Month: June 2017

The Paris Agreement

The Paris Agreement

The Paris Agreement

06/03/17

“What is the Paris Agreement?”

 

Ever since some particular orange haired man decided to pull out of the Paris Agreement, people have been wondering what exactly it is and what a pull out what mean. Well, as I always say, let’s use our scientific mindsets to find out.

Ever since the beginning of the industrial revolution, the climate of the Earth has been rising at an exponential rate, so much so that we have come to the point that immediate global policy must be taken. Back in April 2016, nations from all over the world convened in the city  of Paris to sign a treaty that stipulates the following:

  1. Keep the future global average temperature below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels
  2. Aim to limit this temperature below 1.5 degrees Celsius to avoid environmental catastrophes
  3. Curb global emissions as much as possible
  4. For all nations to come together every 5 years to set more ambitious targets as required by science
  5. Report to each other and the public on how well they are doing to implement their targets,
  6. Track progress towards the long-term goal through a robust transparency and accountability system.
  7. For developed countries support and assist developing countries in implementing such policies and curbing emissions

By withdrawing from this agreement as one of the heaviest global polluters, the United States will become a dead weight that will slow the rest of the world to achieving all of these goals. If you are reading this and are an American citizen, please, call your senator to urge the president to rescind their previous statement regarding withdrawal.

Bomb calorimeters

Bomb calorimeters

Bomb calorimeters

06/02/17

“How can we measure the calories present in food?”

 

In our modern health obsessed world, we would like to know the calories contained in all foods. However, how can this even be determined in the first place? Well, let’s think back to a bit of prior knowledge. We know that calories are another way of saying energy and that we can measure the energy content of fuels using calorimeters. So what if we were to make a special type of calorimeter to find the energy contained in foods? Well, let’s put our engineering mind to the test.

 

First, let’s get a big tub of water. Then, let’s take a sample of our food, place it in an insulating case with some oxygen, attach it to an ignition coil, and place everything in the water. When we activate the ignition unit, the ignition coil will cause our sample to explode and raise the temperature of the water. From the measured temperature change, we will be able to measure the calories contained in the sample! This device is known as a bomb calorimeter and is used in food labs all over the world.

Calorimeters

Calorimeters

Calorimeters

06/01/17

“How can we determine the energy composition of a fuel?”

 

Fuels are one of the most vital pieces of operation for modern transportation. However, how do scientists determine the amount of energy contained in them in the first place? Well, let’s think about it. We know that if we ignite fuel, then we can get a fire. And we also know that this fire can heat objects such a cup of water. And we also know that if we measure the change in temperature of this water, then we can obtain the amount of heat added. So what if we were to combine all of the processes to make an energy measuring device? Well, this is the fundamental idea behind a calorimeter and is used in industrial operations all over this planet.