid positions. The car Engine The chassis is made using carbon fibre and other ultralight materials to save weight and for safety. Minimum permissible weight is 728kg including the driver without fuel. Sometimes ballast was used to add weight and lower the center of gravity. Prior to 2006, cars had V10 engines with 3 litre engines producing close to 1000 hp with top speeds reaching 375kph. In 2006, FIA came up with a rule that stated all cars must have a naturally aspirated (no turbocharger or supercharger) 2.4 litre V8 engines. Turbochargers were banned in 1989. Since 2014, engines are 1.6l turbocharged for an improved fuel efficiency of 29%. In 2009 engines were limited to 18,000 rpm for engine reliability. Engines consume close to 450lof air per second. Engine is located between driver and the rear axle and forms a structural support of the car. In 2004, engines were required to last a race weekend and subsequently the number of engines that could be used for a season were reduced to 8 and now to 3. That means an engine has to last for more than one race which would reduce the cost and make the units more reliable. -Fuel used is similar to normal petrol with a controlled mix and FIA requires fuel suppliers to submit samples for testing and can ask for a sample at any time during the course of a season. Transmission All cars have a semi-automatic gearbox with 8 forward and 1 backward gears. Carbon-titanium is used to make gearbox and is connected right behind the engine. Paddles behind the steering wheels are used to upshift and downshift. Clutch is controlled by electro-hydraulics except when starting from a standstill when the driver operates a lever in the steering wheel. Limitations exist on the number of gearboxes over a season as well. Gearboxes must complete six consecutive races before being replaced. Steering wheel Steering wheel houses many controls including gear shift, rev. limiter, fuel mix controller etc. Data related to various parameters are also displayed in LCD displays on the wheel. They weight around 1.3kg and can cost up to $50,000. Tyres Tyres used are: Hypersoft Ultrasoft Supersoft Soft Medium Hard Superhard Intermediate(for partially wet conditions) Wet (rain tyres) During rain, wet tyres can remove almost 250l of water a second from the track. Other systems Aerodynamics are controlled by using spoilers in the front and rear. If the throttle is let go, the aerodynamic drag will slow down the car at the same rate at which a sports car decelerates under breaking. KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) is used to give the car additional boost and stores the energy dissipated while braking. Some facts Car costs anywhere between 6 to 8 millions. Around 800 parts. Engine normally lasts for few races. Earlier it was an engine per week. Revs up to 16,000 - 18,000 RPM. Tyres last for around 90-120 km. Can accelerate from 0 to 160 kph back to 0 in 4 sec. Drivers lose close to 3-4 kg every race. At 130 kph, car has a downforce equal to its weight and can go upside down in a tunnel. Flight principles reversed. Roughly 2600-3000 gear shifts, Monaco has the most number of shifts. 1200 litres of fuel is used per race weekend. Efficiency of 70l/100km. Brake discs reach temperatures of 1000°C, exhaust pipe reaches 900°C and tyres reach 130°C during a race. Champagne tradition started in 1950, locals fans presented a three litre bottle of champagne to the race winner Fangio. In 1966, Jo Siffert in 24 hours of Le Mans opened a bottle of champagne which wasn’t sufficiently cooled. The cork flew up and resulted in the drink splashing on everyone. This tradition continues to this day with the exception of Bahrain Grand Prix where it champagne is replaced with sparkling fruit juice. In 2005, a BAR Honda car set an unofficial speed record of 413kph at Bonneville Speedway. Image: Pixabay

Formula 1 is a crazy motorsport, not just driving around in circles.

