THE EVOLUTION THE EVOLUTION THE EVOLUTION THE EVOLUTION

OF CAVITIESOF CAVITIESOF CAVITIESOF CAVITIES HEALTH: ANDY JIANG, p6

A NEW YEAR OF A NEW YEAR OF A NEW YEAR OF A NEW YEAR OF

SELFSELFSELFSELF----CONTROLCONTROLCONTROLCONTROL PSYCHOLOGY: ALINA WONG, p10

SLEEPLESS SLEEPLESS SLEEPLESS SLEEPLESS

DOLPHINS:DOLPHINS:DOLPHINS:DOLPHINS:

SENTINELS OF THE SEASENTINELS OF THE SEASENTINELS OF THE SEASENTINELS OF THE SEA ZOOLOGY: KELLY CHEN, p8

VOLUME XIII, ISSUE IV

2013

Visit our Facebook page at

fb.com/BBSciMagfb.com/BBSciMagfb.com/BBSciMagfb.com/BBSciMag

JJJJANUARYANUARYANUARYANUARY

Volume XIII, issue iv

2 |

BIG BANG

Dear readers,

This first issue of 2013 marks one year from when our current crew of

executives were instated. Helming the production of a magazine has been an

incredible journey and experience for us, and along the way we have faced many

challenges that have caused us to adjust our production methods. Although it still

seems like our era has just begun, feeling excitement with every issue that is

produced, we will soon be choosing new executives to take on the magazine’s

leadership positions in the coming months. But for now, we continue to enjoy

every moment of our involvement with the magazine.

I would like to commend our dedicated writers for producing material even

over the winter break, which I hope was deservedly calm and relaxing for all. After

a winter that was most likely filled with food and sweets, Andy Jiang reminds us of

the unfortunate truth of oral wear. Time and time again, the New Year has induced

the majority of the general public to create New Years’ resolutions, but Alina

Wong reports about a study concerning self-control that questions the possibility

of completely going through with a resolution.

Let’s begin 2013 with a bang, and as always,

I hope for a good reading to all.

EUGENE HWANG

Editor in Chief

A WORD FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

A human’s blood vessels, laid end to end, can circle the earth 2.5 times (62,000 miles).

January 24th

, 2013

| 3

TABLE OF CONTENTS The first step towards exploring our magazine.

A LETTER FOR THE READERS

2 A message from our Big Bang Editor-In-Chief, Eugene Hwang.

ZOOLOGY

Dolphins can remain alert for 15 days without sleep.. 8 PSYCHOLOGY

10 How goalible do resolutions make you?

ELECTRONICS

Determining student’s grades with their social network data. 12

BIOGRAPHY

18 Knowledge is power. TOP TEN

Predictions for 2013. 20

CHEMISTRY

14 Oh buggers.

16 MATHEMATICS

Algebraic music theory.

4 NEWS FLASH

You consumed over 700 species of bacteria at birth!

HEALTH

6 A sore tooth thousands of years in the making.

A thimbleful of a neutron star would weigh over 100 million tons.

CROSSWORD

22 The enjoyable and entertaining portion of puzzles. EUREKA!

The path towards imagination and discovery. 23

Volume XIII, issue iv

4 |

BIG BANG

ESSENCE FOR A HEALTHY INFANT: BREAST MILK THAT CONTAINS OVER 700 SPE-

CIES OF BACTERIA

Breast milk may be one of the

most important sources of nutrition

for an infant. In order to increase

immunity against common illnesses,

infants consume breast milk shortly

after birth. Studies have found that

breastfed infants are generally

smarter and healthier than infants

who do not regularly consume

breast milk. What is it about the

contents of breast milk that aid the

development of children?

The answer may be the bacte-

ria in breast milk. Recently, a group

of Spanish scientists have found that

the breast milk contains over 700

species of bacteria. These bacteria

found in breast milk are needed for

the infant’s development of immu-

nity and digestion of an infant. The

most common bacteria in breast

milk include Weissella, Leuconostoc,

Staphylococcus, Streptococcus and

Lactococcus. Some scientists think

that these bacteria significantly in-

fluence the development of the im-

mune system. These bacteria may

decrease the risk of developing al-

lergies, asthma, and autoimmune

diseases. Adding these bacteria to

infant formula may allow children

who do not consume breast milk to

found that:

1. The more overweight the

mother is during pregnancy, the

more likely the mother’s milk will

contain fewer species of bacteria.

2. Mothers who gave vaginal

births are more likely to produce

breast milk that is rich in microor-

ganisms, or bacteria, compared to

65% of those with autism are left handed.

