Stephen Wolfram’s A New Kind of Science

Matthew “Matt” Kafker is a recent summa cum laude graduate of the University of Oregon, where he studied physics and mathematics. Outside his current responsibilities, Matt Kafker is an avid reader. One of the books he recently enjoyed reading was A New Kind of Science, the acclaimed work by Stephen Wolfram.

Known for his Mathematica computer language, Wolfram works to gain a better understanding of the universe through A New Kind of Science. In the book, he painstakingly outlines a new way of looking at complex systems to break them down into more easily understood parts. He turns to cellular automata, which are 256 programs governed by simple rules that are not mathematical in nature.

Ultimately, Wolfram argues that mathematical models fail to explain biological systems, but the nonmathematical rules of cellular automata can explain something as complex as stream eddies or even the spots on a leopard. A New Kind of Science ultimately looks at the natural world through a lens of simple rules rather than mathematics to create a new system for breaking down complexity.

 

Historic Hayward Field Reconstruction Completed

Physics major Matthew (Matt) Kafker graduated from the University of Oregon in the class of 2020. While Matt Kafker completed his final year in college, the university finished the renovation of its track and field stadium at Hayward Field.

Hayward Field, constructed in 1910, is named for the University of Oregon’s iconic track and field coach Bill Hayward, who trained record-breaking and Olympic-level athletes for four decades. Over the years, the field attracted attention as a venue for prominent track events, including the NCAA Championships and trials for the United States Olympic track team. However, the aging infrastructure of Hayward Field needed to be completely redesigned and replaced to accommodate the thousands of spectators who attend world-class sporting events.

In 2018, the Hayward Field renovation project broke ground. The final design incorporated more than 25,000 seats, an acoustics-enhancing roof enclosure, and timber elements that represent Oregon’s natural resources. The newly revamped stadium opened its doors in the spring semester of 2020.

Published: Travel Tips for the Galapagos Islands

I published “Travel Tips for the Galapagos Islands” on @Medium https://ift.tt/2GMW30H

Published: Idea Makers — A Panoramic Perspective of Physics’ Contributions

I published “Idea Makers — A Panoramic Perspective of Physics’ Contributions” on @Medium https://ift.tt/3l9eETv

Published: Superposition — The Key to Fast Processing Power in Quantum Computing

I published “Superposition — The Key to Fast Processing Power in Quantum Computing” on @Medium https://ift.tt/35YwB2Q

Published: Making Sense of Both the Simple and Complex

I published “Making Sense of Both the Simple and Complex” on @Medium https://ift.tt/32xGF0C

Published: What Is Atomic Physics?

I published “What Is Atomic Physics?” on @Medium https://ift.tt/2QtpAOG

Published: How to Keep a Polished GitHub Profile

I published “How to Keep a Polished GitHub Profile” on @Medium https://ift.tt/2FQg8CJ

Published: The Key to Quantum Computing

I published “The Key to Quantum Computing” on @Medium https://ift.tt/3ayZzGG

Published: Applications for Quantum Computing

I published “Applications for Quantum Computing” on @Medium https://ift.tt/31vlFGa

Published: Python vs. R for Data Science

I published “Python vs. R for Data Science” on @Medium https://ift.tt/3k0kkzo

Published: The Most Famous God in Mesopotamian Mythology

I published “The Most Famous God in Mesopotamian Mythology” on @Medium https://ift.tt/2AVNZIo

Facilitating Financial Independence through Employment

University student Matthew (Matt) Kafker has volunteered at the Pine Street Inn Homeless Shelter in Boston, Massachusetts.

Since launching in 1969, the Pine Street Inn Homeless Shelter has expanded to include new activities. Initially, the program provided a safe alternative to living on the streets for men with alcohol addiction. Today, the shelter includes comprehensive programs such as emergency services and workforce development that accommodate up to 2,000 men and women each day.

The workforce development program offers opportunities for training in the culinary or hospitality industries. In the culinary program, trainees prepare more than 2,700 meals a day for guests and people staying at the shelter.

