The derivative of f(x) has a lot to do with life…

 

 

 Wow f’(x)= 5/4x^1.5… I am enlightened

 

I still remember a day in year seven. Miss wrote on the board that y = x + 3 and I asked Miss how come letters can equal numbers

Miss: they are variables

Me: no but how come x + 3 can equal to y

Miss: they are variables Rob u use them to graph a equation on a number plane

Me: what a number plane

Miss: ….Stop being smart

 

A lot of us would say what is the purpose of learning the derivative of f(x), or Euclidian geometry or Pythagoras’s theorem or some other random complex mathematical name that as nothing to do with a anything. “I want to a business person, work with media, be a singer” or what ever u want to do, I am sure a lot of you, like me would think that Pythagoras’s theorem has nothing to do with it

 

On the 12^th of April, I, Rob Liu your typical school hating school student, was invited to UNSW in a effort to convinced high school students of the purpose of science. Ha ha ha fat chance.

 

Structure of day

 

1. Meet doctor Rifkin, mentors and fellow students
2. First year biology labs
3. Tour around UNSW
4. Differential modeling
5. Lunch + Consolidation

 

Arrival

 

Upon arrival at 9 am, we met our coordinator Doctor Will Rifkin.

 

Project Director
Director, Science Communication Program
Faculty of Science, BSB-BABS

 

 Yes very cool professional look sir

  

 

As well as fellow students, Carmen, Un-ai and Belinda, all currently studying in year 10. After a quick get to know each other, we began diligently planning our day’s activities.

 

Belinda on left, Un-ai center, Carmen on right

Our mission was to find out what people were doing in this typical day in science, raising awareness towards science in society and the opportunities it offers. Sound boring?

 

Well in other words this means annoying uni student to death for a day, following them around asking annoying questions, “what does this do” “what’s that over there” “woww this so cool”. Hahaha imagine if a little primary school kid had to follow you around for a day, yes mentors I feel your pain, and you can’t complain or get ride of us. But best thing was we got free 20 dollars for lunch. Not so boring after all.

Mentors

 

Arthur, 19 years old is in second year uni; he majors in bio-med, and studies
medical immunology and pharmacology. He expresses that uni has the benefit of
freedom to choose how you study, however comes with a greater workload.
In his spare time, he enjoys computing and going out. He would like to join
the war against cancer after graduation from uni.

 

Mitch 22 years old is in 5th year uni and majors in physics. He has had one-year work experience at a commercial science research center, and wishes to work with physics in an out door non laboratory job in the future.

  

The Quest

 

Mentor Arthur AKA Sam, and student Belinda, AKA Frodo (The preciousss)



 Dr Will Rifkin AKA Gandalf


We were introduced to our mentors, and the quest had begun.

 We set out from our little hobbit holes, (Doctor Rifkin’s office) to start out great quest, to save middle earth!!…. Oh and also to find the purpose to science.          

 

First destination the first year biology class room

 Peak inside showed, rows of white over coats diligently working away, and also staring confused in our direction.

 

They were investigating the effects of the enzyme Amylase taken from the fungi Aspergillus Orzgae, Arthur explains.

 

Enzymes are designed to do two things, catabolyze and Anabolyse, break down and put together. Amylase is the stuff in saliva that heaps with the break down of food.

 

The experiment involves.

1. Adding enzyme Amylase to a starch solution
2. recording a set time frame
3. killing off the reaction by adding acid
4. exposing the resulting solution to a plate reader
5. measure starch concentration
   
   
   

 

 

The experiment effectively shows how much starch can be broken down in a set amount of time by a set amount of amylase.

 

This can then be derived to show how fast food in broken down in your mouth and stomach.

 

Summary.

A lot better than my previous experiment, where I stood for 15 minutes waving a ruler around in a tank of water. And to my utter surprise guess what, waves formed wow… University experiments seem to be more professional, non superficial and in most cases the result will be unknown or differ from your expectations making the experiments in many ways interesting.

 

 

 

The journey across middle earth, (UNSW tour)

 

Yes, the UNSW is massive, 40,000 students and a good several kilometers from one side to the other. Not to mention the other 8 campuses around Sydney and one in Canberra.

 

The university boasts new and old facilities though many more new and cool buildings are in the process of construction to be finished with in a year or two, good news for future students. Some striking features including, assorted shops and food court, 15 levels of library and a lecture theatre that seats close to a thousand.

 

Interesting facts.

 

-The course u enroll in is only your major course. You are able to select other courses related to your major having only to pass an entry exam. You can even select courses that are not related if you wish to do a double degree.

 

Quote from Arthur “don’t go over to the dark side, “Sydney uni””

 

 

 

The fires of Mordor, (differential modeling tutorial)

 

  This is Saron (an evil math’s professor); his eye is watching.

 

The professor continues to hand out tests calling last names only and strolling up and down the isle.

The quest is almost complete.

So on a serious note what really is the purpose of math’s and science. This was my first question to my mentor Mitch upon entering the tutorial. He replied simply that math’s i.e. differential modeling could be applied with physics to model the real world, modeling processes in real life in terms of patterns and writing those patterns down in terms of equations.

While the working out that takes up one whole wall of a classroom doesn’t really help. The concept of university math’s developed to such a degree that we can use it to model our world does.

 

Mitch gave the example that a differential equation could be made between the quality of sound on a drum and the tension and material it is made from. This can then be used to find the optimum tension for perfect sound quality.

 

This simple example shows science in action helping us further understand our world.

Science find the patterns and logics in our infinitely complex world attempting for us to better understand it, while this is only the tip of the ice burg, some conclusions should be made through your own thinking.

 

 

 

My view

 

Science attempts to solve the problem of the human condition. Being human involves possessing the blessing or curse of thought. Thought, the ability to mental respond and interacts with our reality. With the realization that we exist comes the question of why, comes the thirst to understand our reality and ultimately the quest for purpose to our existence.

 

For the past three thousand years mankind has entrusted the purpose of his life to god, or abstract ideal, in all the various flavors of religion, we have believed in the supernatural, witches and demons. In fact it is only in the last 200 years since Sir Isaac Newton that the world has come to finally believe that our world is in fact real. That we have come to examine our world, explain things in terms of logic and reason instead of superstition and the supernatural. This is science a religion, an explanation for our existence and ultimately a great tool in the quest for purpose to life.

 

Sir Isaac Newton known as the creator of the laws of physics, a mocking understatement. Sir Isaac Newton was a major martyr of a religion that built modern society, a religion that defined the once greatly feared unknowns in terms of logic and reason. And with that shifted societies focus away from the abstract reassurance of religion and towards modern egalitarianism and capitalism. Sir Isaac Newton helped create the way in which you perceive the world. If you believe our world is real then you are a student of Sir Isaac Newton, you are a student of science.

 

But the picture is still not complete, capitalism and the post-modernist worldview has many flaws, the majority of society is hybrid, believing in science and religion. Science is the quest to understand our reality, not just physical reality but our mental and spiritual. It is up to us students of science to complete the picture, to find ultimate purpose to our lives.