WENDY ZHANG

also have a lower risk of develop-

ing allergies, asthma, and autoim-

mune diseases.

To maximize the number of

helpful bacteria in a woman’s

breast milk, a woman may want

to be at a regular weight during

pregnancy and have a vaginal

birth. The Spanish scientists

January 24th

, 2013

| 5

debating the existence of aliens,

and the possibilities keep grow-

ing. Scientists have estimated

that at least 100 billion planets

inhabit just our galaxy, so you

can imagine the numerous

amount of planets in this entire

universe.

A group of astronomers at

the California Institute of Technol-

ogy, or the Caltech astronomers,

decided to study a five-planet plane-

tary system called an M-dwarf sys-

tem. After confirming that all five

planets existed, they analyzed the

system and compared it to other

planetary systems discovered by the

Kepler mission. They analyzed a star

called Kepler-32, discovered how

many planets orbited it, and esti-

mated the number of similar plane-

tary systems to Kepler-32. Kepler-32

falls under the M-dwarf planetary

system, and most planets fall under

M-dwarf systems. The Caltech team

also factored in the other planetary

systems, and finally came to the

conclusion that there are at least

100 billion planets in our solar sys-

tem alone.

Planets are still forming, so

perhaps we could even reach 200

billion planets soon. If we could ad-

vance our technology enough, we

may be able to visit one of those

100 billion planets some day! Just

remember, the next

time you look up at

the night sky, you’ll

be looking at a lot

more than just stars.

Source: www.examiner.com

The average person accidentally eats 430 bugs each year.

those who gave planned caesarean

births.

THE EVERLASTING UNIVERSE

For years people have been

Source: www.sciencedaily.com

ADAM HWANG

Volume XIII, issue iv

6 |

BIG BANG

Butterflies taste with their hind feet, allowing them to determine whether a leaf is edible.

Whether it is from the recent surge of sugary

candies this past holiday season or just the everyday

snacks we have, our teeth are constantly at risk of

developing cavities. Cavities can affect people of all

ages. Cavities have become one of the most signifi-

cant oral health issues of the past century. One little

known idea: cavities did not always exist – they

evolved.

Before we delve into the evolution of the cav-

ity, what exactly are cavities? A cavity, also known as

tooth decay or dental caries, is the result of a bacte-

rial infection that destroys both the outside layer of

enamel, and the internal layer of tooth, the dentin.

Cavities begin when foods containing sugars and

starch (candies, fruit, and bread, etc.) are left on the

teeth. Bacteria living in the mouth digest these foods

and produce acid that demineralizes the teeth. The

bacteria primarily responsible for this action on the

teeth are part of the strain Streptococcus mutans

bacteria [keep this name in mind]. Luckily, our

mouth has ways of combatting this demineralization

caused by the bacteria. The mouth’s saliva and fluo-

ride toothpaste both contain re-mineralization prop-

erties, but if this re-mineralization of the teeth is

slower than the rate of demineralization caused by

Streptococcus mutans bacteria, then the teeth can

break down, resulting in a cavity. You can signifi-

cantly decrease the risk of developing oral cavities by

enjoying sweet foods in moderation and maintaining

a daily regimen of teeth brushing.

Oral cavities, one of the most common ailments

around the world today, may have evolved to what

they are today. Mankind has always been genetically

reconfiguring the DNA of other species, but we have-

n’t always realized what we have been doing. From

the cultivation of major crops such as wheat and corn,

to the innovations in bacterial fermentations to make

cheese and yoghurt, we have been steering the evolu-

tion of plants and animals in whatever direction we

please. Just as we were busy modifying the world,

bacteria in our mouth were busy evolving as well.

Streptococcus mutans is the strain of bacteria primar-

ily responsible for tooth decay, but Streptococcus mu-

tans is not just any ordinary microbe. This bacteria

ANDY JIANG

THE EVOLUTION OF CAVITIES

January 24th

, 2013

| 7

can be passed down from mother to child, spending

all their lives in the human mouth. Related strains are

also found in other mammals. All of this suggests that

Streptococcus mutans has evolved over millions of

years, adapting and surviving in the mouths of their

hosts.

The evolution of the Streptococcus mutans bac-

teria was the exact theory that Cornell biologist, Mi-

chael Stanhope, and his colleagues set to investigate

in their large-scale study of Streptococcus mutans.