Note: NASA was established in 1958 as opposed to 1959 as mentioned by Shankar. Pioneer 10 (Pioneer F) was the first aircraft to give humans an insight into the planet Jupiter and its moons. It was the first mission to Jupiter. It was part of the Pioneer program, a series of United States unmanned space missions launched between 1958 and 1978. Objectives: Document Jupiter, its environment and its moon (mainly Europa, Callisto, Io, Ganymede) through photographs (Jovian System) Study the solar wind, cosmic rays, heliosphere, and far reaches of the Solar System Explore the atmosphere and radioactivity of the planet Study the outer Solar System and heliosphere exploration Study the asteroid belt History Gary Flandro, an aerospace engineer, conceived a mission to exploit a rare outer planets’ alignment. The space probe was manufactured by TRW Inc. They were given a combined $380 million contract in 1970 to build Pioneer 10 and 11. It took 25 million man-hours As per a TRW engineer, “This spacecraft is guaranteed for two years of interplanetary flight. If any component fails within that warranty period, just return the spacecraft to our shop and we will repair it free of charge.” Spacecraft and Design: Six 76-centimetres long panels attached to a 36-centimetres bus to form a hexagonal structure. It could host eight to eleven instruments which were protected in a honeycomb aluminium structure. The orientation of the probe was controlled by the use of propellant (conical scanning). Aluminized mylar and kapton blankets (insulation coating) for passive thermal control. It carried 36 kilograms of liquid hydrazine monopropellant with a total launch mass of 260 kilograms. It used four SNAP-19 radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) powered by plutonium-238. The spacecraft needed 100 Watts to power all the equipment. At launch, it provided a combined 155 W, and 140 W while in transit to Jupiter. By 2001, it became 65W leading to operation of only selected instruments. Mission computation was largely performed on Earth with the commands transmitted to the spacecraft. It had a meagre capacity of 6,144 bytes, a limited form of a processor, two command decoders and one distributor which required ground control to prepare commands in advance. Plaque: Pioneer 10 contains a gold plaque which provides information about the origin of the spacecraft. Designed by Dr Carl Sagan and Dr Frank Drake, it was drawn by Linda Salzman Sagan. The plaque consists of diagrams of a man and a woman, completely nude. It also has the diagram showing the position of our solar system in the galaxy and the chemical information about hydrogen. Scientific Instruments: Infrared Radiometer - Evaluated heat output and cloud temperature from Jupiter Quadri-spherical Plasma Analyzer - Detect particles of solar wind Cosmic Ray Telescope (CRT) - Collect data on the composition and energy ranges of cosmic rays Helium Vector Magnetometer (HVM) - Measured the interplanetary magnetic field, solar wind interaction with Jupiter’s magnetic field, and Jovian magnetic field. Geiger Tube Telescope (GTT) - Survey the electrons and protons present in the radiation belts of Jupiter along the spacecraft’s path. Trapped Radiation Detector (TRD) - To detect light emitted by particles Imaging Photopolarimeter (IPP) - Build visual images of the planet by looking at it through red and blue lights. Meteoroid Detectors Charged Particle Instrument (CPI) - Detect cosmic rays Asteroid/Meteoroid Detector (AMD) Ultraviolet Photometer - Determine the quantity of hydrogen and helium in space and the atmosphere of Jupiter. Dates: Launched on March 2, 1972, 01:49:00 UTC from the Space Launch Complex 36A in Florida aboard an Atlas-Centaur launch vehicle. Launch vehicle accelerated for 17 minutes reaching a speed of 51,682 km/h (32,114 mph). Reached interplanetary space ninety minutes after launch The initial spin rate of 30 rpm, reduced to 4.8 rpm after the extension of three booms. Passed the Moon in eleven hours Crosses the orbit of Mars on June 1972 Entered the asteroid belt on July 15, 1972 - left the inner solar system Closed asteroid at 8.8 million kilometres with 307 Nike on December 2, 1972. Left asteroid belt on February 15, 1973 (7 months) (first spacecraft) Began photographing Jupiter on November 6, 1973, at 25 million kilometres range. (Total of about 500 photographs transmitted) Closest approach to Jupiter - December 4, 1973, at 132,252 kilometres per hour Crossed orbit of Saturn: 1976 Crossed orbit of Uranus: 1979 April 25, 1983: Crossed the orbit of Pluto June 13, 1983: Crossed the orbit of Neptune March 31, 1997: End of mission at 67 AU from the Sun Last signal: January 23, 2003 - 12 billion kilometres away from the Earth. Final attempt to contact Pioneer 10 made on the evening of March 4, 2006 Jupiter: Pioneer 10 was able to help the scientists with the following: It figured out that the magnetic field of Jupiter is inverted compared to that of the Earth. Display real-time images of Jupiter back to earth (The broadcast