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Topic Review
Cubic Mile of Oil
The cubic mile of oil (CMO) is a unit of energy, aiming to give the general public an understanding of large quantities of energy. It is approximately equal to 1.6×1020 joule. It was created by Hew Crane of SRI International to aid in public understanding of global-scale energy consumption and resources. Large scale sources of energy include wind, solar photovoltaic, solar thermal, nuclear, hydroelectric, oil, coal, natural gas, geothermal, and biomass (primarily the burning of wood). Traditionally, many different units are commonly used to measure these sources (e.g., joules, BTUs, kilowatt hours, therms) but only some of them are familiar to a global general public, and some argue that fewer are needed and a standard should be chosen. Still, these common energy units are mainly sized for everyday activities, for example a joule is the energy required to lift a small apple one metre vertically. For regional, national, and global scales, larger energy units, such as exajoule, terawatt-hour, billion barrels of oil equivalent (BBOE) and quad are used. Derived by multiplying the small common units by large powers of ten these larger units pose additional conceptual difficulties for many citizens. Crane intended the cubic mile of oil to provide a visualizable scale for comparing the contributions of these diverse energy components as a percentage of total worldwide, energy use. In 2005, the global economy was consuming approximately 30 billion barrels (4.8 billion cubic metres; 1.3 trillion US gallons) of oil each year. Numbers of this magnitude are difficult to conceive by most people. The volume occupied by 1 trillion US gallons (3.8 billion cubic metres) is about 1 cubic mile (4.2 billion cubic metres). Crane felt that a cubic mile would be an easier concept for the general public than a trillion gallons.
  • 1.2K
  • 28 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Crystallization of LiNbO3
Due to its piezoelectric, ferroelectric, nonlinear optics, and pyroelectric properties, LiNbO3 crystal has found its wide applications in surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices, optical waveguides, optical modulators, and second-harmonic generators (SHG). LiNbO3 crystallized as R3c space group below Curie temperature shows spontaneous polarization that leads to its ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties. Physical and chemical characteristics of LiNbO3 are mainly determined by Li/Nb ratio, impurity cations, vacancies in a cation sublattice. Different sizes of LiNbO3 ranging from nanoscale and microscale to bulk size have been synthesized by solid state method, hydrothermal/solvothermal method, Czochralski (Cz) growth method, etc. Most basic and applied studies of LiNbO3 focus on its bulk single crystal.
  • 1.8K
  • 17 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Cryotropic Gelation and Macroporous Scaffolds
Cryogels obtained by the cryotropic gelation process are macroporous hydrogels with a well-developed system of interconnected pores and shape memory. Biodegradable cryogels have been prepared from natural polymers (biopolymers) and synthetic polymers with biodegradable/bioresponsive bonds containing bio-resembling or artificial units. The cryogels could be composed of one type of polymer or a combination of different materials. Polymers from natural origins (plants or animals) attract considerable attention for their intrinsic biocompatibility and potential ability to mimic ECM, favoring cell-matrix interactions for tissue-engineering and regeneration.
  • 1.3K
  • 12 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Crux
Crux, commonly known as the Southern Cross, is a small but distinctive constellation located in the southern celestial hemisphere. Recognized for its iconic shape resembling a cross, Crux holds cultural significance across various civilizations and is one of the most recognizable asterisms in the night sky. Positioned close to the South Celestial Pole, Crux serves as a navigational aid for travelers in the southern hemisphere and has been used for centuries by sailors and explorers to determine directions.