For those working in the high-volume kitchen, advice and cooking instructions from the seasoned chef and learning about food safety are part of the curriculum. Participants also learn supplemental skills, such as financial planning. Additionally, students have the opportunity to participate in the Visiting Chef’s series in which local chefs share their expertise through tastings and interactive food demonstrations.

Hossenfelder’s Arguments on the Golden Age of Physics

University Student Matthew (Matt) Kafker's interests include the study of math and physics. While attending the University of Oregon, Matt Kafker had the opportunity to read Lost in Math: How Beauty Leads Physics Astray, a book by Dr. Sabine Hossenfelder.

A theoretical physicist, Dr. Hossenfelder has a background that includes research in quantum gravity. Currently, she is a research fellow with the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies.

Lost in Math discusses the contention that today’s fundamental physics has become stagnant. Mired in aesthetics, fundamental physics has made very few discoveries in the past decade.

The author goes back to the beginnings of modern high-energy physics to illustrate how the discipline has changed. In the 1950s and ‘60s, researchers, scientists, and other scholars made significant discoveries. They were willing to wade through voluminous data to unearth the quark model, electroweak unification, the Standard Model, and quantum chromodynamics, among other discoveries.

Some reviewers note that part of the popularity of Dr. Hossenfelder’s book is due to its accessibility to most readers. One reviewer said that Dr. Hossenfelder does not use one equation in the text but relies on conversational, engaging language, and self-deprecating humor to explain her arguments to readers.

Health Benefits of Laughter

University student Matt Kafker majors in physics, and studies related subjects such as quantum physics, special relativity, and differential equations. Matthew Kafker also has an interest in natural sciences, linguistics, and foreign language. Since his childhood days, one of Matt Kafker’s favorite pastimes includes listening to stand up comedy.

Stand up comedians agree that there is something especially unique with being a part of a live comedy show. There is some magic when people come together for the specific purpose of laughing. It is perhaps the connection the audiences have with each other. Perhaps the release and therapy the audiences get.

Comedy shows are not another way to get by the night. Humor is a part of everyday life. It is woven into the fabric of human life. It has the power to change how a person feels, thinks, and acts. Laughter restores positive emotions and strengthens the bond of the relationship between people.

According to scientific studies, laughter can boost the immune system because when a person laughs, the brain releases pleasure-inducing neurochemicals called endorphins. Endorphins help increase the body’s pain threshold, produce sedation, and induce euphoria. So when a person laughs, the endorphins reduce the pain in the body and the mind.

Laughing also makes the heart-healthy. When oxygen surges through the bloodstream as a result of laughing, it can result in a lower blood pressure, increased blood flow, improved blood vessel function. Laughter protects that heart from cardiovascular diseases.

Recent Research from the AGU Explains Cause of Dinosaur Extinction

Matthew “Matt” Kafker earned his high school diploma from Middlesex High School, where he received numerous academic accolades, including the 2015 Andrew M. Dawson Physics Prize. Currently attending the University of Oregon, Matthew Kafker enjoys studying several science-related subjects, including electromagnetic physics, Newtonian mechanics, and microbial ecology. He has also taken part in conducting geophysical research.

Recently, the American Geophysical Union (AGU), an international nonprofit scientific association, reported on research that indicates dinosaurs went extinct due to a prolonged period of darkness (rather than cold) following the impact of an asteroid in the Yucatan Peninsula. The new research reveals that soot released from fires raging across the planet may have inhibited sunlight for a period long enough to destroy most of the life on earth, approximately 66 million years ago.

Researchers used a complex climate model to create a simulation of the effects of the fire and the resulting sulfates, ash, and particulates on blocking sunlight. Soot is believed to have absorbed most of the sun’s light for a year or more, which led to photosynthesis levels being reduced to below 1 percent of normal, subsequently killing photosynthesizing organisms at the base of the food chain.

