Physics Week 8: Classical Physics


Stepping away from my physiology studies yesterday, I began to ponder the systems of the body and how they interact with one another.  As the course is separated into chapters about distinct, seemingly isolated systems, I notice two things: First, the act of breaking a system into parts provides an understanding of the specifics i.e. cells, organs and their functions. Second, to fully grasp how these systems work together, there must be a broadening of scope. As the perceptive lens of knowledge opens and allows us to see the full human, holding a unique set of experiences, we know that whole is much more then the sum of its parts.

For seventeenth century mathematician and philosopher Renee Descartes, skepticism about the ability trust any belief system caused him to break things down into parts.  Cartesian Skepticism started with Descartes disbelief in all things for the purpose of identifying "truth" from falsehood. In this sense, since truth only exists in the absence of doubt, any belief that has doubt should not be farther explored.  Obviously this reductionistic notion has its problems.

In the mid-1600's John Locke challenged Descartes with the notion that experience is a major player in truth.  For Locke, humans are born as blanks slates with primary and secondary qualities, ready to be shaped by life. Primary qualities refer to that which is undeniable i.e size, shape and motion. The secondary qualities are based on perception and experience.

Issac Newton, living parallel to Locke broke these primary qualities down into applicable formulas with his three laws of motion. Newtons first law referenced inertia or the tendency of things keep doing what they are doing, whether at rest or in motion.  Law 2 deals with net Force as the combination of an object's mass and its acceleration. The greater the mass the more force needed to accelerate and the higher the force, the more the object will accelerate.  Newtons third law discusses the relationship between action and reaction.  For every action of an object, there is an equal but opposite reaction imposed upon it.

Newton and Descartes, were revolutionists of the times and their work spread as common knowledge through the industrial revolution.  In the mid -18th century marked the progression from agricultural dominance to the use of water power, steam power and eventually coal.  Heavy machinery allowed the world to spread out and has lead to an ultimate migration away from local agricultural roots.  As the focus turned from environmental preservation for the purpose of survival to maximizing efficiency and profit at all costs, humans have become dramatically disconnected with the natural world.  This inability to see the larger picture of our environment has lead us toward crisis. Today gas cars lose between 68% and 72% of heat energy. Likewise, power plants have only 39% electrical efficiency. This heat waste is expelled into the atmosphere causing a negative shift in climate.

Initiatives like electric cars, heat recovery ventilation and thermal energy storage have come to fruition, which is progress!  But our refrigerators are still pumping out heat and appliances left plugged in continue to waste energy.  The paradigm shift necessary for real change on a global scale feels unrealistic within this lifetime and yet we don't seem to have that much time left to turn things around.  Structures like the Bullitt center in seattle represent a small scale solution to the building waste crisis. This ecologically friendly structure produces no waste; most modern buildings are responsible for 39% of carbon dioxide emissions and 70% of electrical use in the United States.  Though several european countries are pledging to remove wasteful technologies like gas cars in the next decade, the United States is surely not a superpower when it comes to preserving our most precious resources.



REFERENCES:

https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/atv.shtml

http://www.calmac.com/how-energy-storage-works

http://globaltechled.com/2016/08/04/10-shocking-facts-about-energy-waste/

Kapp, Emma. Biomimicry in Architectural Design: The Bullitt Center. PRISM, June, 2014.

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/newton-stm/#4


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