With bacterial samples from Britain, Hong Kong, the

United States, and various other countries around the

world, the researchers examined all the common

genes shared by these samples, and those that were

unique to specific regions. From this large study, Stan-

hope and his colleagues arrived at some remarkable

findings. The results of the genetic analyses indicated

that Streptococcus mutans underwent a population

explosion approximately 10,000 years ago, directly

coinciding with the revolution of farming that shifted

our ancestor’s diets to corn and other carbohydrate

rich foods. Likewise, this bacterium may also have ex-

perienced strong natural selection whereby certain

strains evolved strains for breaking down sugars or

other adaptations to help it survive in the acidic con-

ditions of the mouth when we eat starchy food. Ar-

chaeological evidence has also shown that the inci-

dences of cavities rapidly increased during the ad-

vent of human agriculture, changing from a rarity to

a common ailment. From that point on, the common

cavity was to become one of the most predominate

ailments throughout the world today.

From all this evidence, Stanhope and his col-

leagues determined that Streptococcus mutans has

evolved into the aggressive microbe today. Through

the research and understanding of how this microbe

evolved, we may gain insights on how to better com-

bat it. Possibly, in the distant future, we may be able

to target and attack specific adapta-

tions of Streptococcus mutans while

leaving our teeth unharmed, but to-

day, our best bet at maintaining oral

health is by visiting our family dentist.

HEALTH

Source: www.phenomena.nationalgeographic.com

You can get vitamin poisoning, which is an overdosed build-up of vitamins.

Volume XIII, issue iv

8 |

BIG BANG

at the National Marine Mammal

Foundation has shown that this

trait allows dolphins to stay alert

for many continuous days with-

out showing fatigue. It also

shows that dolphins are able to

accomplish precise tasks, such

as echolocation in order to iden-

tify targets and monitor their

environment, for up to 15 days

in a row.

Branstetter’s team in Cali-

fornia team studied 2 bottle-

nose dolphins, one of each gen-

der, and tested their ability to

echolocate for extended periods

of time – a feat that most likely

would have left other animals

incapacitated, sleep-deprived

and exhausted. In their tests,

the dolphins were required to

swim around a pen while locat-

ing eight phantom sonar targets,

which sent back phantom ech-

oes after detecting dolphin

sound pulses. When a dolphin

activated a target and heard its

echo, it responded by pushing a

paddle. Correct detection was

signalled by a tone, and the suc-

cessful dolphin received a fish.

Imagine staying awake for

15 continuous days! Impossi-

ble! Yet, scientists have

learned that dolphins are able

to stay alert for up to about 15

days because to their ability to

sleep with only half of their

brains. Previous research has

shown that dolphins have this

unique sleeping capacity,

known as unihemispheric

sleep. This characteristic and

its direct implications on dol-

phins are largely unknown and

unstudied. New research from

Brian Branstetter and his team

KELLY CHEN

Cat pee glows under UV light.

SLEEPLESS DOLPHINS: SENTINELS OF THE SEA

January 24th

, 2013

| 9

ZOOLOGY

False alarms resulted in no tone

or reward. The researchers re-

peated this 5-day experiment 3

times with accuracy rates

around 99%.

As a result of these experi-

ments, the researchers discov-

ered that dolphins could main-

tain alertness and awareness of

their surroundings with no signs

of fatigue for 5 days. The female

dolphin was more successful,

and researchers attributed to

the female’s more motivated

personality. Female dolphins

often produced victory squeals

upon successful detection of a

sonar target. Further experi-

mentation showed that she was

able to maintain this ability for

15 days. Unfortunately, due to a

storm, the experiment was cut

short and it was not fully stud-

ied.

Branstetter notes that, ''[f]

rom an anthropomorphic view-

point, the ability of the dolphin

to continuously monitor its envi-

ronment for days without inter-

ruption seems extreme.”

However, it is believed that dol-

phins evolved with the ability to

sleep using only half of the brain

because it is vital to their sur-

vival; it allows them to continu-

ously breathe at the surface of

the water, even while half-

asleep. Branstetter comments,

“If dolphins sleep like terrestrial

animals, they might drown,” so

this seemingly extreme capabil-

ity is “quite normal, unspectacu-

lar, and necessary for survival

from the dolphin's perspective.”

Branstetter’s findings also sug-

gest that the need to remain

observant and aware of one’s

environment, such as to avoid

predators, may have been a

factor in developing this ability

for unihemispheric sleep.

"These majestic beasts

are true unwavering sentinels

of the sea. The demands of

ocean life on air breathing dol-

phins have led to incredible

capabilities, one of which is the

ability to continuously, per-

haps indefinitely,

maintain vigilant

behavior through

echolocation," says

Branstetter.