received an Emmy award) Images of the Red Spot which is being observed by humans for about two centuries. Believed to be in existence for over 350 years. Study the amount of radiation dissipated by Jupiter. The radiation made the space probe send out false commands. Io orbiting within a cloud of hydrogen which extends up to 805,000 kilometres. Generated an infrared map of Jupiter which showed that it radiated more than the radiation it received from the Sun. Miscellaneous Points: Pioneer Anomaly - Acceleration towards the sun ((8.74±1.33)×10−10 m/s2). Resulting in 4000 km deficit per year. To collect radiation environment information of Jupiter, the encounter trajectory was maximised. It could have damaged the space probe. First to find helium presence in the interplanetary medium and sodium and aluminium presence in the solar winds Size of the particle not more than 1mm. (not as bad as previously thought) As of 2016, travels at 26,900 km/h, 10 billion miles (114.07 AU) away from the Earth. Travels around 2.54 AU per year. (1 AU = 150 million kilometres) If course unaffected, Pioneer 10 will reach Aldebaran in two million years Additional Sources: Pioneer story 17776 The Pioneer Plaque: By Vectors by Oona Räisänen (Mysid); designed by Carl Sagan & Frank Drake; artwork by Linda Salzman Sagan - Vectorized in CorelDRAW from NASA image GPN-2000-001623, Public Domain, Link Relative size of solar system: Image: Wikipedia

Note: NASA was established in 1958 as opposed to 1959 as mentioned by Shankar. Pioneer 10 (Pioneer F) was the first aircraft to give humans an insight into the planet Jupiter and its moons. It was the first mission to Jupiter. It was part of the Pioneer program, a series of United States unmanned space missions launched between 1958 and 1978. Objectives: Document Jupiter, its environment and its moon (mainly Europa, Callisto, Io, Ganymede) through photographs (Jovian System) Study the solar wind, cosmic rays, heliosphere, and far reaches of the Solar System Explore the atmosphere and radioactivity of the planet Study the outer Solar System and heliosphere exploration Study the asteroid belt History Gary Flandro, an aerospace engineer, conceived a mission to exploit a rare outer planets’ alignment. The space probe was manufactured by TRW Inc. They were given a combined $380 million contract in 1970 to build Pioneer 10 and 11. It took 25 million man-hours As per a TRW engineer, “This spacecraft is guaranteed for two years of interplanetary flight. If any component fails within that warranty period, just return the spacecraft to our shop and we will repair it free of charge.” Spacecraft and Design: Six 76-centimetres long panels attached to a 36-centimetres bus to form a hexagonal structure. It could host eight to eleven instruments which were protected in a honeycomb aluminium structure. The orientation of the probe was controlled by the use of propellant (conical scanning). Aluminized mylar and kapton blankets (insulation coating) for passive thermal control. It carried 36 kilograms of liquid hydrazine monopropellant with a total launch mass of 260 kilograms. It used four SNAP-19 radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) powered by plutonium-238. The spacecraft needed 100 Watts to power all the equipment. At launch, it provided a combined 155 W, and 140 W while in transit to Jupiter. By 2001, it became 65W leading to operation of only selected instruments. Mission computation was largely performed on Earth with the commands transmitted to the spacecraft. It had a meagre capacity of 6,144 bytes, a limited form of a processor, two command decoders and one distributor which required ground control to prepare commands in advance. Plaque: Pioneer 10 contains a gold plaque which provides information about the origin of the spacecraft. Designed by Dr Carl Sagan and Dr Frank Drake, it was drawn by Linda Salzman Sagan. The plaque consists of diagrams of a man and a woman, completely nude. It also has the diagram showing the position of our solar system in the galaxy and the chemical information about hydrogen. Scientific Instruments: Infrared Radiometer - Evaluated heat output and cloud temperature from Jupiter Quadri-spherical Plasma Analyzer - Detect particles of solar wind Cosmic Ray Telescope (CRT) - Collect data on the composition and energy ranges of cosmic rays Helium Vector Magnetometer (HVM) - Measured the interplanetary magnetic field, solar wind interaction with Jupiter’s magnetic field, and Jovian magnetic field. Geiger Tube Telescope (GTT) - Survey the electrons and protons present in the radiation belts of Jupiter along the spacecraft’s path. Trapped Radiation Detector (TRD) - To detect light emitted by particles Imaging Photopolarimeter (IPP) - Build visual images of the planet by looking at it through red and blue lights. Meteoroid Detectors Charged Particle Instrument (CPI) - Detect cosmic rays Asteroid/Meteoroid Detector (AMD) Ultraviolet Photometer - Determine the quantity of hydrogen and helium in space and the atmosphere of Jupiter. Dates: