The Magic of Atoms and Electrons

The atom used to be the last stop in our descent into the micro-world. For convenience we learned to recognise its structure as a sort of planetary system with a central nucleus surrounded by orbiting electrons. There was magic in the atom. In reality, the electrons did not orbit around the nucleus and they were not particle miniature planets - they were fuzzy, wavy things. Particles are meant to have boundaries, whereas waves spread out and diffuse. Waves can get around solids whereas particles collide with them like billiard balls.

Waves spread out over space. The energy of waves depends on their frequencies i.e. how fast they rise and fall. The faster they change up and down, the more energetic they are. Think of a rope being shaken. The more energetically we shake it the faster the vibrations up and down that is the frequency of how many vibrations in a particular period of time. As the frequency goes up the wavelength becomes shorter and shorter until it's so compacted that we see the rope as one.

Just to make things more confusing, the waves of these fuzzy electrons are probability waves and we need to imagine what are such things as probability waves.  The probability of an electron being found in a particular place  is not certain and it may vary from zero to a 1. This variation then can be considered as a wave, and follows certain conditions but it is certainly not circulating evenly around the nucleus at all times. The electron has a probability of being found in certain places and  buzzing  full of energy according to how far out it is  from the nucleus within different discrete bands.

The French scientist De Broglie called the vibrations of the electrons "matter waves" and that made  sense, since the electrons are part of the atoms that make up matter. When De Broglie formulated his matter waves and the fact that energy is proportional to frequency, he also used Einstein's more famous formula of E=M*C squared to show the relationship of energy to mass and linked frequency to mass.

Mass can be made up of particles and at the same time waves as is the case with light photons and electrons. Electrons can behave as both particles and waves that can exist in discrete quanta  but whose position is uncertain when their speed (frequency) is known as would appear with a wave. Light is made up of photons in its particle form  and as electromagnetic waves that can be diffracted as  is the case with the rainbow that splits the white light into its constituent colours across the visible spectrum. The energies of ultraviolet or even higher frequencies lie beyond our ability to see them and they pack a big punch as experienced by x rays.

Science starts by asking questions. If electromagnetic radio waves are all around us and we do not see them, then maybe thought waves can spread out from our heads and we are not aware of them.  Waves can interfere or add to each other or cancel out. We  have  people who think alike. A group of people undergoing some sort of religious experience is thinking together and magnify the effect. We often talk of people being on our wavelength.

The effects of entanglement, interference, difraction, all seem to hold a lot of promise for research both in body and mind. Since we are also physically made up of atoms and we have mass, our frequencies must be immensely higher or our wavelengths so short that we appear as solid. In science fiction stories, our physical form is said to be  defracted or split up and interfered with. It's this that  fiction writers use to get teleportation where the atoms are separated, transmitted and reassembled at a distance.

Parallel universes and string theory are all part of theoretical physics, which have left conventional religious beliefs behind in some of their claims.

Solo Flight

"Clear to take-off." The voice crackled in my ear, and I timidly repeated the instruction! This was my first solo flight- after having lessons for so many hours over the average. Now, here I was, all alone with an eerie feeling. Time stood still waiting for something to happen and I didn't dare to think. I should have been  prepared for this, but all the preparation in the world was not like the real thing, and this was it. It had happened so quickly;  my instructor had got out and told me I was on my own, and I needed to contact the tower  for instructions.

There was nothing for it, I did all the pre-checks, and   taxied up to the take off line where  I waited for the final clearance. I furtively glanced at the empty seat beside me. Then the tower came through. This was it! From this point on, there was no way back, the playing around  was over. I mechanically revved up to maximum as I had been taught, and took off the  brakes.  The plane rushed forward down the runway.  I remembered to lift the nose when I reached the take off speed, and as I pulled back the stick, I felt the pleasant sensation of lightness, of release, as the plane became  airborne.  All I had to do now, was to keep the nose up at the correct  angle. Surprisingly, it all went smoothly. The feeling of elation at that moment was never to be repeated in all subsequent take–offs.