Source:

www.sciencedairly.com,

www.telemgraph.co.uk

You swallow a litre of snot every day.

Volume XIII, issue iv

10 |

BIG BANG

PSYCHOLOGY

vacation to just one month. You

could imagine how resistant the

students were; who would want

their holidays cut down by two-

thirds? Burkley told half of the stu-

dents that this modification would

take place in two years; therefore,

they would be affected and de-

prived of their usual vacation time.

However, he told the other half of

the students that the change

would be implemented in ten

years, so their summer breaks

would not be affected at all. As

you might have guessed, the stu-

dents in the 2-year condition

were more defiant about the

message than those in the 10-

y e a r c o n d i t i o n .

2013 has finally arrived!

We’ve survived yet another sup-

posed apocalypse. What better

motivation do you need to fulfill

your New Year’s Resolutions? To

achieve your new goals, you’ll

need some serious self-control to

resist temptations-- this includes

the chocolate cake sitting in your

fridge, for those of you that are

aiming to eat healthier this year.

Sadly, self-control is not an unlim-

ited resource; focusing it all on

your resolution will leave you with

less self-control for other things in

life. When we’re low in self-control,

we become more susceptible to

influence, including advertise-

ments concerning our New Year’s

R e s o l u t i o n s .

Dr. Edward Burkley carried

out a series of studies to deter-

mine whether using self-control

reduces our resistance to persua-

sion. First, he tested whether peo-

ple use their willpower when trying

to resist persuasive arguments. In

one of his studies, Burkley had

freshman college students read a

persuasive essay, which argued for

reducing the student’s summer

ALINA WONG

Humans are allergic to mosquito spit.

A NEW YEAR OF SELF-CONTROL

January 24th

, 2013

| 11

The next task required the

participants to use self-control to

persevere through activities, such

as unscrambling impossible ana-

grams. In the results, the students

who were more resistant to the

persuasive essay (2-year condi-

tion) abandoned the task earlier

than the students who were less

resistant (10-year condition). The

first group of students had dimin-

ished their supply of self-control

while trying to resist the persua-

sive essay, and ended up with less

accessible self-control to them

during the second task.

The second thing Burkley

tested was to see if people who

are low in self-control are easier

to convince. He had participants

use their self-control on a thought

control task that appeared irrele-

vant-- for example, he asked

them to writing down what

they’re thinking about, but not to

think about polar bears. Burkley

then gave each of the participants

a persuasive message to read,

which argued that all senior stu-

dents would have to pass a com-

pulsory exam in order to graduate.

Some of the students read an essay

that provided feeble arguments

(e.g. my mom supports the idea).

Other students read different ver-

sions of the essay which consisted

of effective arguments (e.g. the top

schools in the nation already have

compulsory exams). Opposing the

weaker essay is not difficult, and

should not require a lot of self-

control; however, opposing the

stronger essay is tougher, and

should drain the participants of

their self-control. After reading the

essays, the participants provided

their opinions about the exams.

For those that read the weaker

essay, using self-control in the ear-

lier control task had little effect on

their opinions. On the other hand,

the participants that read the

stronger essay were more suppor-

tive of the exam if they used self-

control in the previous task. Theo-

retically, by exerting self-control

during the previous task, these stu-

dents were convinced that com-

pulsory exams were a good idea.

After using willpower for a mere

few minutes, participants were left

drained of their self-control, and

were, therefore, more susceptible

to persuasion. Students were even

convinced that shorter summer

breaks and compulsory exams

weren’t such a bad idea!

If these are the effects of

just a few minutes of self-control

exertion, what does this mean for

our resolutions? Call it quits after a

few weeks? No way! You can have

your resolutions as your top prior-

ity, but keep in mind that you’re in

a vulnerable position. You could be

more easily persuaded into buying

products concerning your goals, so

you might just want

to stay away from

the malls and info-

mercials for a while.

Source:

www.psychologytoday.com

PSYCHOLOGY

You can get taller in space.

Volume XIII, issue iv

12 |

BIG BANG

Implicit cooperation is the social interaction

between students which happen “offline”: e-mailing

one another, discussing among other peers in the lab,

and course forums. “These connections were very

important, as we sought to model the social interac-

tions within the student body,” Fire explained.

Explicit cooperation is more obvious and evi-

dent; it occurs when students work in pairs or groups.

Researchers could easily determine which students

A single beaver can cut down 200 trees every year.

