Chris

We did an experiment in college a while back which involved the growth of Yeast and E. coli in different conditions. However, we only performed colony counts at the end of the experiment. Should I use an average generation time figure to work out how many organisms I originally had, or is there some way to determine this figure?

For example; we cultured E coli at pH8 and counted - on average - 155.7 million bacteria after dilution plating. Could I use this result alone to determine their growth rate and, as a consequence, their generation time?

Muchas gracias, people.

My understanding, as an amateur, is that the gravitational and electromagnetic forces are able to traverse infinite distances due to their messenger particles' lack of any intrinsic mass. In a similar vein, the weak gauge bosons have a relatively enormous mass which limits their interaction range.

Bearing this in mind, why does the strong force have both massless messenger particles AND a limited range? Surely if gluons are massless they would also have infinite range too?

If I'm misunderstanding things rather than just ignorant of a few key facts I would appreciate correction.

The part of the bible which mentions this does not mention it as one of the commandments (either set). Presumably, then, no-one deemed it important enough to go on this list - where, by the way, the first four are distinctly similar to each other.

Aside from this, among the many other "diverse laws and ordinances" are things like not wearing two different types of cloth at the same time. If this is no longer observed then why is the homosexuality part?

In a related vein, what exactly IS a witch? As we know witchcraft to be non-existent why is this deemed worthy of mention?

Note: I am not suggesting that every one of you does condone this view of homosexuality. However, you must surely acknowledge that it is prevalent among many christians. Bearing this in mind I am simply asking why they adhere to this attitude.

Okay, I have a fairly good description of how they affect the saturated vapour pressure of a solution and why this affects the melting and boiling points in the way it does. However, I still need to show this in the form of a physical equation and I can't get my head around it.

Any example would be sufficient, even an ideal solution a la Raoult's Law. If you could explain it in some detail then all the better.

Gracias in advance.

When using the most famous equation in history to determine the relationship between mass and energy, why is the ratio the square of the speed of light? What does light have to do with the two?

I get that mass contains a vast amount of energy and that a huge quantity of energy is required to create mass but why is the square of c the ratio? I doubt it is coincidence as it would be inconceivable to me that the information speed limit were simply a fluke in this equation but I have no idea what the link could be.

I've read quite a bit on this subject but never found a concise explanation for why c is involved, much less why it is squared. Can anyone explain it so that a complete novice with a passing interest can understand it?

Okay, I've already mentioned this somewhere as a footnote to another comment, so now we all have a chance to get to the bottom of this. Unless it's a joke I just don't quite get. Anyway...

Is Alpha Giorgio an actual person, or is one of you doing it as some kind of deadpan joke? I refuse to believe that anyone could be so adamant that a piece of writing only becomes a poem if you inclulde big, complex and exotic words. Especially when you actuall read some of his stuff. McGonagall was rightly mocked for his use of "buttresses" but is that any worse than "axiom" (which, I'm sorry to say, I have read in one of his poems)?

His attitude simply reeks of some kind of subtle(ish) parody of an arrogant poet who refuses to believe he can learn anything new.

The question, then, is; With the Alpha Giorgio persona, is one of you having a laugh at our/my expense?

If so, well done. It really is quite funny.

If not, oh dear....(shakes head)

Okay, my younger brothers were learning humpty dumpty at school and they were forced to learn a politically correct version where "all the kings horses and all the kings men/ COULD put humpty together again". So I decided to continue the story. What would the near-death-experience humpty be like? Well now we know.

I've been a little bitchy about other poets so consider this a peace offering - pick it to pieces and let me have it. But please be gentle.

Kidding - enjoy yourselves! Here goes:-

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.

All the King’s horses and all the King’s men,

could put Humpty together again.

In spite of their action, Humpty felt worse

As though his chest was going to burst

The King asked Humpty “What is the matter”

and watched as Humpty’s chest started to shatter.

Humpty’s tummy began to crack

showering all with eggshell flak

Out burst a chicken through fountains of gore

and with one final gasp, the egg was no more

All the King’s horses and all the King’s men

turned and fled from this murderous hen

But their flight was in vain, the chicken was fast

and he butchered them all, down to the last

A level of carnage ne’er before seen

Appalled all who heard, even King and Queen.

And neither the royals, nor even their daughters

Lived to see out this terrible slaughter

The peoples terror had driven them wild

as the chicken hunted man, woman and child

Misery, pain and terror for all

All because one egg fell off a wall

I know, I'm a terrible person. On the other hand, my brothers (now 11 and 12) love it!

