Scientific World

Before we get to the story, we should go over the different types of numbers that we know about: Natural Numbers - All of the integers above 0 (i.e. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5…); Note: Some people like to include 0 here. It's really up to your preference. The natural numbers are really the first numbers we become accustomed to as we grow up and they appear to be the most intuitive (hence, the name "natural"). This is because we count things and see the world in natural numbers - ex. 3 apples, 4 cars, 5 fingers, etc… Integers - In this set, we include all of the negative integers (so it's all of the natural numbers plus all of their negative counterparts). For a long time, these numbers were also looked "down upon" because they didn't really carry the same physical intuition as the natural numbers (ex. can you really have -3 apples?). Nonetheless, the negative numbers proved to be useful, so we now use integers all of the time. Rational Numbers - Now, we get...

On January 28th 1986, NASA, the United States, and really, the world at large, suffered a great loss ion the Challenger disaster. What was scheduled to be another important part of NASA's shuttle program turned into a tragedy that resulted in the decimation of the space shuttle and the loss of all 7 people on board. Below, we'll take a look back on what exactly happened, and the legacy and impact of the disaster. What Happened?  Above is a video of the Challenger disaster occurring LIVE on national television. Just 73 seconds after lift off, the shuttle starting to break apart. Immediately following that was the shuttle's descent into the Atlantic Ocean, just off the coast of Florida (Note: it was launched at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida). It is believed that several of the crew members were actually alive until impact with the ocean; however, they were very likely unconscious during the shuttle's plunge. The impact of the ocean surface was just too stron...

For decades, NASA has been just about the only organization that comes to mind when people think "space". A response to the rapidly improving technology of the Soviets during the Cold War, NASA has remained the most important 4 letter acronym in space travel since its inception in 1958. Since then, some of the greatest accomplishments in aerospace engineering have come courtesy of the organization, including the Space Shuttle program and, of course, landing the first human on the moon. How about reliving that historic moment one more time? NASA has captured the imagination of people all across the world - children and adults alike. While the organization has done wonders for space exploration and will continue to be an important player as we push the boundaries of our capabilities…things need to change. Things need to change NOT because NASA is incapable of taking us deep into the solar system. Things need to change because it is very likely that, moving forward, NASA...

It's been cold lately. I mean really, really cold - enough to make me curse at the howling and frigid winds as they assault by cheeks. But a lot of that sounds like a bunch of whining, doesn't it? I mean, how cold could it really be, right? Well, according to Curiosity, the great Mars rover, today, it is colder in Canada and in many of the Northern states than it is at its current location on Mars! Here's the tweet from Curiosity's Twitter page: All of the blue regions are areas that are colder than much of the Martian surface…and that includes pretty much all of Canada (lucky British Columbia!). So to all of the Canadians (and northern Americans), if you were out and about at all today, then just this one time, you can whine and complain however much you want!