The Ben-Gurion University of the Negev’s So-

cial Network Security Research Group has developed

a way to predict student’s academic abilities through

their online and offline social network data. The

group introduced their paper in the article,

“Predicting Student Exam Scores by Analyzing Social

Network Data,” at the Advanced Media Technology

Conference in Macau in early December. The group’s

work is significant because information obtained

through studying individual student data can allow

us to determine which students need special atten-

tion.

According to Michael Fire, one of the co-

authors of the paper, “while most papers about so-

cial network analysis deal solely with information

gathered online, this study draws some of the infor-

mation from the real world – social interactions

which were conducted off the grid.”

Researchers analyzed data from a Ben-Gurion

University course that required online assignment

submission and Web site logs in order to create so-

cial networks that required two different types of

cooperation among the students – explicit and im-

plicit. Both types are crucial to predicting a student’s

academic abilities.

JEFFREY DING

FORESEEING YOUR GRADE

January 24th

, 2013

| 13

ELECTRONICS

A normal person uses the bathroom 6 times a day.

Sources: www.sciencedaily.com,

Www.science20.com

had worked in groups by tracking log in time and com-

puter usage. If it showed that two students had sub-

mitted their assignment from the same computer, it

was strong evidence to assume that the two had

worked on the assignment together. Similarly, if two

students submitted assignments from different com-

puters, one right after the other, the researchers as-

sumed that the students worked together.

Implicit and explicit cooperation are major fac-

tors that can determine the extent that you will be

successful in academics. “One explanation for what

we discovered is that your friends influence your

grade in the course, so, if you pick your friends well,

then you will get a higher grade,” Fire reveals.

“Alternatively, social networks in courses offer condi-

tions whereby good students will pair with other good

students, and similarly weaker ones will pair with

weaker students.”

Whether the results of this study can truly de-

termine the extent that you’ll be successful academi-

cally, the key to success still depends on how much

effort you put in. This includes working as a group,

solving problems together, asking for help when you

have a question, discussing questions on social net-

works, and more.

Social networks are not just a place to

“interact with your friends” or “have fun;” they are

also beneficial to your academics in the sense that

you can consult your classmates for help or to work

on assignments together. Perhaps everyone should

be exposed to some form of social network as it

could improve your grades, but remember to limit

yourself because if you spend too much time on

them, it could be the other way

around!

Volume XIII, issue iv

14 |

BIG BANG

STOP. FREEZE. SERIOUSLY. DROP IT AND

FREEZE! Those statements don’t apply to the Fire-

colored beetle Dendroides canadensis’ larva. In fact,

you could say that this interesting little larva has a

type of antifreeze on its surface. This little beetle

actually slows down water near the surface of its

skin! Is there an end to this madness? Do they make

antifreeze for cars by squishing this beetle? Well,

let’s first look a little closer at the antifreeze mole-

cule, threonine, in this larva.

Threonine is a triangular prism shaped mole-

cule that is placed at odd intervals in the epidermis

of Dendroides Canadensis; however, due to this ir-

regular placement, various parts of the threonine par-

ticle jut out of the larva’s epidermis. Due to not only

its shape, but also its placement at the epidermis, this

molecule acts as an antifreeze in not one, but two

ways, which makes it an antifreeze 10x - 100x more

potent than that of Arctic fish. But how does this in-

triguing mechanism work?

On a simple level, both factors encourage the

formation of nano ice crystals, but let’s first discuss

how the shape of threonine plays into its function as

an antifreezing agent. Threonine, like most proteins, is

a chain of amino acids – essentially a bunch of nitrate

(NO2) and carbboxylic acids (COOH) bound together

GEOFFREY CHING

An average woman says 7000 words per day. An average man says 2000.

IS THE FREEZING COLD BUGGING YOU?

January 24th

, 2013

| 15

CHEMISTRY

by more carbon and hydrogen. These chains roll up

and then attach to each other, exposing weak points

all over the proteins where bonds can be formed on

the outside of the protein structure – it is here that

nano ice particles are encouraged to form by the

threonine. But wait, isn’t the formation of nano ice

particles counterintuitive to the idea of an antifreez-

ing agent? Of course it is! Surprisingly enough, the

formation of nano ice particles does not encourage

more ice to form, but rather discourages formation of

any large ice particles on the surface of the Fire-

colored beetle.

But wait; there’s more! Just as with anything as

simple as threonine, there’s a catch – the structure of

threonine also encourages the formation of ice crys-

tals by slowing down water around the beetle larva!