I had a go at a villanelle. Feel free to pick it to pieces.

I thought I’d try to write a villanelle

Despite how tough it seems to make it rhyme

If you don’t like it you can go to hell!

I think it may be going rather well

And doesn’t seem to take up too much time

I thought I’d try to write a villanelle

I’m sucking on a chocolate caramel

Its sweetness is so utterly sublime

If you don’t like it you can go to hell!

This station has a most unpleasant smell

So, sitting outside by the railway line,

I thought I’d try to write a villanelle.

As trains approach they raise the decibels,

The din of squealing brakes begins to climb.

If you don’t like it you can go to hell!

They only linger for the briefest spell

And after it had left our town behind

I thought I’d try to write a villanelle

If you don’t like it you can go to hell!

To be honest, I know it's a bit crap - I was sitting in a train station and bored senseless. As an exercise though I'd appreciate some feedback.

Please bear in mind that I've only been writing stuff for about a month and even then it's quite sporadic. I've only actually finished three or four.

What I'd like to know is whether this works by the rules - or at least breaks them acceptably. For example, the feet in stanza four, line two are a little messy but I'm not sure whether I got away with it. Any comments on similar things are welcome.

Enjoy!

I'll get the ball rolling with the "Moses supposes...." from Signin' in the Rain. Brilliant!

How about you lot?

I wrote this about a girl I know who was depressed and has low self esteem. The idea was to write her a list of her best features - physical and cognitive - so that she would feel a little better. As a recent depression sufferer I have a lot of sympathy for her.

It came out a little more soppy than intended but I'm loathe to change it. As she is seeing someone and neither of us thinks we would be a good couple would this be a weird thing to write for her?

A little background info: Shakespearean sonnets rhyme goes [abab cdcd efef gg] (line endings). Each stanza/verse is supposed to have its own theme so I split them between biological, cognition and social as a nod to the college course we are on. The last couplet should be a review and conclusion of the previous twelve lines. It's written in iambic pentameter so there are five stressed syllables in each line. Iambic means that the second of every two syllables is stressed but I have occasionally docked the opening "weak" syllable. See if you can spot where.

Also, she has legally changed her name from something rather cute (which I promised never to repeat) and she has quite a sweet way of smiling at me in a kind of growl, which will explain one of the lines.

Anyway, enough bullshit. Here goes:-

Sonnet for a Neurotic

Elfin ears poke out through fiery hair.

A figure stolen from mythology

in sculpted marble skin so pale and fair.

A hidden name and button nose so sweet.

A gentle laughter drawn so easily

illuminates your aspect every time.

A snarling tigress smile too rarely seen.

A poker face betrayed by smiling eyes.

A piercing stare which burrows to the core

the intellect which sparks to life inside.

A thoughtlessness to cherish and adore

enveloped in so wonderful a mind.

Your body, mind and soul, each precious ounce

are beautiful in every way that counts.

It's my first sonnet so please be gentle.

And thanks for listening.

I wrote this about a girl I know who was depressed and has low self esteem. The idea was to write her a list of her best features - physical and cognitive - so that she would feel a little better. As a recent depression sufferer I have a lot of sympathy for her.

It came out a little more soppy than intended but I'm loathe to change it. As she is seeing someone and neither of us thinks we would be a good couple would this be a weird thing to write for her?

A little background info: Shakespearean sonnets rhyme goes [abab cdcd efef gg] (line endings). Each stanza/verse is supposed to have its own theme so I split them between biological, cognition and social as a nod to the college course we are on. The last couplet should be a review and conclusion of the previous twelve lines. It's written in iambic pentameter so there are five stressed syllables in each line. Iambic means that the second of every two syllables is stressed but I have occasionally docked the opening "weak" syllable. See if you can spot where.

Also, she has legally changed her name from something rather cute (which I promised never to repeat) and she has quite a sweet way of smiling at me in a kind of growl, which will explain one of the lines.

Anyway, enough bullshit. Here goes:-

Sonnet for a Neurotic

Elfin ears poke out through fiery hair.

A figure stolen from mythology

in sculpted marble skin so pale and fair.

A hidden name and button nose so sweet.

A gentle laughter drawn so easily

illuminates your aspect every time.

A snarling tigress smile too rarely seen.

A poker face betrayed by smiling eyes.

A piercing stare which burrows to the core

the intellect which sparks to life inside.

A thoughtlessness to cherish and adore

enveloped in so wonderful a mind.

Your body, mind and soul, each precious ounce

are beautiful in every way that counts.

It's my first sonnet so please be gentle.

And thanks for listening.