Message-Id: <l03102800b37078f64d80@[153.90.236.25]>
In-Reply-To: <199905242211.PAA07180@noontide.lick.pvt.k12.ca.us>
Date: Tue, 25 May 1999 10:03:05 -0600
To: "Pinhole Listserv" <pinhole@exploratorium.edu>
From: Steven Eiger <eiger@montana.edu>
Subject: Re: pinhole math and science
Sarah, That is a great question. One way to sort of explain it is to
imagine the forces or effects resulting from little particles that spread
apart as they emanate from the source. For example photons or virtual
photons carry light and electronic forces; the surface area of the sphere
over which they are arrayed increases by r squared as it expands. The
really strange one is the magnetic force, it does not fit the mold and some
books even have it wrong, because the authors assume it does. Steve Eiger
.>A question from one of my colleagues (it's nice to work with folks who
>think about stuff other than their own job!)...
>
>Why do so many natural phenomena seem to follow a pattern of squares or
>inverse squares? It seems oddly coincidental that the physical data fit the
>mathematics so perfectly...why, for example, doesn't the law of universal
>gravitation show that gravitational force varies with 2/3 the power of the
>distance or something like that?
>
>Examples I've thought of so far that fit this pattern are Coulomb's law,
>the Law of Universal Gravitation, light intensity, and sound intensity. Are
>there others?
>
>Sarah Wise
>
>İİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİİ
>
>Sarah Wise
>
>Lick-Wilmerding H.S.
>755 Ocean Avenue
>San Francisco, CA 94112
>swise@lick.pvt.k12.ca.us
>
>"Not everything that can be counted counts,
>and not everything that counts can be counted."
>--Albert Einstein
>
>
>
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Steven Eiger, Ph.D.
Departments of Biology and the WWAMI Medical Education Program
Montana State University - Bozeman
Bozeman, MT 59717-3460
Voice: (406) 994-5672
E-mail: eiger@montana.edu
FAX: (406) 994-3190