To put things into perspective, the little bits of protein

jutting out from the larva’s skin erupt at irregular in-

tervals, and thus impede the movement of water. This

impediment allows for ice to form, as water flowing

quickly by the larva would otherwise have a difficult

time freezing onto the beetle’s skin. Therefore, the

Fire colored beetle’s formidable antifreeze powers

come from threonine in a manner that is twofold:

through providing places for nano ice particles to

latch onto and thus discourage large masses of ice

from forming, as well as impeding the flow of water

to ensure that ice does form and adhere to the

threonine.

With that nice, “simple” little bit of science

over with, we come to a point where we consider

what the implications of this discovery by Dr. Prof.

Martina Havenith of the University of Ruhr in Ger-

many are. In other words, what makes this anti-

freeze beetle special? Well, in the age of global

warming, there is a continuous search for organic

solutions to man-made materials; in fact, thanks to

chemistry, it may soon be true to say

that we defrost our cars not by anti-

freeze, no, but by beetlejuice.

Source: www.sciencedaily.com

The Romans used crushed mouse brains for tooth paste.

Volume XIII, issue iv

16 |

BIG BANG

This article will study the applications of group

theory in the study of music. It is based on an article

published on arXiv.org in 2008. No knowledge of ab-

stract algebra or music theory is assumed.

In music, there are twelve notes up to chang-

ing octaves, labelled by the letters and symbols C,

C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, B, and are ordered by

increasing frequency. The note after B is again C,

except in a higher octave. The same notes that are

from different octaves sound similar, so they are

identified. Now, associate each note (actually class of

notes) with an integer from 0 to 11. We can now add

integers to notes, taking the remainder when divided

by 12 after addition. This can be visualized using a 12

-sided polygon, known as a dodecagon. (refer to fig-

ure 1)

A triad is a set of three distinct notes. Among

those, a major triad is defined as the set {n, n+4, n+7},

and a minor triad is defined as the set {n, n+3, n+7},

where n is an arbitrary integer. Denote by S the set of

all major and minor triads. There are 12 choices for n,

and two choices for the type, making 24 triads in S.

In mathematics, with technicalities removed, a

symmetry is a transformation, which preserves an ob-

ject, and a group is a set of symmetries satisfying

some properties. There are three interesting symme-

tries of S, each transforming the left hand side to the

right hand side and vice versa:

P: {r, r+4, r+7}↔{r, r+3, r+7}

L: {r, r+4, r+7}↔{r-1, r+4, r+7}

R: {r, r+4, r+7}↔{r, r+4, r+9}

Each of them has order 2, meaning that applying the

operation twice produces the original triad. Define

the PLR-group as the set of all symmetries possible

formed by applying the above three transformations.

There are two interesting features about this group: it

is the same as the symmetry group of a regular do-

decagon, and it can be visualized as action on a torus.

The main idea of proving the first fact is due to

Beethoven. In his Ninth Symphony, there is a se-

quence of 19 chords, which can be extended to con-

tain all 24 triads in S. It is formed by starting from the

C-major, or {0,4,7}, and alternatively applying the R

and L operators:

C,a,F,d,A#,g,D#,c,G#,f,C#,a#,F#,d#,B,f#,E,c#,A,f#,D,b,G

,e,C

LEO LAI

Your thumb is the same length as your nose.

ALGEBRAIC MUSIC THEORY

January 24th

, 2013

| 17

Capital letters are major chords, and lowercase let-

ters are minor chords. This shows that there are at

least 24 elements in the PLR-group, and that (LR)

applied 12 times does nothing. Notice also from the

sequence that R(LR)(LR)(LR) has the same effect as P

on major chord. Since it has order 2, it must have the

same effect as P on minor chords. Therefore, R(LR)3=P, and the PLR-group is actually generated by L and

R. Let s=LR, t=L, then the above discussion shows

that s12

=t2=1, where 1 represents the identity trans-

formation.

In addition, tsts=L(LR)L(LR)=L2RL

2R=RR=1

by the order-2 property of L and R. We have there-

fore shown that the PLR-group can be generated by s

and t, satisfying the three relations s12

=t2=(ts)

2=1. A

theorem from the presentation of dihedral groups

proves that the PLR-group must be the symmetry

group of a regular dodecagon, meaning that for

every combination of the transformations P, L, and

R, one can construct a symmetry of a regular do-

decagon such that compositions within the PLR-

group corresponds to composition of the dodecagon

symmetries.