When I reached the right height,  I turned downwind and  kept the plane parallel to the  runway below. To my left, the airport, to my right, a patchwork of fields. There was no feeling of height; just a picture unfolding as I went. I could now relax as I flew for a while with little to do, but watch the airspeed and keep my height at a steady couple of thousand feet.  Then I had to let the tower know that I wanted to land, so I spoke clearly. "Dandury tower, Cessna Papa Bravo 124 on downwind for runway zero eight."

"Papa Bravo 124 clear to land runway zero eight." After passing the end of the runway below, I went on to the base leg turning for the final approach.

I was a little worried about the landing, having had considerable difficulties in the past, but somehow this time everything went pretty well. There was little wind to throw me off, and I didn’t have anyone waiting behind me to make me nervous. I set the trim and the revs as I’d been taught, and got the plane down in line with the runway. I came over the fence at the right height and touched down early enough giving me plenty of runway to let the nose settle gently.

The wheels touched down and keeping up the nose, I landed smoothly.  This worked out so well, that I asked for permission to go round again. I was so pleased with myself and the tower gave me the o.k. so I just turned and headed for the take-off position. My confidence had grown, and I was a little cocky too. This time though, I was soon to find that something was very different. Frightfully different.

 I hadn’t been prepared for what happened next!  After reaching the take off speed and pulling back on the stick the plane reacted as it should. It rose off the ground but then refused to climb. I couldn’t raise the nose too high for fear of stalling the engine. It now looked as if I wouldn’t clear the hill ahead. I was in BIG TROUBLE but strangeley enough, I didn't panic; my mind  just went blank. My eyes scanned the instruments but in honesty, I didn’t know what I was looking for. I'd never encountered such a situation during my dual training.  I wouldn’t be here now writing this if my guardian angel hadn’t taken pity on me. He decided to intervene just in time, because my eyes caught something.  I saw this white control that somehow seemed in the wrong position; it was down. The flaps were still down - the air brakes were still on. Instinctively, my hand moved out to lift the white lever and the effect was immediate! I felt the release and the releaf as the invisible rope broke and the plane quickly floated up.  This was just as well, because I'd got dangerously close to the hill in front.  By now, my pulse was so high that I could hear it beating in my head. I lost no time though, in pulling back on the stick  and climbing.
 

"Phew," a near thing I thought,  but now I was scared. I didn’t even want to look down any more. Somehow, I completed the circuit and landed safely. This was a good lesson for me. I’d got carried away with my initial success and forgot to "clean up" the plane and fully carry out the initial checks before going round the second time.  “Hubris” I think they call it, but I learned to pay attention to detail and be well prepared before jumping into things using only my enthusiasm.

Monte Carlo

 Every time I look down at my right foot I'm reminded of  Monte Carlo. We all tend to remember the place where something important has happened to us. It was a long time ago. I‘d gone there  to install some equipment for a big exhibition. My colleague and I picked up a hire car at Nice airport, and off we went on that famous road to Monaco. It was a hair-raising experience all those bends on the corniche with a sheer drop down to the sea. I’d seen it all on James Bond films and here I was experiencing the real thing.

"Wasn't it here that Princess Grace's car went off?" I asked my mate.

 "Yes, her brakes gave up. Now you keep your eyes on the road - we don't want to go down there and see." my mate said.  When we got to Monte Carlo, the view down towards the port was breathtaking. The blue water with all the yachts each one more beautiful than the other.

"We've got some time before the trucks arrive with the equipment, let's stop and have a drink at one of the waterfront cafes." I said. We could sat here and admire the huge yachts that looked like luxury liners. You could just imagine the parties and receptions on those things. Not for us I thought. We had to get to the exhibition centre and get everything ready. There'd be plenty of time once the show started to have some fun.

By the evening, the truck had arrived and we worked right through the night getting everything installed and working. "Leave it all running, we'll trim things up before the show starts," I said. We were pretty tired now and there was a risk we might mess things up at the end. Our accomodation was pretty handy, just across from the exhibition centre. Time to get a few hours' sleep and get back for the morning start I thought as I got into bed and closed my eyes. I could have sworn that it was only half an hour later when the alarm went off.I wearily rolled out of my bed and made for the bathroom. I fumbled and swayed back and forth like a drunken sailor but I managed to get into the bath and turn on the shower. 

