Answer to December Figuring Physics

Does Physics Answer Metaphysical Questions?

According to logical positivism, so the story goes, metaphysical questions are meaningless, since they do not admit of empirical confirmation or refutation. However, the logical positivists did not in fact reject as meaningless all questions about for example, the structure of space and time. Rather, key figures such as Reichenbach and Schlick believed that scientific theories often presupposed...

Figuring on fair use

Figuring Out Art History

World population and the number of cultural artifacts are growing exponentially or faster, while cultural interaction approaches the fidelity of a global nervous system. Every day hundreds of millions of images are loaded into social networks by users all over the world. As this myriad of new artifacts veils the view into the past, like city lights covering the night sky, it is easy to forget t...

Figuring Space by Time

Sensory information is encoded both in space and in time. Spatial encoding is based on the identity of activated receptors, while temporal encoding is based on the timing of activation. In order to generate accurate internal representations of the external world, the brain must decode both types of encoded information, even when processing stationary stimuli. We review here evidence in support ...

Batteries and electrochemical capacitors - Physics Today December 2008

Electricity generated from renewable sources, such as solar and wind power, offers enormous potential for meeting future energy demands. But access to solar and wind energy is intermittent, whereas electricity must be reliably available for 24 hours a day: Even second-to-second fluctuations can cause major disruptions that cost tens of billions of dollars annually. Electrical energy storage dev...