Launched on March 2, 1972, 01:49:00 UTC from the Space Launch Complex 36A in Florida aboard an Atlas-Centaur launch vehicle. Launch vehicle accelerated for 17 minutes reaching a speed of 51,682 km/h (32,114 mph). Reached interplanetary space ninety minutes after launch The initial spin rate of 30 rpm, reduced to 4.8 rpm after the extension of three booms. Passed the Moon in eleven hours Crosses the orbit of Mars on June 1972 Entered the asteroid belt on July 15, 1972 - left the inner solar system Closed asteroid at 8.8 million kilometres with 307 Nike on December 2, 1972. Left asteroid belt on February 15, 1973 (7 months) (first spacecraft) Began photographing Jupiter on November 6, 1973, at 25 million kilometres range. (Total of about 500 photographs transmitted) Closest approach to Jupiter - December 4, 1973, at 132,252 kilometres per hour Crossed orbit of Saturn: 1976 Crossed orbit of Uranus: 1979 April 25, 1983: Crossed the orbit of Pluto June 13, 1983: Crossed the orbit of Neptune March 31, 1997: End of mission at 67 AU from the Sun Last signal: January 23, 2003 - 12 billion kilometres away from the Earth. Final attempt to contact Pioneer 10 made on the evening of March 4, 2006 Jupiter: Pioneer 10 was able to help the scientists with the following: It figured out that the magnetic field of Jupiter is inverted compared to that of the Earth. Display real-time images of Jupiter back to earth (The broadcast received an Emmy award) Images of the Red Spot which is being observed by humans for about two centuries. Believed to be in existence for over 350 years. Study the amount of radiation dissipated by Jupiter. The radiation made the space probe send out false commands. Io orbiting within a cloud of hydrogen which extends up to 805,000 kilometres. Generated an infrared map of Jupiter which showed that it radiated more than the radiation it received from the Sun. Miscellaneous Points: Pioneer Anomaly - Acceleration towards the sun ((8.74±1.33)×10−10 m/s2). Resulting in 4000 km deficit per year. To collect radiation environment information of Jupiter, the encounter trajectory was maximised. It could have damaged the space probe. First to find helium presence in the interplanetary medium and sodium and aluminium presence in the solar winds Size of the particle not more than 1mm. (not as bad as previously thought) As of 2016, travels at 26,900 km/h, 10 billion miles (114.07 AU) away from the Earth. Travels around 2.54 AU per year. (1 AU = 150 million kilometres) If course unaffected, Pioneer 10 will reach Aldebaran in two million years Additional Sources: Pioneer story 17776 The Pioneer Plaque: By Vectors by Oona Räisänen (Mysid); designed by Carl Sagan & Frank Drake; artwork by Linda Salzman Sagan - Vectorized in CorelDRAW from NASA image GPN-2000-001623, Public Domain, Link Relative size of solar system: Image: Wikipedia

Pioneer 10 travelled beyond solar system, it continues into the unknown.

Birth control is a method or a device that is used to prevent pregnancy. Though safe and effective birth control came into existence only in the 20th century, ways to prevent pregnancy have been devised since ancient times. Birth control has been the centre of many controversies as well. For pregnancy to occur, sperm must flow up the vagina, through the cervical opening into uterus into one of the fallopian tubes. If an egg is present in the tube, one sperm could fertilise it. Contraceptives either block the sperm kills it before it reaches uterus or prevents ovulation. History of birth control Cave paintings from 15,000 years ago in France apparently depicted condoms. Ebers Papyrus, an Egyptian medical papyrus from around 1550 BC and Kahun Papyrus from 1850 BC have documented some form of birth control from the ancient Egyptian times. These used honey, acacia leaves etc to be placed in the vagina to block sperm. Chinese used Mercury and Lead cocktail that lead to sterility, brain damage, kidney failure and death. Things like acacia gums were used to be placed inside the vagina. Acacia has spermatocide properties. Other ways were to cover the vagina using gummy substances, sodium carbonate and a mixture made of crocodile dung. Less effective coitus interruptus (withdrawal) was also practiced. Greek physician Soranus advised women to hold their breath and sneeze after the intercourse in 200 A.D. Botanist Theophrastus mentioned the use of Siphilium, a plant that could induce abortion and had contraceptive abilities. It grew scarcely near the city of Cyrene (Libya) and it’s scarcity made it valuable more than it’s weight in Silver in 1st century B.C. Indians used a combination of rock salt, honey and elephant dung. Olive oil and cedar oil combinations were used in Greece. Steaming technique using hot stones and medicated solutions were used to kill sperms. Later a modification using a pipe to push steam into vagina was used in medieval Europe, which often resulted in burns. An Indian tradition of sitting on a steaming pot of onion and water was used by Jewish women in Manhattan. Lactation