Published: A Brief Introduction to Game Theory and Its Applications

I published “A Brief Introduction to Game Theory and Its Applications” on @Medium https://ift.tt/3eGGHYh

Three Tips for Breathing Effectively While Running

As a student at the University of Oregon, Middlesex High School graduate Matthew “Matt” Kafker is taking courses in linguistics, literature, electromagnetic physics, mathematics, and computer science. When not studying, Matt Kafker enjoys staying active by running.

Learning how to breathe properly while running has positive benefits, such as helping to prevent injuries and improving performance. The following are three helpful tips for breathing effectively while running.

1. Breathe from your diaphragm. Breathing from the diaphragm, also referred to as belly breathing, enables maximal oxygen uptake since the lungs can expand fully. Increasing oxygen intake while running enables the muscles to work more efficiently for longer, and also improves mental focus.

2. Take in air through both the nose and mouth. Breathing through both the nose and mouth facilitates maximal oxygen intake. Breathing this way also helps runners to exhale carbon dioxide rapidly, and helps them to keep their rate of breathing steady.

3. Match your breathing with your cadence. Time your breathing so that you are inhaling and exhaling while taking steps on each side of the body, rather than breathing only while steps are being taken on one side of the body Adopting a breathing method that alternates from one side of the body to the other helps to prevent injuries.

Published: Heat Transfer and Partial Differential Equations

I published “Heat Transfer and Partial Differential Equations” on @Medium https://ift.tt/3bhGcSl

Intelligence Quotient - A Flawed Construct

In addition to studying mathematics, Matthew “Matt” Kafker is well-read and has explored a wide range of authors and subjects. A university student, Matt Kafker is reading the works of essayist and author Nassim Nicholas Taleb, such as Incerto.

Mr. Taleb is known for writing essays that cover topics focusing on randomness, probability, and uncertainty. In an essay published last year, the essayist argues that IQ is, for the most part, a “pseudoscience fraud.” The author’s paper includes some of the other criticisms of traditional IQ tests, but he also refutes the mathematical construct on which intelligence tests are supported.

The author suggests that these intelligence tests have the potential to determine more than smartness. When looking at other exams, those who have not scored well on IQ tests typically would score poorly on college entrance exams, simply because many of these exams are based on IQ tests, which suggests there is bias in most standardized testing.

The author also addresses the weaknesses in the statistical model from which it draws its conclusions. The author questions the validity of the test because co-variance between IQ and performance is un-informational, or it simply does not exist. The figures support a finite number in a sample that does not exist, and this can lead to overestimating the prediction.

Another flaw relates to the way standard deviation is used to explain probability, and he mentions this in terms of the way IQ has been used to define race. Mr. Taleb argues that richer models have to be developed because different groups require different variances and skewness. These tests have to take into consideration nuances across cultures and groups.

A Brief Look at Einstein’s General and Special Theories of Relativity

Accomplished student Matthew “Matt” Kafker graduated as an AP Scholar and National Merit Commended Student from Middlesex School prior to enrolling as an undergraduate student. As a university student, Matt Kafker majors in physics and has completed several courses related to the field, including electrostatics and special relativity.

Special relativity, or the Special Theory of Relativity, is one part of Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity. Developed in 1905, special relativity notes that the speed of light is constant, regardless of whether the observer is moving through space or not. In essence, if someone is driving a car alongside a train, the train is moving at a constant speed, regardless of whether the car is moving with the train, against the train, or staying still. However, at the same time, Einstein noted that the mass of a moving object increases with speed, while the passing of time decreases with speed.

Alongside his theory of special relativity, Einstein created his general theory of relativity some 10 years later. According to this theory, objects in space distort space-time when they have a high mass, thereby creating a gravitational field. This concept is illustrated by thinking of a trampoline with a body in the middle. The weight of the body presses down on the fabric and causes the trampoline to dip in the middle. A marble placed at the edge of the trampoline will be drawn to the middle because of this.