Page 2 of 2

Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2008 11:30 am
by antisocialmunky
Exethalion wrote:Image
Any help?
EDIT - Misunderstood the chart. Muon are also known as u-mesons for osme strange reason if wikipedia is to be believed. Its been a long time since I've had to think about subatomic particles.

http://xkcd.com/135/

Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2008 11:57 am
by Latooni
Image

Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 2:11 am
by DeathsHands
The best part is the teachers response, and the "+5" I saw. lol

Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 3:18 am
by Droid
lol. "Me too"

Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 4:18 am
by Exethalion
antisocialmunky wrote: EDIT - Misunderstood the chart. Muon are also known as u-mesons for osme strange reason if wikipedia is to be believed. Its been a long time since I've had to think about subatomic particles.
Wikipedia says:
For historical reasons, muons are sometimes referred to as mu mesons, even though they are not classified as mesons by modern particle physicists
What? How do the exam board expect young people to get into the country's dwindling field of physics if they still base their questions on stupid mistakes that 'by tradition', are used anyway?

Well, muons didn't appear in my finals anyway, It was Kaons, so what do I care? :P

Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 4:28 am
by Eaglehaslanded
Things done by tradition are actually rather common. Like conventional current, for example...

Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 4:31 am
by Droid
Which is rather stupid, considering it is WRONG!

Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 4:37 am
by Exethalion
Which leads us back to tradition, which is stupid!

Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 4:44 am
by ChaosTheory
Considering the likelihood that what we currently call "correct" will be "wrong" in another 5 years, it doesn't seem like a major issue.

Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 4:49 am
by antisocialmunky
All the physics teachers at my university were form the former Soviet Bloc. They suck at teaching too.

Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 4:52 am
by Exethalion
antisocialmunky wrote:All the physics teachers at my university were form the former Soviet Bloc. They suck at teaching too.
The muon is a meson because STALIN SAYS IT IS.

Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 11:22 am
by antisocialmunky
In Soviet Russia, meson anti-quarks you!

Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 8:07 pm
by Eaglehaslanded
@Droid.
Wrong, yes, but equivalent. Conventional current is positive, so it is equivalent to a negative current in the opposite direction. A roundabout way of thinking of it, but simpler than rewriting everything ever written on electronics.
I just used is as an example that people shouldn't be surprised at these "traditional" things in exams.