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The Geniuses' Thread
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Was doing the 2010 mechanics (Q6) in Physics. In the question you have to find the distance from the Earth, on a point between the Earth and the Moon, where an astronaut will feel weightless (i.e. the net gravitational pull would be 0, where the gravitational pull of the Earth and the Moon equal each other).
First off, the basic formula here is F = GM/d^2 to save you all looking it up. F is the force of gravity, G is a constant (6.6347x10^-11), M is the mass of the plan and d is the distance.
You are told the distance from the centre of the Earth to the centre of the Moon is 3.84x10^8 meters.
You were told in the question that the mass of Earth is 81 times the mass of the moon. (Me is mass of the Earth, Mm is mass of the moon).
Gravity of Earth = Gravity of Moon
GMe/d^2 = GMm/d^2
But Me = 81Mm (Mass of the Earth is 81 times the mass of the moon)
G81Mm/d^2 = GMm/d^2
The gravitational constants and mass of the moon will cancel. If you let x equal the distance from the Earth where the net gravitational pull is zero...
81/x^2 = 1/(3.84x10^8 - x)^2
You get out a quadratic then you've to use -b to solve.
2 questions.
One value for the quadratic is the correct point, as it lies between the moon Earth (the marking scheme also says it's right) and the other lies beyond the moon. How can the gravity be cancelled out on the other side of the moon though?
Secondly, the marking scheme ( http://www.examinations.ie/archive/markingschemes/2010/LC021ALP000EV.pdf page 9, Q6 (iii)) has a completely different way of doing it. I understand what they do in the answer, but I don't understand how the fack they get the value from it? If someone could explain it to me please, because it seems far, far shorter?
Thanks!
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I tried Recuva again (the first time I mustn't have done it right) and all my old files have come up, but most of them were overwritten, including the one I really desperately want...it annoys me how stupid files like 'study plan take 600000' survive while the ones I really want are gone.
So I guess that's that...
While on the subject, I don't suppose anyone knows what to do when your computer refuses to recognise your memory stick as a device. Next best thing...0 -
Erm...I'm having another "WTF am I doing with my life" moment. And since it's career and college related, I thought I may aswell stick it here. This is a long, self-indulgent rant that most of you should probably ignore. Anyone who feels like giving me career-advice, however, should probably stick the kettle on right about now! :pac:
So my degree is finished soon. I realised a long time ago that physics wasn't really for me but I was still enjoying the maths part of my course. Now that I'm nearly done and applying for a maths Masters though, I'm realising I'm not exactly too keen on that either! :rolleyes: So a masters in Mathematical science, which I've 90% applied for (just need to pay the application fee and sort out my references!) may not be the best idea in the world.
I know I'm not an idiot, and am capable of doing very well if I put my mind to something. I just never had the drive to put my mind to my degree, hence why it'll most likely be very average (low to middle 2H") when I get it. I honestly think I'm capable of better...fúck it, I KNOW I'm capable of better. All my results through secondary school prove that. But I'm unlikely to get any better by staying within maths. I don't want to have an average Masters on top of an average degree.
So I started fantasising last week about pharmacy. I had thought about it in school briefly but wasn't sure it was what I really wanted. Eventually, I ended up not doing chemistry for my LC as it clashed with geography (which was one of my favourite subjects and what I had hoped to do in college at the time! Alas, the "do geography in college" plan had evaporated by 6th year) and so pretty much all the undergrad pharmacy courses were closed off to me. So I didn' think much about it.
When it suddenly crept back into my mind last week, it seemed to make a lot of sense. I was kicking myself for not pursuing it when I had the chance when I realised you can do it as a graduate. And although I don't have LC chemistry, I did 15 credits of chemistry in 1st year of college (which was essentially the entire LC course plus a few add-ons!)
Hypothetically, if I DID apply to do graduate pharmacy next year, it would cost a lot. And hence the second reason I'm reconsidering a Masters - I pretty much need as much money as I can get, so I'd surely be better off taking the year off and working for the year, right?
My biggest worry - in two weeks, I may have ditched the pharmacy idea altogether. I hate how uncommitted and changeable my mind is at times. >.< Since 5th year, my potential career paths have gone from geography -> meteorology -> theoretical phsyics -> medical physics -> math research......and now pharmacy? I dunno.