One can visualize the PLR-group action using a

tonnetz: represent each triad as a triangle so that

each vertex is labeled by a note in the triad. All ele-

ments of S can be arranged in the following way

(refer to figure 5):

The figure repeats itself when one travels along

any of the two families of slanted lines. Imagine roll-

ing it around one line to produce a cylinder. Rolling

the cylinder around the other line produces a torus,

(i.e. the surface of a donut), creating

the tonnetz. Under this scheme, the

above sequence of triads is a horizontal

path around the torus.

Source: Alissa S. Crans, Thomas M.

Fiore, Ramon Satyendra, arXiv.org: 0711.1873v2.

MATHEMATICS

A man produces 10 million sperms each day..

Volume XIII, issue iv

18 |

BIG BANG

ciency and advancement of knowl-

edge while Part II, Novum Or-

ganum Scientiarum (New Method),

provided the correct process for

interpreting nature. Bacon’s key

understanding was that knowledge

is power, and with it is the force

that drives history through techni-

cal inventions and mechanical dis-

coveries. Bacon’s approach re-

vealed the importance of experi-

mentation and interaction which

involved gathering, analyzing, and

experimenting to observe nature’s

truth known as the Baconian

method. Bacon wrote that his em-

pirical scientific method would

“eventually disclose and bring into

sight all that is most hidden and

secret in the universe."

In The Advancement of

Learning, Bacon notes the three

distempers of learning which ter-

Born on January 22, 1561,

Francis Bacon was an English law-

yer, statesman, essayist, and phi-

losopher. He is widely known for

his valuable and reformed sys-

tem, the Baconian method, in

which people question knowledge

through a rudimentary and em-

pirical approach for the advance-

ment of learning.

Bacon was determined to

alter the face of philosophy by

focusing on empirical scientific

methods that involved definite

proof while developing the basis

of applied science. Bacon in-

tended to write and publish a six-

part project, The Great Instaura-

tion, that would fully answer his

questions about philosophy. Out

of the six parts, only two parts

were fully completed. Part I of the

project, De Dignitate et Augmen-

tis Scientiarum (“Nine Books of

the Dignity and Advancement of

Learning”) explained the profi-

LUKE LIU

When you blush, the lining of your stomach also turns red.

BRINGING HOME THE “BACON”:

FRANCIS BACON (1561—1626)

January 24th

, 2013

| 19

minate the inquiry for real intelli-

gence and causes the knowledge to

be used with self implications:

1. Fantastical learning: modern

pseudo-science.

2. Aristotelian philosophy and the-

ology: nothing more than an end-

less

3. Delicate learning: mankind is

more concerned with eloquent

embellishments than with actual

ancient texts and the ways in

which they can help us

In Book II of Dignitate, Bacon

outlined a new division of human

intelligence into history, poesy, and

philosophy, and showed that phi-

losophy was most important out of

the three and in order for human-

ity to advance, philosophy needed

to be elevated. He claimed that

history was an annex of philosophy

and that poesy itself was an illus-

trative vehicle. Bacon introduced

the idea of progress that history

might be progressive.

Up until 1620, Francis Bacon

did not establish himself as a dis-

tinguishable philosopher of science

until he wrote Novum Or-

ganum. According to Bacon, be-

fore proceeding towards an investi-

gation, the inquirer is to free their

minds from so called “idols” which

deform the truth, after which

should the inquirer initiate on the

scientific method. Bacon identifies

four main “idols”, including “Idols

of the tribe” which are specific to

the human race; “Idols of the

cave”, distinctive among human

individuals; “Idols of the Market-

place”, from the misuse of lan-

guage; and finally “Idols of the

Theater”, which results from an

abuse of authority. Bacon’s scien-

tific method should begin with a

“Table of Investigation” and then

the “Table of Presence”, a list of

factors under which the event be-

ing studied occurred. It is followed

by the “Table of Absence in Prox-

imity”, used to identify sources of

error. The scientific method should

then proceed to “The Table of

Comparison” to compare and con-

trast the experiment. At the end of

all these steps, the observer should

try and conclude on the results.

Bacon was a dedicated man

to God. In his literary work The

New Atlantis, he explained his phi-

losophical and religious beliefs that

in order to reach Utopian stan-

dards, we must follow God and

move onward with science. He

strongly believed that God ac-

cepted scientific speculations be-

cause knowledge is divine and

technology created through God

helped eliminate human hard-

ships.

Francis Bacon spent most

of the remaining years of his life

still working through the six-part

project. He died on April 9, 1926

of pneumonia. Bacon’s contribu-

tion of empiricism and scientific

methods still live and are used

t o d a y e v e r y -

where. He is often

called the “father of

modern science.”

