By: Jim Virkler; ©2009 We referred to the laws of nature in a previous post, somewhat lightly, as “rules of the game.” These laws, or rules, have their basis in…
By: Jim Virkler; ©2009 Not surprisingly, theories and laws of science do not rise to the level of curiosity and fascination for most people who are content to defer to…
By: Jim Virkler; ©2009 Our recent posts on physical constants take me back several decades in my teaching career. One summer, after returning from a trip to the western states,…
By: Jim Virkler; ©2009 Our last post mentioned “physical constants” as analogues to football’s “rules of the game.” Encyclopedia Britannica defines physical constants as fundamental, invariant quantities observed in nature.…
By: Jim Virkler; ©2009 Over the years my enjoyment of the game of football has been increasing. This game offers a level of complexity which I had not recognized in…
By: Jim Virkler; ©2009 Two centuries ago, many believed that theology was the “queen of the sciences.” Tacit acceptance of this belief by a substantial segment of the populace began…
By: Jim Virkler; ©2009 The popular expression “Looking at things from 30,000 feet” implies the handicaps of missing the broad perspective. Another way to express the same thought would be…
By: Jim Virkler; ©2009 As a pre-teen in central New York State, I frequently observed a scientific principle at work without being aware that it was, indeed, a scientific principle.…
By: Jim Virkler; ©2009 Those who search for mineral and energy wealth in Israel sometimes quote Bible passages such as Genesis 49:25, where Jacob, at the end of his life,…
By: Jim Virkler; ©2009 Two major water bodies in Israel, the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea, have the lowest elevations of any water bodies on earth. Lake Tiberias,…