  • 392
  • 08 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Cross Section
In physics, the cross section is a measure of the probability that a specific process will take place when some kind of radiant excitation (e.g. a particle beam, sound wave, light, or an X-ray) intersects a localized phenomenon (e.g. a particle or density fluctuation). For example, the Rutherford cross-section is a measure of probability that an alpha particle will be deflected by a given angle during an interaction with an atomic nucleus. Cross section is typically denoted σ (sigma) and is expressed in units of area, more specifically in barns. In a way, it can be thought of as the size of the object that the excitation must hit in order for the process to occur, but more exactly, it is a parameter of a stochastic process. In classical physics, this probability often converges to a deterministic proportion of excitation energy involved in the process, so that, for example, with light scattering off of a particle, the cross section specifies the amount of optical power scattered from light of a given irradiance (power per area). It is important to note that although the cross section has the same units as area, the cross section may not necessarily correspond to the actual physical size of the target given by other forms of measurement. It is not uncommon for the actual cross-sectional area of a scattering object to be much larger or smaller than the cross section relative to some physical process. For example, plasmonic nanoparticles can have light scattering cross sections for particular frequencies that are much larger than their actual cross-sectional areas. When two discrete particles interact in classical physics, their mutual cross section is the area transverse to their relative motion within which they must meet in order to scatter from each other. If the particles are hard inelastic spheres that interact only upon contact, their scattering cross section is related to their geometric size. If the particles interact through some action-at-a-distance force, such as electromagnetism or gravity, their scattering cross section is generally larger than their geometric size. When a cross section is specified as the differential limit of a function of some final-state variable, such as particle angle or energy, it is called a differential cross section (see detailed discussion below). When a cross section is integrated over all scattering angles (and possibly other variables), it is called a total cross section or integrated total cross section. For example, in Rayleigh scattering, the intensity scattered at the forward and backward angles is greater than the intensity scattered sideways, so the forward differential scattering cross section is greater than the perpendicular differential cross section, and by adding all of the infinitesimal cross sections over the whole range of angles with integral calculus, we can find the total cross section. Scattering cross sections may be defined in nuclear, atomic, and particle physics for collisions of accelerated beams of one type of particle with targets (either stationary or moving) of a second type of particle. The probability for any given reaction to occur is in proportion to its cross section. Thus, specifying the cross section for a given reaction is a proxy for stating the probability that a given scattering process will occur. The measured reaction rate of a given process depends strongly on experimental variables such as the density of the target material, the intensity of the beam, the detection efficiency of the apparatus, or the angle setting of the detection apparatus. However, these quantities can be factored away, allowing measurement of the underlying two-particle collisional cross section. Differential and total scattering cross sections are among the most important measurable quantities in nuclear, atomic, and particle physics.
  • 636
  • 18 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Croatian National Theater
The National Theater of Zagreb is considered to be the oldest and most important cultural center in Croatia due to its three activities: opera, theater, and ballet. The artistic production is so fruitful; an average of 220 shows are performed in a season. Because of its national influence over a wide territory, the National Theater of Zagreb is used to promote a seasonal program which is broadly varied, including the performance of local artists representative of different styles and historical periods. Nonetheless, the recitals of classic and contemporary masterpieces attract the biggest audiences.
  • 760
  • 13 Jul 2022
Topic Review
Crater
Crater, Latin for "cup" or "bowl," is a small and inconspicuous constellation located in the southern celestial hemisphere. Positioned near the prominent constellation Hydra, Crater represents a celestial cup often associated with the mythological story of the Greek god Apollo and his daily ritual of sun-chariot driving.
  • 291
  • 08 Mar 2024
Topic Review
CPU Power Dissipation
Central processing unit power dissipation or CPU power dissipation is the process in which central processing units (CPUs) consume electrical energy, and dissipate this energy in the form of heat due to the resistance in the electronic circuits.
  • 2.1K
  • 25 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Cosmology Can Serve to Determine Neutrino's Properties
Neutrino particles have been found, due to their non-interacting, almost-vanishing mass, and relativistic nature, as being suitable to hold roles in many phenomena in nature, which have made them attract a large interest among the scientific community. In particular, on the cosmological level, the neutrino is one of the few components whose contribution to the Universe energy budget changes with its expansion, from being part of the radiation to that of the matter density, with implications on the expansion of the background or the growth of large-scale structures. It has also the feature of being abundantly present since the Universe’s early beginning, participating by then to the different phases of its evolution, which allows us to constrain its main properties such as its mass and number of species by any of the known cosmological observables.
  • 661
  • 27 May 2022
Topic Review
Cosmology
Cosmology (from grc κόσμος (kósmos) 'world', and -λογία (-logía) 'study of') is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe. The term cosmology was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount's Glossographia, and in 1731 taken up in Latin by German philosopher Christian Wolff, in Cosmologia Generalis. Religious or mythological cosmology is a body of beliefs based on mythological, religious, and esoteric literature and traditions of creation myths and eschatology. In the science of astronomy it is concerned with the study of the chronology of the universe. Physical cosmology is the study of the observable universe's origin, its large-scale structures and dynamics, and the ultimate fate of the universe, including the laws of science that govern these areas. It is investigated by scientists, such as astronomers and physicists, as well as philosophers, such as metaphysicians, philosophers of physics, and philosophers of space and time. Because of this shared scope with philosophy, theories in physical cosmology may include both scientific and non-scientific propositions, and may depend upon assumptions that cannot be tested. Physical cosmology is a sub-branch of astronomy that is concerned with the Universe as a whole. Modern physical cosmology is dominated by the Big Bang theory, which attempts to bring together observational astronomy and particle physics; more specifically, a standard parameterization of the Big Bang with dark matter and dark energy, known as the Lambda-CDM model. Theoretical astrophysicist David N. Spergel has described cosmology as a "historical science" because "when we look out in space, we look back in time" due to the finite nature of the speed of light.
  • 1.7K
  • 01 Jul 2024
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