Showing results by author "Alan Hall PhD" in All Categories

What is the nature of the mind? What is memory and how do we remember things? What is consciousness and how does this come about? Do smart pills really work? If so what are the short and long-term effects of these brain boosting agents? This essay looks at these and related issues. It also contains a comprehensive list of relevant references and further reading material.

This eBook comprises of several essays devoted to compact objects. It covers Neutron Stars, Black Holes and Dark Matter. This would be useful to students and other persons who want to know some of the basic physics relating to dense objects in the Universe. The text is backed up by a list of useful references to other literature on each topic.

In the late 1960's cosmologists began to take the idea of invisible stars seriously. Then, in the early 70's, scientists found hard evidence in favor of the existence of black holes. This essay deals with what these mysterious objects are and why they might explain how things work in the known universe. For students, this essay is also a source of references on the subject of singularities.

We all know about magnetism right? But hold the phone! Where does this force come from in the first place? Did magnetism play a role in the creation of the universe? Why is this force important in everything from atomic structure to the way solar flares form?

Radiation? What's that all about then? Where does radiation come from? What does it do? This eBook takes a look at the many different types of radiation including radioactivity, X-rays and other forms of emissions such as cell phone radiation. It also examines the nuclear power industry and the effects that different types of radiation has on living cells. The book is backed up by references to other work on this topic and every term used is explained in a jargon-free, easy to understand fashion. This book would be useful to students and laypersons who need to be better informed on radiation.

Electrons are the simplest of sub-atomic particles yet despite being the most studied - we still know relatively little about them. This essay summarizes what some scientists have discovered about the electron and how these leptons interact with other particles. The essay also contains references to other literature on this subject.

This discourse takes a look at some vitamins and what has recently been discovered about how they might function in specific diseases such as prostate and breast cancer as well as neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis. Other 'essential' substances are also discussed. The work contains a wealth of references pertinent to vitamins and is thus an aid to students or anyone who wants to learn more about vitamins and disease states.

Radiation? What's that all about then? Where does radiation come from? What does it do? This audiobook takes a look at the many different types of radiation including radioactivity, X-rays, and other forms of emissions such as cell phone radiation. It also examines the nuclear power industry and the effects that different types of radiation have on living cells. The book is backed up by references to other works on this topic, and every term used is explained in a jargon-free, easy-to-understand fashion.

¿Qué constituye exactamente un átomo? ¿Cómo y por qué se formó el universo a la existencia y cómo terminará todo esto? ¿Qué partículas subatómicas van a constituir el modelo estándar? Este ensayo sirve como punto de entrada a la física nuclear y contiene muchas referencias útiles para otros trabajos sobre este y otros temas relacionados. El ensayo también se ocupa de cosas fascinantes.

The universe continues to expand and for some as of yet unexplained reason, this expansion is accelerating. This succinct essay takes a look at what Dark Matter/Dark Energy could be and how these things may be involved in everything from the clustering of galaxies to cosmic expansion. In particular, the essay also examines candidate particles (neutrinos and WIMPs) which may be part of the puzzle of the huge amount of 'matter' that is apparently missing from the universe.

What exactly constitutes an atom? How and why did the universe come into existence and how will it end? What subatomic particles go to make up the Standard Model? This essay serves as an entry point to nuclear physics and contains many useful references to other work on this and related topics. The essay also deals with other fascinating stuff.

This essay deals with the topic of death. It covers a number of famous poisoners and the poisons they dispatched to their victims. In addition to the mechanisms of drug action, the subject of apoptosis (programmed cell death) is also discussed. This essay is therefore a resource which can aid students and the layperson interested in drug/toxin action.

As a mental disorder, madness lurks within us all. This essay deals with the links between madness, genius, and the self. It takes a look at some famous scientists and mathematicians and their eccentricities. This is a quick guide to how madness arises and more importantly, how we can make sense of madness.

How do we remember things? How does a low voltage current passing through the brain improve our ability to do math? How is brain size and shape related to intelligence? Do smart pills really work? This essay discusses these and other issues relating to brain function.

What are radio waves? How are they able to travel through empty space? Who discovered "side sparks" and "etheric force"? Despite searching the Universe for signals from other sapient beings we have yet to hear from anyone - why so? This essay takes a look at how radio has transformed society and on the topic of contact with extra solar civilizations it asks the question - what if? The work contains some reference to the basic physics of radio and also alludes to other pertinent work.

When we look out into the depths of the cosmos, we see that matter isn't evenly distributed. Mixed in amongst the nebulae, galaxies, and whatnot, there are regions that contain massive voids. Some voids are billions of light years in length. One has to ask, then, how visible matter came to be so unevenly distributed. Moreover, why does hadronic matter only account for four percent of the stuff that makes up the universe? This audiobook takes a look at what nothingness is and asks the question - where did everything come from in the first place?

Of all the things we know about the universe, what do we really know about the nature of space? For example, is there a beyond space? Can space exist in the absence of matter? Though it may seem like a dumb question - 'where' does space come from? This essay takes a look at what some scientists have to say on this issue; the work also contains many references on the topic of spacetime and relativity, which should be useful to physics students.

We all wish we had more time. But what is time? How and where did this fourth dimension come about? Can some subatomic particles travel backward in time? What happens to time when gravity gets superstrong? Can the universe go back to the future? This audiobook delves into the nature of time and what some scientists have learned about this strange dimension.

Recently, some doubts have been expressed as to the notion of taking antioxidant vitamin supplements. Also, some recent studies have shone more light upon the Free Radical Theory of Aging and whether or not free radicals are a good or bad thing. This essay examines the effects of so-called antioxidant vitamins, and whether these supplements are beneficial or potentially harmful.

Hidden deep inside the Amazonian jungle, there are tribes that happily exist in a ‘world without numbers’. These so-called ‘primitives’ can get along just fine without the need to count above 5 - apparently they have no money and don’t actually need it. Moreover, scientists who have traveled to study this race of subsistence farmers have emerged with ‘glazed over faces’ as though they have entered a magical realm that is devoid of even the most basic mathematical skills. This poses a question - ‘what have numbers and mathematics done for us?’ Here, I take a look at numbers...