As I groped around pulling the curtain and reaching for the controls trying to adjust the jet before getting under it,  I lost my balance and trying to steady myself, I leaned towards the wall and grabbed at the heavy glass soap holder.  As I swayed back away from the wall, I lost my foothold and needed to hold onto something to steady me up. To my dismay the glass holder came down, hit the edge of the bath and smashed into pieces, one of which fell and sliced my foot deep into the flesh. It all happened so quickly and I was still pretty drowzy from lack of sleep. There was blood everywhere! I never knew that I had so much of the stuff. The shock woke me up good and proper though.  I took the towel from the rack above me - there was no phone in the bathroom so I'd have to run right across the carpet  and mess everything up. What a bloody mess. I had to get some help and pretty quick.

I stepped out of the bath, wrapped the towel around my foot and hobbled back to the bedside to call for help. I also called my mate in the next room to come and give me a hand. I needed some help to get dressed. After this, all I remember is being driven in an ambulance to the hospital at the top of the town. There I was treated by a couple of nurses who stitched my foot together.

"You won't be going to the beach with that foot" one of them said.

"What beach?" I replied. " I've got to go to work."

"Not with this you won't. You mustn't put any pressure on it , otherwise the stiches will give and you'll break the tendons. Total rest the doctor ordered."

"Looks like the show is over for you Joe. You'll have five days here on your balcony, and then we'll ship you home. But don't worry, we'll keep you up to date on events, " my friend said. They took me back to the hotel where I was to spend the time with my leg high up on a chair - at least most of the time.

The Fury of a Scorned Woman

Harassment at work is not something that happens only to women. A jealous or obsessed woman can be dangerous in a much more subtle way than a man. In today’s modern work environment, some women may well develop a complex about the way that others see them and may create havoc in normal working relationships.

This happened once, when  a new girl came to work in our laboratory. She'd just got married and the women in the lab where I worked had not taken to her, because she was such a gossip. It was obvious from the outset that she'd be a load of trouble. Mike and I were the only male lab technicians so she'd turn  her attention to us; sometimes sweet and other times sour.

"Are you two talking about me again?" she’d say  as she looked over and watch  us  chatting and laughing. Mike would look at her but say nothing - just smile. It was best not to get into an argument with Vera.

"Thank God the rest of the girls aren’t like her," Mike would say.

"Yea, and for the life of me I can’t see what her husband sees in her. " I'd reply. Her black hair was so greasy it hang down the sides of her pale face just like a witch.  "A worn out paint brush goes well with that pale complexion,” I would add.. We'd  usually carry on chatting and ignore her, which would infuriate her.

 One day, she went over the top.  "I told my Bert about you two, how you harass me, and he’s coming to sort you out. He’ll take that smile off your faces; you'll see."

"Who’s harassing whom Vera? Maybe it’s time I complained to the management about you," I said not realising that this time she'd really decided to  bring her husband into it. It wasn’t long after; a guy came through the double doors of the lab like a bull in a china shop. He was short and well built with broad shoulders. He came straight towards Vera.

"Is he one of them?" he barked as he looked straight at Mike. By now there was pandemonium in the lab.  Jones the supervisor quickly got up trying to calm everyone down, as some of the girls made for the door.  The lab was no place for a "loose cannon" like this guy. Bottles with harmful chemicals on the benches,  glassware all over the place and delicate instruments, as well as burettes full of acid. Anything rough could not only cause injury,  there was always the danger of an explosion.

"I don’t know how you got in, but you’d better get out, you have no right to come in here," said the supervisor meekly, as he was pushed out of the way.

"There’s the other one" Vera pointed at me triumphantly.

"You two are in for a good hiding," he said.

The supervisor went back to his desk and picked up the phone. "Hello security? We have a violent intruder in the lab, please come and get him out before someone gets hurt."

In no time two burly guards arrived and quietly but firmly escorted Bert out of the lab and off the premises. As he went he looked back and snapped, "I’ll be waiting for you two outside the gates at lunch time. Be there if you know what’s good for you."  