for a longer time was also used as way to prevent pregnancy. During middle ages, women believed tying weasel testicles to their thighs would prevent pregnancy. Giacomo Casanova used partially squeezed lemon halves as cervical cap. Team of Australian scientists found out that lemon juice could indeed kill sperms. Animal intestines condoms were widely used in 1600s and in 1700s, linen was also used. They weren’s throw away stuff. In the mid-1800s vulcanised rubber was patented and condoms came into use. Anti-obscenity laws prevented women from gaining access to condoms in the 19th and early 20thcenturies. Lizol and Coke were used. Diet coke was effective in killing sperm but not fast enough. In 1960, oral pills were approved. IUDs came in subsequent years. In 2016, German carpenter Clemens Bimek patented a device that is implanted into scrotum which has a switch to control ejaculation. Birth control movement Birth control was discussed and was a major political issue in Britain in the 19th century. Economist Thomas Malthus wrote in 1798 about the effect of population on the economy. Birth control movement advocated the use of contraceptives to allow sexual intercourse without pregnancy. Starting 1880s birth rate reduced with the use of condoms that were effective and inexpensive. During the later part of the 1900s, more countries gained the right to be able to sell contraceptives more freely. Image: Pixabay

Birth control is a method or a device that is used to prevent pregnancy. Though safe and effective birth control came into existence only in the 20th century, ways to prevent pregnancy have been devised since ancient times. Birth control has been the centre of many controversies as well. For pregnancy to occur, sperm must flow up the vagina, through the cervical opening into uterus into one of the fallopian tubes. If an egg is present in the tube, one sperm could fertilise it. Contraceptives either block the sperm kills it before it reaches uterus or prevents ovulation. History of birth control Cave paintings from 15,000 years ago in France apparently depicted condoms. Ebers Papyrus, an Egyptian medical papyrus from around 1550 BC and Kahun Papyrus from 1850 BC have documented some form of birth control from the ancient Egyptian times. These used honey, acacia leaves etc to be placed in the vagina to block sperm. Chinese used Mercury and Lead cocktail that lead to sterility, brain damage, kidney failure and death. Things like acacia gums were used to be placed inside the vagina. Acacia has spermatocide properties. Other ways were to cover the vagina using gummy substances, sodium carbonate and a mixture made of crocodile dung. Less effective coitus interruptus (withdrawal) was also practiced. Greek physician Soranus advised women to hold their breath and sneeze after the intercourse in 200 A.D. Botanist Theophrastus mentioned the use of Siphilium, a plant that could induce abortion and had contraceptive abilities. It grew scarcely near the city of Cyrene (Libya) and it’s scarcity made it valuable more than it’s weight in Silver in 1st century B.C. Indians used a combination of rock salt, honey and elephant dung. Olive oil and cedar oil combinations were used in Greece. Steaming technique using hot stones and medicated solutions were used to kill sperms. Later a modification using a pipe to push steam into vagina was used in medieval Europe, which often resulted in burns. An Indian tradition of sitting on a steaming pot of onion and water was used by Jewish women in Manhattan. Lactation for a longer time was also used as way to prevent pregnancy. During middle ages, women believed tying weasel testicles to their thighs would prevent pregnancy. Giacomo Casanova used partially squeezed lemon halves as cervical cap. Team of Australian scientists found out that lemon juice could indeed kill sperms. Animal intestines condoms were widely used in 1600s and in 1700s, linen was also used. They weren’s throw away stuff. In the mid-1800s vulcanised rubber was patented and condoms came into use. Anti-obscenity laws prevented women from gaining access to condoms in the 19th and early 20thcenturies. Lizol and Coke were used. Diet coke was effective in killing sperm but not fast enough. In 1960, oral pills were approved. IUDs came in subsequent years. In 2016, German carpenter Clemens Bimek patented a device that is implanted into scrotum which has a switch to control ejaculation. Birth control movement Birth control was discussed and was a major political issue in Britain in the 19th century. Economist Thomas Malthus wrote in 1798 about the effect of population on the economy. Birth control movement advocated the use of contraceptives to allow sexual intercourse without pregnancy. Starting 1880s birth rate reduced with the use of condoms that were effective and inexpensive. During the later part of the 1900s, more countries gained the right to be able to sell contraceptives more freely. Image: Pixabay

Doing it isn't just for having kids, so how did people prevent that through history?

