Natural phenomena

Thermodynamics carries us a long way toward the solution of a problem, but it doesn t carry us to the end because thermodynamics itself involves no numbers. To get numbers we must either do experiments or do some more fundamental theory, such as statistical mechanics or molecular simulation. With the demand for property values far exceeding both the predictive power of theory and the range of experiment, we use modeling to interpolate and extrapolate the limited available data. 

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GrenzflSjchen-erscheinung, /. interfacial phenomenon, -katalyse, /, contact catalysis, -spannung, /. interfacial tension. Grenz-gesetz, n. limit law (one which natural phenomena approximate but never actually fulfill), -kohlenwasserstoff, m, any hydrocarbon of the methane series, alkane, paraffin, limit hydrocarbon, -kurve,/, limiting curve, limit curve, -last, /. limit ioad, maximum load, -leistung, /, peak performance, maxi-... 

Many factors influence the corrosion of metals in the atmosphere, including the natural phenomena that make up the vagaries of climate and weather. Of these, the feature of greatest importance is moisture in its various forms, since, other factors apart, the amount of corrosion that takes place is largely a question of whether and how long a period the surface of the metal is wetted ( time of wetness ). 

Clark, Cumberland. Shakespeare and science a study of Shakespeare s interest in, and literary and dramatic use of, natural phenomena with an account of the astronomy, astrology, and alchemy of his day, and his attitude towards these sciences. Birmingham Cornish Brothers, 1929. 262p. 

Research had helped Du Pont convert from explosives to consumer goods. The company opened the first modern research laboratory in the American chemical industry in 1902. By 1921, the United States had more than 500 industrial research laboratories eager to duplicate goods previously imported from Germany. Most American industrial laboratories applied known scientific facts to practical problems, however. Thus, Du Pont s offer to Carothers embodied the first attempt by an American chemical manufacturer to discover new fundamental scientific explanations for natural phenomena. If Carothers was willing to work for industry, Du Pont was an attractive choice. 

The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)119 has developed a standard protocol for evaluating environmental chemical-fate models, along with the definition of basic modeling terms, shown in Table 20.17. Predicting fate requires natural phenomena to be described mathematically. 

FMCs must resist penetration by construction equipment, rocks, roots, and other natural phenomena. Traffic by operational equipment can cause serious tearing. A geotextile placed on top of or beneath a membrane increases its puncture resistance by 3 or 4 times. Remember, however, that a geotextile placed beneath the FMC and the clay layer will destroy the composite action between the two. This will lead to increased infiltration through penetrations in the FMC. 

Charles Singer, in the first two editions of his A History of Biology (1931, 1930) claimed that no molecule could possibly do all the things that genes are supposed to do. In the third edition published in 1959, this claim was dropped. What had happened in the interim Philistines who did not have a sufficiently sophisticated view of natural phenomena have done the impossible - once again. Philistines do not always succeed, most fail, but it seems that only Philistines ever succeed. Only Philistines are... 

However, I also think that scientists working at the upper levels need to adopt a bit more of the hup-two-three attitude of the reductionists natural phenomena at the upper levels of organization can be explained. Scientists should be only selectively sophisticated. One of the great dangers in science is becoming so sophisticated that you can shoot down any new idea before anyone can develop it. Read the New York Review of Books if you must, but then come back down to do more plebian science. Too much sophistication can ruin otherwise excellent scientists. 

For Aristotle (384-322 bc) there was only one type of matter this could, however, exist in four basic forms earth, air, fire and water, all of which could be converted one into the other. Observations of natural phenomena only came second in ancient Greece, though. Biological processes were considered to be very important, and attempts were made to explain the behaviour of, for example, water, air, rain,... 

As early as 1972, Kuhn described a model in which he assumed that RNA replication with a certain error rate could have occurred without the participation of enzymes. Natural phenomena with cyclic behaviour are an important factor in Kuhn s thinking these drive duplication processes. Examples are summer and winter, day and night, or high and low tide (whereby the latter were probably subject to greater variations on the primeval Earth than they are today). These rhythms were often linked with considerable temperature variations, which, for example, made possible the transition from double to single strand RNA (and vice versa). It can be assumed that the cyclic variations involved reactions in which monomers were linked to form polymers. 

According to Galilei, the observation of natural phenomena using suitable measuring instruments provides certain numerical values which must be related to one another the solution of the equations derived from the numbers allows us to forecast future developments. This led to the misunderstanding that knowledge could only be obtained in such a manner. The result was deterministic belief, which was disproved for microscopic objects by Heisenberg s uncertainty principle. On the macroscopic scale, however, it appeared that the deterministic approach was still valid. Determinism was only finally buried when deterministic chaos was discovered. 

The solution phase has been characterized in the past by a concentration on methods to obtain analytic solutions to the mathematical equations. These efforts have been most fruitful in the area of the linear equations such as those just given. However, many natural phenomena are nonlinear. While there are a few nonlinear problems that can be solved analytically, most cannot. In those cases, numerical methods are used. Due to the widespread availability of software for computers, the engineer has quite good tools available. 

The classification, tabulation and study of numerical facts. Mathematical statistics is the study of the variation of natural phenomena and employs the techniques of probability theory. Steam... 

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