Re: sensors, actuators, and software, oh my!

Nick Tarleton <nickptar@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:HDCv3p.23o0@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Michael Pender wrote:
>
> > A simpler way to say this is that radiation through X-Ray frequencies is
> > an electromagnetic wave, while radiation above X-Ray frequencies is
> > particle matter (e.g. Beta particles are helium nuclei).
> Beta particles are electrons, alphas are helium nuclei.

My bad - I always get those two confused.

> Neither is
> electromagnetic - they are actual particles with mass, whereas photons
have
> no or nearly no mass. Gamma rays, however, are high-energy enough to see
> gamma-ray photons as discrete (but nearly massless!) particles. Picture it
> as a short snippet of a wave.

But gamma radiation has a wavelength less than the minimum atomic radius, so
they can't be emitted by electrons changing energy levels (like normal
electromagnetic waves).

> > Actually, gravity waves are detectable with the right equipment.  A
simple
> > way to think of this is that gravity varies according to location in
> > space,
> > especially altitude.  The 'frequency' is naturally expressed in spatial
> > units, not temporal units.
> Totally different thing. If you shake your hand really fast, you make very
> low frequency gravity waves that propagate through spacetime like ripples
> in a pond (I think.) They have a frequency in peaks/time, just like any
> other wave. However, it is not known whether there is such a thing as a
> graviton (which would be the coveted IVB here) or whether gravity is just
a
> bending of spacetime. Ask a superstring theorist.

Looked at another way, a gravity wave could be generated by moving a large
mass (e.g. earthquakes)  since the wave as a function of time is caused by
the displacement of mass over the same period of time.

Take care,

- Mike
--
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