Why learning history is important In this episode, we talk about the importance of history and why we should learn. We also take a look at how history is taught and why there is a need to reform it with the use of current technologies. Thomas Ketchell’s talk

Why learning history is important In this episode, we talk about the importance of history and why we should learn. We also take a look at how history is taught and why there is a need to reform it with the use of current technologies. Thomas Ketchell’s talk

Is history important? Why should we learn it?

Definition of time A second The duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between two hyperfine levels of ground state of the Cesium 133 atom. That’s lovely, but what does it mean? Hang on tight, we’ll come to that. But before that, let’s go back in history, few thousand years. To the land of mighty Egyptians. Yeah, you just thought of Pyramids and the movie Mummy, didn’t you? Yeah, moving along! Sun to the rescue Timekeeping became a necessity when humans started being social. As with everything on earth, it all started with Sun. Being the source of a vast amount of energy in the form of light, what better way of tracking time than to use that light. Egyptians - the timemasters Obelisks: An Egyptian invention. Shadows are tracked to calculate the time of day. Sundial: A device that uses shadow cast by sunlight to measure time as the sun moves overhead. Egyptians used these in B.C. 3500. In 1500 B.C. Egyptians built a more accurate sundial which was divided into 10 parts. This one was accurate only half the time and afternoon it had to be rotated by 180° Issues: Path of sun changes throughout the year. Doesn’t work on rainy or overcast days. Doesn’t work during the night. Water Clocks: Used mostly as time measuring devices. Mechanical Clocks First mechanical clocks might have been used in monasteries to keep monks aware of the prayer times. Most of these were large weight driven “turret” clocks which stuck at every hour and did not have a face or a hand. Salisbury Cathedral in England has the oldest clock which chimes every hour. These type of clocks had errors of up to half an hour a day and weren’t accurate. During mid of the 1400s, German and Italian clockmakers started making clocks that made use of wound spring. Most of these had only hour hands and the minute hand came into existence only during the 1650s. Pendulums Master inventor Galileo devised the timekeeping property of pendulum and in 1656, Christiaan Huygens started using the pendulum as a time controller in clocks. The time period of a pendulum was independent of the mass of the pendulum and to the extent of the swing, but depended only on the length of the pendulum. A pendulum of around 99 cm (39 inches) has a time period of around 1 sec. Even an increase in length by 0.025 mm would make a difference of 1 sec in a day. Which means a steel pendulum can lose up to a second a day with a temperature variation of 2.2°C. A special alloy called “Invar” which has a small co-efficient of expansion is sometimes used to make pendulums. A series of clocks which were weight driven and had pendulums were devised and built. Due to their weight they were not suitable for hanging from the wall, instead, the casing was extended towards the ground and this led to the creation of “Grandfather” clocks. In 1670 the seconds pendulum was added to the clock which oscillated once every second. An escape wheel is used which is allowed to rotate one tooth per double swing of the pendulum and also transmits the impulse to the pendulum. Escapement has two main functions: transmit the impulse without hampering the free swing and to transmit a uniform impulse. Edmund Beckett invented a gravity clock using double three-legged gravity escapement and used this for Westminster which we adorably call The Big Ben :wink:. The Components Escapement: Escapement is used to transfer the gravitational force acting on the weights to the clock’s mechanism. In this mechanism, a weight unwinds a rope from a barrel which turns the toothed escape wheel. A vertical rod with pellets at each end called a verge is used. When the weight drops and the wheel rotates, the top pallet arrests the wheel resulting in oscillation on the regulating weights. This oscillation turns the verge and that releases the wheel from the pellet until it is caught by the second pellet on the other side of the verge. This process is repeated. This action produces the “tick-tock”. The wheelwork: This mechanism, also called the train is responsible for transmitting the motion from the weight or spring mechanism to the hands of the clock through a series of wheels and pinions precisely calibrated to ensure steady transmission of power. There is a gearing mechanism that drives the clock and uses a 12:1 gearing ratio to move the hour hand. Electric Clocks First made in 1840, the first electric clock had a pendulum and spring mechanism and used an electrical impulse to operate a number of dials. The first complete electric clock was invented in 1906. Quart crystals Quartz crystal was first used in clocks in 1929. A big leap in precise timekeeping. A ring of quartz of 2.5 mm in diameter is suspended by threads in a heat-resistant chamber. Electrodes are connected to the surface of the ring and the 100,000 hertz frequency of vibration is reduced by a process called frequency division and applied to a synchronous motor. 