conjugate
Compulsive punster and insatiable reader, and
Member-Moderator
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 17,026
Tends to have warped sense of humor
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« Reply #60 on: May 26, 2008, 01:27:07 AM » |
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That would mean the answer is "no" if the bullet in question is from a military-type person trying to kill you, but "probably yes" if you accidentally wander too close to some 14-year-old boys with .22 rifles designed for target shooting.
After college, I wasn't sure I wanted to continue in academia, so I signed up as an aide for a humanitarian medical mission in Indochina. But I wanted to keep my options open, so I carried with me a copy of J.D. Jackson's Classical Electrodynamics in the breast pocket of my jungle khakis, and would read from it at night by the camp lantern. To make a long story short, despite our medical mission, our camp was overrun by the Pathet Lao, and during the chaos, Jackson's Electrodynamics stopped a bullet from an AK. I took this as a sign to go to grad school, and that's why I'm here today. And if you doubt this story, you just don't know Classical Electrodynamics. That's very impressive. Also, a little confusing. I mean, consider; criminals apparently can buy the so-called "cop killer" Teflon-coated rounds that go right through a Kevlar vest, for goodness' sake. How is it that military organizations can't get something at least that good for their troops? Or was this long enough ago that they didn't have cop-killer rounds then? Conjugate who remembers seeing a Teflon-coated round go through a Kevlar jacket and six or seven thick telephone books behind it |
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Unfortunately, I think conjugate gives good advice.
∀ε>0∃δ>0∋|x–a|<δ⇒|ƒ(x)-ƒ(a)|<ε |
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doctor_torrseal
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« Reply #61 on: May 27, 2008, 03:01:29 AM » |
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After college, I wasn't sure I wanted to continue in academia, so I signed up as an aide for a humanitarian medical mission in Indochina. But I wanted to keep my options open, so I carried with me a copy of J.D. Jackson's Classical Electrodynamics in the breast pocket of my jungle khakis, and would read from it at night by the camp lantern. To make a long story short, despite our medical mission, our camp was overrun by the Pathet Lao, and during the chaos, Jackson's Electrodynamics stopped a bullet from an AK. I took this as a sign to go to grad school, and that's why I'm here today. And if you doubt this story, you just don't know Classical Electrodynamics.
That's very impressive. Also, a little confusing. I mean, consider; criminals apparently can buy the so-called "cop killer" Teflon-coated rounds that go right through a Kevlar vest, for goodness' sake. How is it that military organizations can't get something at least that good for their troops? Or was this long enough ago that they didn't have cop-killer rounds then? Conjugate who remembers seeing a Teflon-coated round go through a Kevlar jacket and six or seven thick telephone books behind it Well, since we've established I was carrying Classical Electrodynamics in my breast pocket and reading it for fun, it shouldn't be too much of a stretch to also believe that the Pathet Lao didn't have Teflon-jacketed bullets (or other ammo-marketing voodoo) in 1973. They were getting hand-me-downs from the NVA, anyway. Authoritative sources on the internets differ on whether the Teflon itself has anything to do with penetrating armor, or is there to protect the gun barrel from the hard steel of the shell. We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming. |
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machi
New member
Posts: 18
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« Reply #62 on: May 27, 2008, 02:38:39 PM » |
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Falling in love with the NYC-based protagonist in Nick McDonnell's "Twelve" made me move half a world away. I never ended up in New York, or in love with someone remotely like the character, but did radically turn my life around and ended up somewhere I still can't believe I am today.
*pwn*
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kmellendorf
Junior member
Posts: 95
Research is interesting, but teaching is fun!
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« Reply #63 on: May 27, 2008, 02:47:52 PM » |
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"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman", Richard Feynman, taught me this attitude:
What we understand is not anything close to reality, but it is often the best we have in a given situation. Understand what you can when you can. Realize that most of it is probably wrong, but a great deal of it works when you need it.
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There are two possible outcomes: if the result confirms the hypothesis, then you've made a measurement. If the result is contrary to the hypothesis, then you've made a discovery. (Enrico Fermi)
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bewildered
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« Reply #64 on: May 28, 2008, 09:48:20 AM » |
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I won't name it by name, but the second book I wrote dramatically increased my standard of living.
And my first book got me tenure.
I would expect these are pretty common answers to the question the OP has posed.
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scienceprof
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« Reply #65 on: May 28, 2008, 05:48:42 PM » |
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"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman", Richard Feynman, taught me this attitude:
What we understand is not anything close to reality, but it is often the best we have in a given situation. Understand what you can when you can. Realize that most of it is probably wrong, but a great deal of it works when you need it.
I read "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman" and "What Do You Care What Other People Think?", both by Feynmann, and "Disturbing the Universe" by Freeman Dyson all during one month my sophomore year in college, and as a group these books profoundly influenced my attitude toward both science and life. |
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The plural of anecdote is not data
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wild_rose
Uncharacteristically optimistic
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 9,738
The thrill of modern postism!
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« Reply #66 on: May 31, 2008, 10:03:36 PM » |
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I read Gloria Steinem's Revolution from Within in the early 90s. It changed the way I saw myself and gave me a tremendous boost in self-esteem.
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"[M]y toast just landed jelly side up so I think that bodes well for averting world-ending disasters. I have faith in bread although the toasted aspect may mean you're going to have withstand some heat for a brief time and some aloe jelly will come in handy." --Notaprof, the Great Seer
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octoprof
Member-Moderator
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 32,746
Dérailleur-in-Chief (nominee)
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« Reply #67 on: May 31, 2008, 10:14:04 PM » |
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I think the book was called Run, Dog, Run, and I think it had a mostly red cover. I've no idea what happens in the story, but I do, just barely, remember what the dog looked like and how much I loved looking at that book. That was the book that hooked me. Go, Dog, Go! |
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Let us consider that we are all partially insane. It will explain us to each other; it will unriddle many riddles; it will make clear and simple many things... Mark Twain
It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. Professor Dumbledore
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babbinacara
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« Reply #68 on: June 03, 2008, 04:52:09 AM » |
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Patricia Barnard's The Contemporary Mouse, A Fable for Art Lovers. A mouse loose in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, talking to the artifacts about their history. Sweet and informative, and has had a perversely long-lasting impact on my theoretical approach to my field.
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happycamper
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« Reply #69 on: June 04, 2008, 10:40:31 AM » |
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The Lorax made me care about the environment When I was in kindergarten, I tried to take The Lorax out of the library almost every other week. While I was reading it on my own by that time, my dad was so sick of hearing it that asked my mom (who was the volunteer librarian at the time) to hide it. When I went off to college to be a Biology major, the fact that most of the courses I chose were ecology-oriented came as no surprise to my parents. |
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