"I don’t see that we have much of a choice. Either we go and give him satisfaction or we’ll have to run scared for the remainder of our stay here," I told Mike.

"No, we’ll go and meet him; maybe we can knock some sense into him. Poor devil, imagine how he must feel after that woman poisoned his mind."

At lunch time, we went out and Bert - true to his word was waiting for us. Right over the road there was a derelict site that Bert chose for the fight. As he took off his jacket, he said, "OK you two, I’ll use my belt to even things up."

"Can't we talk this thing over?" Mike said as I looked at the belt and saw the heavy metal buckle. I knew that if that thing  caught us, the fight would be over quickly. One swipe from that belt and it would be a hospital job.

There was no time to lose now - we'd have to get it over as quickly as possible. I jumped him and tried to hold his arms back. Mike managed to grab the buckle as Bert swung it at him and he pushed it into Bert's face. 

Suddenly Bert shouted, "I can’t see, I can’t see," as blood poured down his face.

The fight was over!  People who'd gathered for the midday show, looked on as Vera ran to her husband crying and wiped his face. She screamed. “You f***ng  b*****ds you’ll pay for this, look at what you’ve done to my Bert! You cowards, we’ll get you.”

Luckily the buckle had caught him above the eye, and he looked worse than he was.  She was still swearing when Bert suddenly turned on her. “Why don’t you just shut up?” let’s  get home and clean this up.” I looked at Vera, and looked at Bert. Would he finally find the courage to sort her out? I doubted it!

That afternoon the supervisor called us all together. "Vera won’t be coming back and we’ve decided not to press charges against her husband for trespassing. Hopefully we can now all get back to work and put this episode behind us." Well, that was easy for him but not for Mike and me who for weeks afterwards had to meet  at the station and get the bus to work together.  

Winning!

If you buy a ticket you may not win but if you don't ...

Events are not as random as they would have you believe.  You can think your way and bias your luck in both positive and negative directions so you have no one else to blame. You are solely responsible for your luck.

 First of all, not everyone has the same chance, so how can it be random?  Just because the roulette has stopped on red 5 times  does not mean that it cannot stop there for the sixth or more. They say that in the long run things even out but how long is the long run?  In the long run we are dead so its the now that matters. Now we  are alive and in that time lack is biased, and not at all equal. You should then take steps to bias it your way.   

-------------------------------------------------------------------

When will I win the lottery?  You might well ask.
 

A good thing you asked. It's the first step.  The odds maybe long, but then someone has to win, and that someone might just as well be you. Think about it;  sleep on it. Work on it so as to improve your odds.  Some people are luckier than others. The question is are they luckier  because they will it to be so, or are they born with an advantage? If it's  a combination of the two,  you still have a chance. You can tilt things in your favour. First of all, you have to buy the ticket. If you buy the ticket you might not win, but if you don't buy it  you will certainly never  win, so the answer is obvious.

When something happens to you, that event is 100% not a probability any longer; it is reality. The probability wave collapses.

 Recently  my car was stolen. First time after  owning a number of cars over many years.  I had it stolen right in front of my apartment, right in front of the concierge's lodge.

So what? nothing extraordinary, cars are stolen every day you might say, and you’d be right. Yes, but it always happens to someone else just like the lotto. The chances of it happening to me are pretty slim.  People go through a life time without having their car stolen.  

Now what are the chances of it happening a second time? Even smaller! And what if the second time is within a few months of the first? This sounds like a freak probability wave. It shouldn't happen, the chances are infinitesimal,  possible but improbable. Yet it happened!

No need to feel sorry about it, the insurance covered the cost. There's another way to look at it too. 'Just as luck could  frown on me and pick me out of millions, it could  just as easily smile on me and make me a winner. If lady luck is blind, she can just as well mix up her  box of tricks.'

With my new car I realised that it could happen again no matter how many times it happened  before, so I took steps to bias things in my favour  by getting a garage.
 
Not everyone can have his car stolen, less still, two cars within 8 months, so not everyone has the same chance. Now I'll just sit back and set my mind on winning. I know that it'll happen. I must create the right waves in my head that will put me right at the top of the list.
 

Why don’t you try it too? See who's first.