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.

→

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Conclusion

Stephen Hawking prediction:

this 21st century will be

“the century of complexity”