WHY COMPLEXITY IN NATURE LEADS TO MANY
CAREERS FOR PHYSICISTS
Dr Graham S McDonaldHead of Materials & Physics Research Centre
University of Salford
KS4 Teachers’
ConferenceMMU
June 2010
OUTLINE
● Motivation challenges
● "Complexity"
– what is it ?
– subject / career areas ?
– how can it work ?
● Hands-on demos / projects
(note: flashing lights in videos)
● Key Stage 4 relevance
● Motivation challenges
… Career possibilities ?
… Relevance to modern society ?
… Just technical ? Boys' subject versus attractions of biology, environment, health & 'helping people'
… What can be hands-on in class ?
… Links to modern multi-media ?
● “Complexity” - what is it ?
… a subject bridging across diverse fields
… common aspects identified, due to similar processes
… transferring knowledge and techniques between these diverse fields
edited version of image at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complexity
● “Complexity” - subject / career areas ?
dynamics fractals & chaos
ecology, climate & society
Nature's patterns & evolution
networks, society,
globalism, internet
biology + engineering → robotics
artificial intelligence
& smart technologies
cells, genetics, chemistry, artificial life,information technologies, business decisions,
political decisions
Alan Turing
People as
particles
e.g. £10 Million for EPSRC's 2009 call: "Complexity Science for the Real World"
● Catastrophe, risk, robustness and recovery – resilience of societal systems ● Self-sustaining communities, … ● Demographics – … immigration; …the workforce; … pensions, … geography … activity
Importance → investment → jobs & careers
For example,
Similar processes in very complicated("complex") systems tend to result in …
1. SIMPLE PATTERNS
or
2. VERY COMPLEX PATTERNS (“fractals”)
● “Complexity” - how can it work ?
1. SIMPLE PATTERNS
(e.g. single spots,
vortices,
spirals,
hexagons/honeycombs,
stripes, …)
Spontaneous patterns in chemical reactions
(A Goryachev, A’Star, Singapore)
Fish skins & simulated patterns
Barrio et al, Bull Math Biol 61, 483 1999
FISH SIMULATED PATTERNS
Spiral waves in biological systems
(A Goryachev, A’Star, Singapore)
“Dark spots”
FLUID VORTEX
ATMOSPHERIC VORTEX
(TORNADO)
NOT A 'SIMPLE PATTERN' !
2. VERY COMPLEX PATTERNS
( “fractals”:
patterns with
more & more detail
evident when you
look closer & closer )
Many scale patterns in Nature
Idealised representations
In Nature …
● statistical variation● many (but not all) scales
SIMILAR COMMON MECHANISM
giving rise to universal patterns is
FEEDBACK …
Examples of feedback
● Audio feedback
● Electronic feedback
AUDIO OUTPUT INPUT (MICROPHONE)
INPUT SIGNALOUTPUT SIGNAL
Video feedback …
VIDEO OUTPUTINPUT (CAMERA)
● Hands-on demos / projects
cctv camera + monitor
cctv camera + projector
cctv camera + computer flat-screen
With single mirror on left side
camera + analogue TV
With two-mirrorKaleidoscope (90º)
camera + analogue TV (or projector)
With three-mirrorKaleidoscope (60º)
Looking inside
camera + projector
With four-mirrorKaleidoscope (90º)
camera + 2 projectors
camera + 3 screens
2 projector feedback loops(with overlapping screens)
Kaleidoscopes as a sub-project …
David Brewster(born 1781)
J Walker, The Amateur scientist, Sci Am 253, 124 (1985)
two-mirror Kaleidoscope
3-mirror kaleidoscope
J Walker, The Amateur scientist, Sci Am 253, 124 (1985)
● Key Stage 4 relevance ORC Year 10
ORC Year 11
P1 - Energy for the Home (stable Earth)P2 - Living for the Future (threats to Earth) }
Wide range of potentialanalyses and technologiesarising from Complexity
P1 - Forces for Transport (speed, energy, forces)
'Nonlinear Dynamics' is a generalisation of these key concepts, also involving pendula, springs, masses, oscillations, etc. Time to resurrect the computer applets for pattern formation, fractals and chaos ?
P2 - Living for the Future (threats to Earth) topics … Electricity, Ultrasound, Medical Applications, …
Could open up discussion areas for artificial intelligence, robotics, living forms, etc.
→
→
Conclusion
Stephen Hawking prediction:
this 21st century will be
“the century of complexity”