Friday, September 01, 2006

A-what-omy?

Today I've been working on my recently assigned astronomy homework. I already did the definitions and review questions for the next 5 weeks, so all I need to do is chill until the next assignment. HOWEVER! Being the OCD student that I am, I want to get as much homework out of the way as possible so that I can have more time to study my notes and the book instead of stressing over busywork. So I've started on my event assignment that's not due until week 8.

In regards to the event, I'm supposed to write about an astronomy related scientific breakthrought that has happened within the last year. As of now, I'm choosing to talk about this article that covers proof of dark matter.

However, I've been having a little trouble wrapping my mind around what dark matter actually means. It's not detectable visually (it's essentially invisible), however it can be detected through gravity. And that's the only way they've found it detectable so far.

This is all fine and dandy, but then I began wondering if dark matter is not quite a noun, but an action, because out of all that I've determined about it so far, it is merely there to help galaxies not run into each other, but not repell each other either. Maybe it is the hypothesis that is the explanation for it? Or since it's finally been proven, is it a theory, or law? But when looking it up, I found that it is a noun, as is gravity.

However, I also began thinking about wind. I was trying to compare dark matter to wind in my mind in order to have a base foundation for that kind of thinking. I looked up wind, and of course it's a noun. But then I stopped to ask myself, "Is wind the actual thing we feel, or do we merely feel the result of wind happening, thus instead feeling air?"

I began to get more and more confused, pondering to myself, "If wind is just an explanation of what happens, then what is a law, in relation to science?" Meaning, when it is considered an explanation of the relationship between two happenings or objects.

I realize that's a sort of unfinished thought, but I finally came to a conclusion after thinking that.

I will never again let my mind ponder while trying to jam 8 weeks of homework into one work day.

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