What are Gravitational waves?

Gravitational waves by definition are ripples in the curvature of space-time that disseminate as waves, generated in certain gravitational interactions such and travelling outward from their source.

Forecasted in 1916 by Albert Einstein on the basis of his theory of general relativity, gravitational waves transfer energy as gravitational radiation, a form of radiant energy similar to electromagnetic radiation. Gravitational waves cannot exist in the Newtonian theory of gravitation, since Newtonian theory suggests that physical interactions propagate at infinite speed. 

Due to the weakness of the coupling of gravity to matter gravitational waves experience very little absorption or scattering, even as they travel over astronomical distances. In particular, gravitational waves are expected to be unaffected by the opacity of the very early universe before space became "transparent"; observations based upon light, radio waves, and other electromagnetic radiation further back into time is limited or unavailable.

Gravitational waves are expected to have the potential to open a new means of observation to the very early universe. 

Theoretically, since we see gravity as a wave, it should follow wave phenomena, I.e. we can strengthen it using resonance or deconstruct it, we could manipulate it using multiple slit diffraction, which in theory should create a pattern of constructive and deconstructive gravitational waves, which in other words, we can theoretically control gravity, however, we need to create these waves or find strong waves to use, if we were to create them, we would need extremely dense mass or large masses moving at great speeds.

Solar Parks and Their Impacts on the Environment

At COP21 in Paris last year, 195 countries agreed to cap Global Warming. They set the target of lowering global temperatures by 2 degrees celsius. This has coincided with the growth of the solar power industry, which has experienced a large increase in revenue from US$69 million in 2010 to US$188.6 million in 2015 in the United States (statista.com). Solar power leads the way for the clean energy industry, as shown by the growth of solar parks in the US, UK, India, China, Australia and more. However, as Solar energy sources have a low energy density of just 1.5 microjoules per cubic metre(twenty quadrillion times less than oil), these solar parks take up a lot of space and affect agricultural land use. Governments have attempted to reduce these issues by ensuring that these parks are only constructed on low-yielding/low-grade farmland.

However, a year-long study conducted by Lancaster University in the UK has provided some insight into the possible effects of solar parks on the environment.  Solar parks are usually constructed on agricultural land, which is why this study could be a breakthrough for the concept. Wind farms which is the same idea in principle, showed changes in the micro-climate in terms of temperature, humidity levels and also the carbon dioxide concentration in the air. Solar panels are expected to have effects on light and shading. Whether this affects the carbon-storing capabilities of soil is currently unknown. If the panels do affect the soil, it could have major implications on the carbon cycle especially because these farms are large projects that span several squared kilometres. Perhaps it could even reduce the amount of greenhouse gases released by soil which would make solar parks a viable method to mitigate the effects of global warming.

For now, there needs to be more research about the relationships between solar parks and soil so that large investments are not misguided and that the implications of the micro climate of an area is not drastically altered as a result of these parks. 

Why don't normal pens work in space?

Normal  pens usually have ink within them. In order for the pen to write, the ink will flow down due to gravity and go on to the pen. This is why when the pen is used to  write upside down, it does not happen properly. So in space where there is no gravity it would be difficult for the ink to flow down.

To combat this on early missions to combat this problem, pencils were used by both the russians and the americans. Usually the americans used mechanical pencils. But both mechanical pencils  and normal pencils presented hazards. As anyone who has used a pencil would know that many times when the tip breaks, the broken piece is difficult to collect. These broken tips along with micro pieces broken from the pen could easily float in scape. These pieces could easily get into machinery and other compinotos, even the astronauts eyes. This would pose a significant problem for the equipment as it can damage the circuits.

The russian's were aware of this problem and used grease pencils which did not have the problem as a normal pencil. But to access more of the writing parts, astroumounts had to peel back the wax. But this created a similar problem with the paper floating in the air. Also astronauts complained that it was imprecise and smudgy.

To solve this problem a space pen was created.What the pen does is it has pressurised nitrogen which forces the ink to flow down the tube. This allows the pen to be used anywhere, even underwater. The ink and the nitrogen are separated by a floating barrier.
The ink itself is a very viscous consistency, almost like a solid. This is to prevent any evaporation of the liquid in the high temperatures of space. Also the ball is made of tungsten carbide which is able to withstand the high pressure of the nitrogen.

How do batteries work

Batteries are ever increasingly becoming a part of our everyday lives. As we move to more portable devices a portable energy source for such devices are ever increasingly becoming popular. So that brings up the question, how to batteries work?


There are many types of batteries but there are 4 main types of cells,  a wet cell, dry cell, molten salt, and reverse. Although each battery is different they all work in a similar fashion.