6 million to 1 ratio of gearing is used to move the second hand and the precision is of the order of one second every 10 years. Watches Watches came into use around the 1500s. Peter Henlein, a locksmith from Germany made early models of watches using verge as the escapement method. Germany and France produced early watches which were not wrist watches but were worn on chains around the neck. These early watches had no minute or second hands and had only hour hands. Early watches used wound up springs, which were coil springs that could be wound up to store energy. This energy is then transferred using wheel train and escapement. The major drawback was the change in torque as the spring unwinds. This was countered by use of fusee, a cone-shaped, grooved pulley system that kept the torque constant by the variable diameter of the cone. Navigation and need for precision Navigators needed to have accurate ways of determining the time to also determine their location. Latitude could be calculated based on the position of sun’s angle at noon. Time at a reference point was necessary to identify the longitude. At equator 15° change in latitude is equivalent to an hours difference in time. Pendulums do not work well at sea. In 1714, the Engish government promised a reward of £20,000 to anyone who can measure longitude to the accuracy of 0.5° which corresponds to an error of 35 miles at the equator and an accuracy of 3 s/day. The prize was won by John Harrison who made the sea going H4 clocks with the accuracy of 0.2 s/day with the error of only 30 km on a 7-day trip. Greenwich Mean Time Set as a standard in 1884. Since the path of the sun varies, there was a deviation of +/- 15 mins. Hence mean annual average of motion of sun was considered. 1 second = 1/864,000 of a mean day. Issues: Variation in earth’s rotation. Weather Tides Replaced by UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) which is pretty much similar to GMT and is maintained by an ensemble of around 260 clocks maintained in 40 countries. Atomic clocks Atomic clocks were a major breakthrough in the development of highly accurate clocks for use in various scientific devices and in modern exploration including space. 1955: Cesium atomic clock was invented by Essen and Parry at National Physical Laboratory. More clocks were reproduced in the following years and Caesium clocks were adopted as the basis for time measurement. Present day atomic clocks have an accuracy of 1 sec in 3 billion years. Working of atomic clock Uses quantum mechanical states of energy and precise energy levels of electrons. The frequency at which Cesium releases peak energy is calculated and time is calculated accordingly. High precision. Used in space technology where nanosecond level of precision is required. Awesome podcasts hosted by our friends that can help with productivity! The Passion People Project The Inspiring Talk Image: Shankar’s Instagram

Definition of time A second The duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between two hyperfine levels of ground state of the Cesium 133 atom. That’s lovely, but what does it mean? Hang on tight, we’ll come to that. But before that, let’s go back in history, few thousand years. To the land of mighty Egyptians. Yeah, you just thought of Pyramids and the movie Mummy, didn’t you? Yeah, moving along! Sun to the rescue Timekeeping became a necessity when humans started being social. As with everything on earth, it all started with Sun. Being the source of a vast amount of energy in the form of light, what better way of tracking time than to use that light. Egyptians - the timemasters Obelisks: An Egyptian invention. Shadows are tracked to calculate the time of day. Sundial: A device that uses shadow cast by sunlight to measure time as the sun moves overhead. Egyptians used these in B.C. 3500. In 1500 B.C. Egyptians built a more accurate sundial which was divided into 10 parts. This one was accurate only half the time and afternoon it had to be rotated by 180° Issues: Path of sun changes throughout the year. Doesn’t work on rainy or overcast days. Doesn’t work during the night. Water Clocks: Used mostly as time measuring devices. Mechanical Clocks First mechanical clocks might have been used in monasteries to keep monks aware of the prayer times. Most of these were large weight driven “turret” clocks which stuck at every hour and did not have a face or a hand. Salisbury Cathedral in England has the oldest clock which chimes every hour. These type of clocks had errors of up to half an hour a day and weren’t accurate. During mid of the 1400s, German and Italian clockmakers started making clocks that made use of wound spring. Most of these had only hour hands and the minute hand came into existence only during the 1650s. Pendulums Master inventor Galileo devised the timekeeping property of pendulum and in 1656, Christiaan Huygens started using the pendulum as a time controller in clocks. The time period of a pendulum was independent of the mass of the pendulum and to the extent of the swing, but depended only on the length of the pendulum. A pendulum of around 99 cm (39 inches) has a time period of around 1 sec. Even an increase in length by 0.025 mm would make a difference of 1 sec in a day. Which means a steel pendulum can lose up to a second a day with a temperature variation