9 hours agoThe Slide RuleIn Chapter 2 of Intermediate Physics for Medicine and Biology, Russ Hobbie and I discuss semilog plots, where the vertical axis is marked using a logarithmic scale. In this case, a constant distance along the vertical axis corresponds to a constant multiple in the numerical value. In other words, the…Slide Rule6 min readSlide Rule6 min read
Sep 15Meeting of MindsWhen I was a teenager, one of my favorite shows was Meeting of Minds. This television series, which aired on PBS from 1977 to 1981, featured historical figures interacting in a talk-show format. The host was the delightful comedian, musician, and television personality Steve Allen. The episode containing the most…Meeting Of Minds4 min readMeeting Of Minds4 min read
Published inIntuition·Sep 8Is That Airport Security Scanner Dangerous?A slightly edited excerpt from Are Electromagnetic Fields Making Me Ill? by Brad Roth In an article posted on the Scientific American blog on December 18, 2017, physician Farah Naz Khan asked “is that airport security scanner really safe?” She was talking about the advanced imaging technology scanners, in which…Airport Scanner4 min readAirport Scanner4 min read
Sep 8The Greatest Shortcoming of the Human Race is our Inability to Understand the Exponential FunctionTen years ago yesterday, on September 7, 2013, Physicist Albert Bartlett died at the age of 90. Russ Hobbie and I mentioned Bartlett in Chapter 2 of Intermediate Physics for Medicine and Biology. Exponential growth cannot go on forever. This fact is often ignored by economists and politicians. Albert Bartlett…Albert Bartlett5 min readAlbert Bartlett5 min read
Sep 1Is Japan’s Plan to Release Radioactive Water into the Pacific Ocean Safe?When listening to NBC Nightly News on August 24, I heard Lester Holt discuss Japan’s plan to release into the Pacific Ocean treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant, the reactor that melted down after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. …Fukushima4 min readFukushima4 min read
Published inIntuition·Aug 27Can Magnets Cure All Your Ills?A slightly edited excerpt from Are Electromagnetic Fields Making Me Ill? by Brad Roth In their book The Pain Relief Breakthrough, Julian Whitaker and Brenda Adderly claim that magnetic fields dramatically reduce, and frequently eliminate, pain. They contend that placing magnets on your body cures backaches, arthritis, menstrual cramps, carpal…Magnetic Field Therapy9 min readMagnetic Field Therapy9 min read
Aug 25Oppose Federal Legislation That Would Protect Homeopathic Drugs From FDA RegulationIn Intermediate Physics for Medicine and Biology, Russ Hobbie and I don’t talk about homeopathy (thank goodness!). A homeopathic medicine is one that has been diluted with water multiple times (for example, 30 dilutions, each by a factor of ten), until not even a single molecule of the active ingredient…Homeopathy2 min readHomeopathy2 min read
Aug 18Paul Maccabee (1944–2023)My friend and collaborator Paul Maccabee died on July 24. Paul was a pioneer in the field of magnetic stimulation, a topic that Russ Hobbie and I discuss in Chapter 8 of Intermediate Physics for Medicine and Biology. Paul’s career and mine had many parallels. We both worked on magnetic…Paul Maccabee7 min readPaul Maccabee7 min read
Aug 11The Connect Our Parks Act is Safe, but Maybe Not WiseCongress is currently considering the “ Connect Our Parks Act.” It is a bill to require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct an assessment to identify locations in National Parks in which there is the greatest need for broadband internet access service and areas in National Parks in which…Connect Our Parks Act3 min readConnect Our Parks Act3 min read
Aug 4Philip Morse, Biological PhysicistThis Sunday is the 120th anniversary of the birth of American physicist Philip Morse (1903–1985). Russ Hobbie and I mention Morse in Chapter 13 of our book Intermediate Physics for Medicine and Biology. We write A classic textbook by Morse and Ingard (1968) provides a more thorough coverage of theoretical…Philip Morse3 min readPhilip Morse3 min read