Firstly, electricity is a flow of electrons in a system or a circuit. The electrons are pushed by an electric field in a particular direction. In a battery in order for the electrons to flow, a chemical reaction occurs. A reaction which causes a release of electrical energy in known as an electrochemical reaction. The two terminals, once connected to each other, allow the electrons to flow between them. The positive end is known as the cathode and the negative end is known as the anode. These terminals are actually rods in the battery which are separated by an operator and the liquid or solid in the battery.

The solid or liquid which separates the two terminals is known as an electrolyte. This electrolyte is what produces the car. The chemical reaction occurring in the battery is known as a redox reaction where certain chemicals lose electrons while others gain. In a battery, it is the electrodes which undergo reactions to form ions. When an element has more or fewer electrons then it normally has, it forms what is known as an ion.

The cathode produces positively charge ions  (chemicals with fewer electrons the normal) and an electron.The anode produces the negative ions. Since like charges repeal, the electrons will flow around the circuit while the positive ions will flow to the anode. This is what causes the electricity to flow.

So this reaction is basically what happens. The battery brakes up chemicals to produce electrical energy. 

Tragedy strikes Tesla Motors

Engineering News

Tragedy strikes Tesla Motors

Tesla Motors, headed by it's visionary CEO Elon Musk, have transformed the motoring industry through their critically acclaimed Tesla Model S, a four-door electric sports car. The car combines performance and technology to provide a futuristic vehicle that might pose a threat to the Internal Combustion Engine, as the 90D version of the Model S has an impressive range of 294 miles (EPA). However, one of its most defining features and selling points was the Autopilot, which allowed for semi-autonomous driving.

Tesla could be regarded as pioneers to an ever-growing "autonomous driving" industry but Autopilot is not completely autonomous and still requires the full attention of the driver. It combines cruise control with lane departure assistance, which means that it can maintain a safe distance in "car lengths" from the car in front and also make a lane change. This could be done by manually activating the indicators. Through the use of cameras, sensors and radar, the car makes the necessary adjustments and completes the lane change. It is also highly reliant on the road's white dotted markings. The car also takes evasive actions when required, for example if somebody wanders onto your lane.

This revolutionary technology is not foolproof and Tesla never claimed it to be either. It was always marketed as a public beta. In fact, the feature is disabled by default. However, several owners performed viral stunts with the feature, such as speeding down the highway at 75 miles per hour hands-free. This raised massive safety concerns but must of these were unheeded until now, as tragedy struck 40-year old Joshua Brown on 7th May in Williston, Florida. He died after his Model S with Autopilot enabled, collided into a tractor trailer. The tractor driver, Frank Baressi, claimed that Brown was playing Harry Potter on the TV screen at the time of the accident.Tesla believe that the accident happened as neither the driver nor Autopilot noticed the white tractor trailer, which was why the brakes weren't applied. It was the first fatal crash for the company, and it occurred after 130 million miles. However, there is a fatality among all vehicles approximately every 60 million miles worldwide. Only time will tell if this was a rare incident or whether it is only the start of many more autonomous driving related accidents.

How does plane Wi-fi work

The airplane is one of the few places on the planet where you can have a proper reason to disconnect from the world for a while. But in the last few year multiple airlines have introduced wi-fi on services.This means that people can now connect to the entire world when they are 35,000 feet above the surface. But how does it actually work? Won't it interfere with communications?

Plane Wifi works like a normal mobile data network where, instead of a phone, the plane receives the signals. One compony, go-go air, uses the air to ground (ATG) method to send and receive information. This network is a cellular radio network that sends the signals up into the air instead of down to the ground unlike conventional mobile-data networks. The aircraft communicates with the network via an antenna installed on the underbelly of the fuselage. Equipment in the aircraft's avionics bay converts between proprietary Gogo protocols and standard Wi-Fi, which is distributed into the passenger cabin through multiple interior wireless access point nodes. For coverage over the sea, staalites are mainly used.The most current version of ATG, ATG 4, can give an internet speed of 3.1-9.8 Mbps for the entire plane. For this reason plane wi-fi is slow as the bandwidth must be distributed amongst all the users. 

9.8Mbps sounds slow, which is why  Go-go air has started to use a new system called Ground to Orbit. Go-go claimed that this system takes “the best aspects of existing satellite technologies with Gogo’s Air to Ground (ATG) cellular network” and that the “technology will use satellite for receive only (transmission to the plane) and Gogo’s Air to Ground network for the return link (transmission to the ground). The system can bring speeds as high as 60Mbps. Gogo Ground to Orbit uses a Ku-band satellite antenna for the downlink to the plane and Gogo's Air to Ground for uplink from the plane.But already this technology is moved forward in the form of 2Ku. 2Ku uses two Ku-band antennas, one for download and the other for upload. Gogo claims that 2Ku will have peak speeds of 70 Mbit/s

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gogo_Inflight_Internet 

http://laughingsquid.com/gogo-announces-ground-to-orbit-60-mbps-in-flight-internet-service/