For the Love of Physics (50 page)

microwave radiation,
190

Milky Way galaxy,
2
,
5
,
33
,
203

black hole of,
226
,
245

radio wave emissions in,
190

Millennium Bridge,
124

Miller, Jon,
234

MIT World,
134

molecules,
6
,
60
,
131

Mondrian, Piet,
265
–66,
268

Monet, Claude,
267
,
268

monopoles,
165
–66

Monroe, Marilyn,
268

Moon,
3
,
17
,
41
,
49
,
50
–51,
227
,
233
,
236
,
244

angular size of,
30

calculating distance of,
282
–83

gravitational acceleration of,
172

gravitational attraction and,
39

in occultation of Crab Nebula,
197
–98

as vacuum,
107

X-rays from,
193
–94

motion, converting energy into:

levitation demonstration of,
161
–62

motors and,
157
,
159
–61

torque and,
157
–58,
159

see also
Newton’s laws

motors,
157

building,
159
–61

homopolar,
161

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus,
117

M-theory,
23

Murdin, Paul,
241
–42

music,
103

harmonics in,
114

MXB 1636-53 (X-ray source),
254
–55,
257

MXB 1659-29 (X-ray source),
250

MXB 1730-335 (X-ray source),
252
–53

MXB 1735-44 (X-ray source),
254
–55

nanometers,
105

Napoleon I, Emperor of France,
141

NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration),
17
,
24
,
99
,
193
,
202
,
206
,
213
,
251
,
258

National Science Foundation,
203

natural philosophy,
126

natural selection,
34

Nature
,
241
,
255

Naval Research Laboratory,
195

neon,
219

Netherlands,
1
,
10
,
155
,
158
,
201

neutrinos,
6
,
116
,
220
–21

thermal,
221

neutrino telescopes,
190

neutrons,
9
,
130
,
197
,
220
–21

in core-collapse supernova,
221
–22

in plasma,
107

neutron stars,
172
–73,
192
,
226
,
230
,
235
,
251
,
257

in binary systems,
239
–40,
242
–45

in core-collapse supernova,
217
,
219
–21

of Crab Nebula,
224

discovery of,
217

lighthouse effect of,
225

magnetic field of,
224

magnetic poles of,
245

as pulsars,
224
–25

rotation of,
224
–25

size of,
223
–24

supernova and,
197
,
217
–20,
221

surface temperature of,
217

X-ray heating of,
246

New Generation Energy,
186

Newton, Isaac,
xiv
,
9
,
21
,
39
,
41
,
44
,
48
,
49
–50,
58
,
79
,
94
,
126
,
146
,
165
,
166
,
189
,
244
,
261
,
268
,
280
,
284

achievements of,
38
,
51

light prism of,
80

newton (unit of force),
40

Newton’s laws,
38
–48,
58
,
172
,
269

calculating distance between Earth and Moon with,
282
–83

calculating mass with,
281
–84

calculating orbital periods with,
279
–81

first (law of inertia),
38
–39,
51

free fall and,
47
–48

gravitational acceleration and,
40
–43

impact of,
50
–51

second (calculation of force),
39
–43, 46

third (acceleration),
46
–48,
56

and universal law of gravitation,
49
–51

weightlessness and,
47
–48

New York, N.Y.,
72

New York Times
,
x

nickel,
151

nitrogen,
153

Nobel Prize,
167
,
217

nodes,
111

nonconductors,
128
–29,
131
–32,
136

Norma (constellation),
195

northern lights (aurora borealis),
10
,
153
–54,
245

note-pairing,
114

nuclear decay,
7
–8

nuclear energy,
183
–85

nuclear fission,
183
–85,
186
–87,
218

nuclear fusion,
186
–87,
188
,
219
,
223
,
251

in stars,
218

nuclear reactors,
170
,
183
–85

Obama, Barack,
181
,
190

oboe,
112
,
119

occultation,
197

octaves,
114

oil embargo,
181

Olympic Games of 1972,
264

Oort, Jan,
201
–2

OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries),
181

Opticks
(Newton),
80

orbital plane,
29

Orion (constellation),
237

Orosz, Jerry,
242

oscilloscope,
115
,
118

Ørsted, Hans Christian,
155
–56

Ørsted satellite,
153

Overbeck, Jim,
200

overtones,
112

oxygen,
6
–7,
107
,
151
,
153
,
219

in magnetite,
150

ozone and,
144
–45

paddle wheel,
174
–75

Paik, Nam June,
150

Paolini, Frank,
193
,
195

Paradijs, Jan van,
255
,
257

parallax,
28
–31,
33
,
34
,
36

parallax angle,
28
–30

paramagnetic materials,
151

Pascal, Blaise,
66
,
126

Pauli, Wolfgang,
268

PBS,
23

Pederson, Holger,
257

pendulums,
52
–55

air drag (friction) and,
52