In the United States we measure how much gasoline an automobile uses in units of “miles per gallon”, often referred to as the car’s “fuel economy”. Elsewhere in the world it is measured in “liters (litres) per 100 kilometers”. Since both gallons and liters are volume measurements when we do a dimensional analysis of these … Continue reading Gas Mileage, with a Side of British Units

The word “robot” has been hijacked. Twice. (Or thrice, if we want to be pedantic, but I won’t be.) THE ORIGINAL SPIN The word “robot” was introduced into the English language by the play R.U.R., written in Czech by Karel Capek, and first performed in Prague on January 25, 1921. R.U.R. stands for Rossumovi Univerzálni … Continue reading Robot Is A Hijacked Word

In all science fiction movies and TV shows when there are aliens and the humans have to fight them it turns out to be close to a fair fight.  Of course the humans always win in the end, but there is plenty of drama as the fight is balanced and there is room for the … Continue reading A Fair Fight?

I am a big Star Trek fan.  But there is one little problem… How come all the races they meet are essentially humanoid, apart from the occasional pool of tar which both speaks and absorbs well loved security officers? Why is the whole Universe, well at least the whole of Alpha Quadrant of our Galaxy, … Continue reading Humanoids of Star Trek