of 2.2°C. A special alloy called “Invar” which has a small co-efficient of expansion is sometimes used to make pendulums. A series of clocks which were weight driven and had pendulums were devised and built. Due to their weight they were not suitable for hanging from the wall, instead, the casing was extended towards the ground and this led to the creation of “Grandfather” clocks. In 1670 the seconds pendulum was added to the clock which oscillated once every second. An escape wheel is used which is allowed to rotate one tooth per double swing of the pendulum and also transmits the impulse to the pendulum. Escapement has two main functions: transmit the impulse without hampering the free swing and to transmit a uniform impulse. Edmund Beckett invented a gravity clock using double three-legged gravity escapement and used this for Westminster which we adorably call The Big Ben :wink:. The Components Escapement: Escapement is used to transfer the gravitational force acting on the weights to the clock’s mechanism. In this mechanism, a weight unwinds a rope from a barrel which turns the toothed escape wheel. A vertical rod with pellets at each end called a verge is used. When the weight drops and the wheel rotates, the top pallet arrests the wheel resulting in oscillation on the regulating weights. This oscillation turns the verge and that releases the wheel from the pellet until it is caught by the second pellet on the other side of the verge. This process is repeated. This action produces the “tick-tock”. The wheelwork: This mechanism, also called the train is responsible for transmitting the motion from the weight or spring mechanism to the hands of the clock through a series of wheels and pinions precisely calibrated to ensure steady transmission of power. There is a gearing mechanism that drives the clock and uses a 12:1 gearing ratio to move the hour hand. Electric Clocks First made in 1840, the first electric clock had a pendulum and spring mechanism and used an electrical impulse to operate a number of dials. The first complete electric clock was invented in 1906. Quart crystals Quartz crystal was first used in clocks in 1929. A big leap in precise timekeeping. A ring of quartz of 2.5 mm in diameter is suspended by threads in a heat-resistant chamber. Electrodes are connected to the surface of the ring and the 100,000 hertz frequency of vibration is reduced by a process called frequency division and applied to a synchronous motor. 6 million to 1 ratio of gearing is used to move the second hand and the precision is of the order of one second every 10 years. Watches Watches came into use around the 1500s. Peter Henlein, a locksmith from Germany made early models of watches using verge as the escapement method. Germany and France produced early watches which were not wrist watches but were worn on chains around the neck. These early watches had no minute or second hands and had only hour hands. Early watches used wound up springs, which were coil springs that could be wound up to store energy. This energy is then transferred using wheel train and escapement. The major drawback was the change in torque as the spring unwinds. This was countered by use of fusee, a cone-shaped, grooved pulley system that kept the torque constant by the variable diameter of the cone. Navigation and need for precision Navigators needed to have accurate ways of determining the time to also determine their location. Latitude could be calculated based on the position of sun’s angle at noon. Time at a reference point was necessary to identify the longitude. At equator 15° change in latitude is equivalent to an hours difference in time. Pendulums do not work well at sea. In 1714, the Engish government promised a reward of £20,000 to anyone who can measure longitude to the accuracy of 0.5° which corresponds to an error of 35 miles at the equator and an accuracy of 3 s/day. The prize was won by John Harrison who made the sea going H4 clocks with the accuracy of 0.2 s/day with the error of only 30 km on a 7-day trip. Greenwich Mean Time Set as a standard in 1884. Since the path of the sun varies, there was a deviation of +/- 15 mins. Hence mean annual average of motion of sun was considered. 1 second = 1/864,000 of a mean day. Issues: Variation in earth’s rotation. Weather Tides Replaced by UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) which is pretty much similar to GMT and is maintained by an ensemble of around 260 clocks maintained in 40 countries. Atomic clocks Atomic clocks were a major breakthrough in the development of highly accurate clocks for use in various scientific devices and in modern exploration including space. 1955: Cesium atomic clock was invented by Essen and Parry at National Physical Laboratory. More clocks were reproduced in the following years and Caesium clocks were adopted as the basis for time measurement. Present day atomic clocks have an accuracy of 1 sec in 3 billion years. Working of atomic clock Uses quantum mechanical states of energy and precise energy levels of electrons. The frequency at which Cesium releases peak energy is calculated and time is calculated accordingly. High precision. Used in space technology where nanosecond level of precision is required. Awesome podcasts hosted by our friends that can help with productivity! The Passion People Project The Inspiring Talk Image: Shankar’s Instagram