(I take no responsibility for anyone wasting their time reading all this; i DID warn you at the start of the post! :pac:)0 -
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Definitely deserves more thought. Can I ask what it is about pharmacy that appeals to you? Do you like chemistry in general? Are you excited by the idea of working at a chemical level and researching new cures / treatments?
Also, can I ask if you've ever considered engineering? I'm hugely biased (just finishing my electronic eng degree) but it seems strange to me that you like maths so much, but never mentioned engineering. Basically, if you just like maths for the sake of maths, work away, but if you are fascinated and excited by the practical applications, I'd strongly recommend engineering. For most people 'Why did I learn all that calculus?' is an unanswered questions, but engineers actually optimize (find maxima and minima) things using differentiation in real life, which I think is great
Another thing to consider is where you see yourself further down the line? Do you think you'd like to work in academia / research, or would you like to be in industry? Given your skills (maths), what's the most interesting / exciting thing you can think of doing with those skills? (hint: it's a big big world of opportunities)
Good luck with whatever you choose to do (=0 -
Yeah, really wanted to do it for my LC but it clashed with geography (as I mentioned before.Definitely deserves more thought. Can I ask what it is about pharmacy that appeals to you? Do you like chemistry in general? Are you excited by the idea of working at a chemical level and researching new cures / treatments?)
In college, I took 15 credits and loved it. I didn't like organic so much, but in hindsight I just found it way more difficult because I had kinda stopped attending lectures at that point and fell a little behind. I loved inorganic and physical, and I reckon I'd have enjoyed organic if I'd studied it properly. I loved chemistry labs aswell; I've always hated physics labs but chemistry ones were great.
I also did pretty well in it - I was 3% off getting a 1st in it and, considering I knew nothing about organic chemistry and fluffed the question in the exam, meant I must have done really well in the other sections! I realise organic is the most vital part when it comes to pharmaceutical chemistry but I'd definitely be willing to give the subject another go and actually study it properly.
As for researching cures/treatments, that sounds amazing tbh. I think the reason my interest in pharmacy has been piqued recently was because I've been sick so often for the past year or so! Every time I get prescribed a new medicine, I always wonder what's going on inside me when I take it and how it actually works.
Most of all, I'd love to work in the area of researching how anti-depressants work. If I made any advance whatsoever, no matter how small, in the field of medication used in the treatment of mental health, I'll honestly feel like my life has been worthwhile. /cheese
Engineering never occurred to me, true. I'm not a very "hands on" person (though as mentioned above I liked being hands on in chemistry, just not in physics!) The idea of mechanical or civil engineering doesn't really appeal to me tbh. Electronic engineering seems a little more interesting but I've heard that that's a very difficult course and one where you need to be REALLY committed to it, otherwise you'll fail.Also, can I ask if you've ever considered engineering? I'm hugely biased (just finishing my electronic eng degree) but it seems strange to me that you like maths so much, but never mentioned engineering. Basically, if you just like maths for the sake of maths, work away, but if you are fascinated and excited by the practical applications, I'd strongly recommend engineering. For most people 'Why did I learn all that calculus?' is an unanswered questions, but engineers actually optimize (find maxima and minima) things using differentiation in real life, which I think is great
Energy engineering and chemical/process engineering sound ok; I have a few friends doing chemical & process engineering and they all enjoy it. I always saw myself as more of a theorist though, which is kinda why I neglected engineering for a while.
Also I'm rubbish at drawing things! :pac: Having good spatial awareness and the ability to draw technical diagrams is pretty important in any discipline of engineering, I'd imagine.
Every day I change my mind about this but if I did go for pharmacy, I'd prefer to go down the research side of things rather than the clinical side of things. Like I love the idea of being in a lab, researching and testing new drugs but I can't imagine myself in a pharmacy dispensing drugs. I dunno, though. I've never been sure what I want to do with my life.Another thing to consider is where you see yourself further down the line? Do you think you'd like to work in academia / research, or would you like to be in industry? Given your skills (maths), what's the most interesting / exciting thing you can think of doing with those skills? (hint: it's a big big world of opportunities)
Really appreciate all the comments/advice. Cheers. 0 -
I say take the year out, the masters will still be there next September. I was working a 40 hour week between 6th year and college and it was then I knew that I REALLY wanted my course. The whole summer I was like 'I refuse to do this until I'm 65...I REFUSE' and it wasn't until then I realised just how much I wanted it Trust me, half way through a year of working 'just another job' you'll know exactly what you want 0
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Knifey,
I'd say take the year out to clear the head and enjoy yourself. Sounds like you had it tough recently.
