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February 1, 2008
Spring Friday Flicks series kicks off
University Park, PA— The Physical and Mathematical Sciences Library's Friday Flicks film series kicks off this month with a look at the U.S. space program. Films are shown at 3:35 p.m. in 211 Davey Lab, inside the library. For more information, call 865-7617. See listing below:
Feb 1: Yesterday the Moon, Tomorrow Mars?
Take a look at the past and present of the US space program as well as some of the challenges involved with manned missions to Mars. (24 min)
Dendrimers: The Future of Polymer Chemistry
Follow Don Tomalia through the discovery and development of applications for dendritic polymers. Originally titled The Man who Loved Trees. (30 min)
Feb 8: Life Beyond Earth, Part 1: Are We Alone?
The exploration of life in space begins with life on earth… what factors are necessary? What should we look for? Where should we look? This analysis is then carried out into the solar system and beyond. One of the many scientists interviewed is Dr. France Cordova, formerly Head of Penn State’s Dept. of Astronomy and Astrophysics. (55 min)
Feb 15: Life Beyond Earth, Part 1: Is Anybody Listening?
Maybe instead of looking for life beyond Earth, we should be listening for it. But what are the odds of hearing anything, even if there is intelligent life out there? (55 min)
Feb 22: Game Theory: Lost in New York
Starting with Turing's cryptography machine the history of prime numbers is brought up to the present day. (41 min)
Feb 29: Bottling the Sun: The Quest for Nuclear Fusion
Follow the history of efforts to develop nuclear fusion as a source of energy. (29 min)
Invisible Universe
There’s more to the electromagnetic spectrum than visible light. Learn how astronomers utilize other wavelengths detect phenomena that cannot be seen with a conventional optical telescope. (24 min)
March 7: Spring Break; no film
March 14: Spring Break; no film
March 21: Most of Our Universe is Missing: Dark Matter and Dark Energy
Ninety-six percent of our universe is missing… or is it? Is the missing part dark matter? Is it dark energy? What are they, anyway? This film traces the history of the Standard Model and outlines the arguments for and against it. (50 min)
March 28: Cosmic Time: From Atoms to Black Holes
What is time? Did it begin, or has it always existed? Is there an end to time? Follow time from muons and atoms to black holes and other cosmic phenomena. From the series "Time: the Story of Existence." (50 min)
April 4: Fractals: An Animated Discussion
Fractal geometry is based on chaos and self-similarity. This program uses interviews and animation sequences to discuss fractals , their underlying concepts, and how fractals can be used to describe the natural world.(63 min)
April 11: Just How Big is Space?
How big is the universe? How big is a light year? How far away are other galaxies? Find out how astronomers measure distances in space. (27 min)
108 Stitches: The Physics of Baseball (24 min)
Four short discussions of the physics behind pitching, hitting, running, and the flight of a baseball. (24 min)
April 18: 100 Greatest Discoveries: Chemistry (46 min)
This program from the series 100 Greatest Discoveries forcuses on 13 major discoveries that shaped modern chemistry. (46 min)
April 25: Is God a Number? Maths That Mimic the Mind (53 min)
What is the relationship between mathematics, the physical universe, and consciousness? If mathematics describes the physical world, does consciousness play a role in describing mathematics? How is consciousness defined? Is there a place for what some describe as a “Master Mathematician”? Join Sir Roger Penrose, John Polkinghorne, Michael Barnsley, and Horace Barlow in this discussion. (53 min)