BIOGRAPHY

Sources:

www.spaceandmotion.com,

www.biography.com,

www.famousscientists.org,

www.iep.utm.edu,

www.debatenotes.pbworks.com

It rained frogs and toads in Serbia (2005) and London (1998).

Volume XIII, issue iv

20 |

BIG BANG

10. Predicted Actions and Improved Prosthetics

The intention of an action triggers blood flow to specific areas of the brain, and over time, the pat-

terns of blood’s route can be mapped through neuroimaging. According to researchers at the Univer-

sity of Western Ontario, this neuroimaging can be applied can be applied to improve the responses

of artificial body structures to brain signals, resulting in more naturally responding prosthetics.

Some top moments from 2012 include survival from Hollywood’s spawned apocalypse, skydivers surpassing

the speed of sound, and a heavily parodied exploration craft on the Red Planet. But those are things of the

past; we now look to the future and the Futurist magazine. This magazine forecasts events likely to happen in

the future. Without further delay into our precious time, let’s take a look at some of what the future may

hold.

8. Expanded Fish Farming Industry

Ecological engineers at SUNY are acting on their goal of lowering the cost of fish-farming while reduc-

ing waste by developing a commercially available aquaponic system that uses food leftovers to feed

tilapia and other delicious fish, whose waste can be used to grow vegetables.

9. Cars Producing Power Instead of Consuming

The idea of using fuel cells of parked electric vehicles to convert biogas or hydrogen into more elec-

tricity was formed by students at the Technology University of Delft. They also suggest that vehicle

owners could cash in on their electricity products, as they would be paid for the amount of energy

their vehicle produced.

TEN

NINE

EIGHT

GRACE NIE

Lightning can be fossilised. They are called Fulgurites.

TOP 10 PREDICTIONS FOR 2013

January 24th

, 2013

| 21

7. As Joblessness Increases, Work Increases

To combat the realization that many jobs will never return to the unemployed, tomorrow is predicted

to focus on developing skills to keep both employed and unemployed people productive. Financial

advisors stress that “it’ll be about finding out what other people need done, and doing it.”

6. 2020 - The Next Space Age

Various entrepreneurs are planning commercial launches in low-Earth orbits, to save travellers pre-

cious time by transporting them across the globe in just a few hours. In the upcoming years we are

faced with the task of developing such technology: within reasonable time limits (hence the predic-

tion of 2020) and gaining governing approval.

5. The Cloud will be smarter

The Cloud may no longer be just a place to store data, but also a place to analyze data and give advice.

Its agents may assist you in your day to day life by, for example, designing your family’s menu based

on everyone’s health profiles, fitness goals, and tastes, as predicted by Futurist consultants.

4. A New Importance of Reputation

Reputations of companies will be included in geographically-based information systems, increasing

both their value and availability. This can be defined by the word “rateocracy”, as described by man-

agement consultants. To be better understood by those not directly affiliated with corporates, an ex-

ample of active “rateocracy” involves choosing one restaurant over another when a device, capable

of augmented-reality, warns you about health-department citations or poor customer reviews.

3. Robots are the next grandmas

Japanese researchers are improving the RIBA II (Robot for Interactive Body Assistance) by covering its

arms and chest with sensors, allowing the robots to handle patients more gently; currently, the strug-

gle with lifting and transferring frailer patients lies within strong arms lacking sensitivity.

2. Use for “junk” energy

Georgia Tech researchers are working on techniques to convert microwave energy into DC power,

which can be used in devices like wireless sensors. At the University of Buffalo, physicists are studying

the usage of “excess” vibrations, on roads and airport runways, as an energy source.

1. A breathalyzer that does more

The Single Breath Disease Diagnostics Breathalyzer, developed at Stony Brook University, is a hand-

held device that may detect early body infections using sensor chips covered in nanowires installed to

detect chemical compounds-possibly indicating presence of specific microbes. This device

can be developed overtime to detect a variety of diseases, from lung cancer to anthrax

overexposure.

ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE SIX SEVEN

TOP TEN

Sources: www.wfs.org

Placing maggots in a wound helps speed up the healing process.

Volume XIII, issue iv

22 |

BIG BANG

GARY MOON

The world’s first nuclear reactor, built in 1942, was just about able to light a flashlight.

January 24th

, 2013

| 23

VIVIAN LI

ENTERTAINMENT

Diamonds are not the hardest substance known to man.

1

2

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