The Masters will still be there in a year or two or whenever.
You never know, you might get a great job in the interim.
You could then be in a better position to afford it.
Chin up! 0 -
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KnifeWRENCH wrote: »As for researching cures/treatments, that sounds amazing tbh. I think the reason my interest in pharmacy has been piqued recently was because I've been sick so often for the past year or so! Every time I get prescribed a new medicine, I always wonder what's going on inside me when I take it and how it actually works.
Most of all, I'd love to work in the area of researching how anti-depressants work. If I made any advance whatsoever, no matter how small, in the field of medication used in the treatment of mental health, I'll honestly feel like my life has been worthwhile. /cheese
That sounds great, you have a genuine interest but as has been mentioned, you'll need the skills as well. (though strong maths is a good sign IMO, then again I know very little chemistry...)KnifeWRENCH wrote: »Engineering never occurred to me, true. I'm not a very "hands on" person (though as mentioned above I liked being hands on in chemistry, just not in physics!) The idea of mechanical or civil engineering doesn't really appeal to me tbh. Electronic engineering seems a little more interesting but I've heard that that's a very difficult course and one where you need to be REALLY committed to it, otherwise you'll fail.
Well, I can only speak for myself, but I found electronic engineering fine because I had a strong maths background. I completely understand about the no interest in mechanical or civil, I was somewhat similarKnifeWRENCH wrote: »Energy engineering and chemical/process engineering sound ok; I have a few friends doing chemical & process engineering and they all enjoy it. I always saw myself as more of a theorist though, which is kinda why I neglected engineering for a while.
I kind of get that, I was the same for a while, but once I started actually building things it changed my mind a lot. I mean theory / puzzles are nice, but real world puzzles where the solution is a thing that I can actually see working / fixing a problem are much more exciting to me.KnifeWRENCH wrote: »Also I'm rubbish at drawing things! :pac: Having good spatial awareness and the ability to draw technical diagrams is pretty important in any discipline of engineering, I'd imagine.
Well I can't speak for other disciplines, but for me in electronic, I took one drawing module in first year and have gotten by with absolutely terrible drawing skills every since. And the first year was common with mechanical, so that was why we had the drawing class.
I totally get the indecision. Hell, I really liked my degree but I'm totally unsure about where to go from here...KnifeWRENCH wrote: »Every day I change my mind about this but if I did go for pharmacy, I'd prefer to go down the research side of things rather than the clinical side of things. Like I love the idea of being in a lab, researching and testing new drugs but I can't imagine myself in a pharmacy dispensing drugs. I dunno, though. I've never been sure what I want to do with my life.KnifeWRENCH wrote: »As regards maths, there's still some areas of it that do interest me; I never really got to do any cryptography or coding theory during my undergrad and there is a module of that in the Masters I was looking at. The Masters also has a module on Mathematical biology, which seems fascinating. But then I look at stuff like Measure Theory, Wavelet Analysis, Fourier Analysis etc. and I just think "No. This is not for me. This is for people who are more interested (or simply just more talented) at maths than I am.
Just to throw in another point in favour of engineering... =P Everyone in my class (including me) hated Fourier Analysis in second year, when we were taught it, because we were taught about its roots / derivation as if we would some day need to derive it (BS). But, in fourth year when we finally learned some real applications (they do exist, I swear!), we, well, I loved it and everyone else didn't mind it so much any more =D
Engineering is very broad and there's little I can tell you about chemical or bio engineering, but stuff like this seems really interesting : http://boingboing.net/2010/07/05/help-fund-a-hackersp.html
sorry again for the obvious engineering bias, pharmacy is also a very cool option and taking a year out sounds pretty sensible too.0 -
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KnifeWRENCH wrote: »Every day I change my mind about this but if I did go for pharmacy, I'd prefer to go down the research side of things rather than the clinical side of things. Like I love the idea of being in a lab, researching and testing new drugs but I can't imagine myself in a pharmacy dispensing drugs. I dunno, though. I've never been sure what I want to do with my life.
Really appreciate all the comments/advice. Cheers.
My brother finished his final exams in Pharmacy last week, so I know a small bit about the course. Apparently Chemistry of Pharmaceutical Compounds (through Biochem) is much more geared towards industrial chemistry/pharmacy and lab stuff than a straight pharmacy degree, which is more about preparing drugs and making sure they're dosed correctly and all the rest.0 -
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