University of Leicester Open Journals
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P1 3 A Mistaken Man-Made Moon
No full textThere are currently around 15,000 satellites orbiting Earth, along with tens of thousands of other man-made objects; the total mass of these objects is estimated to be around 14,700 tonnes. It is calculated that, even in a worst case scenario of these objects accumulating near or on the surface of the Moon, the total disturbance in the Moon’s orbital period would be 1.42 ×10−7 s. For a 1 second change in the orbital period, a total mass of 1.04 ×1014 kg would be required, 6 million times more mass than is currently orbiting the planet
P5 2: The Laziest Student and Their Relativistic Pen
No full textIn this paper we will examine the hypothetical problem of how late a student could leave theirstudying for an entire MPhys degree at the University of Leicester, if they were in possession ofa pen able to write at relativistic speeds. After accounting for time dilation, we find that a penmoving just fast enough for relativistic effects to be apparent (v = 0.5c), would be observed totake an estimated 7.31 × 10-4 s to write notes on the entire degree
P3 2 Thermal Insulation of Hobbit Holes Comfort in the Shire
No full textThis paper analyses the thermal insulation of Bag End using precise scaling from Fonstad’s plan, yielding a total floor (and ceiling area) of 182 m2 with 208 m2 of lateral external wall area. With earth berm construction (R−value = 12.59 m2K/W) maintaining 293 K during the 263 K winters, steady-state heat loss is ∼ 760 W (4.2 W/m2 ). The long hallway contributes significantly to heat loss but burial depth and material selection enable sustainable heating with ∼ 18 kg of wood daily
A4 8 Nuclear Camera Disintegration
No full textThis paper examines the time it takes for a CMOS image sensor from a typical remote monitoring camera to cease functioning due to the radiative environment within a nuclear reactor. We have found that the total ionisation dose rate would make the device stop working at ≈ 3.3 hours, whilst the effects of displacement damage from neutrons would be ≈ 2.1 hours. The internal environment of a nuclear reactor is lethal to semiconductor electronics, and it shortens the lifetime of digital devices
P3 8 Should've put an electric ring on it
No full textThis paper investigates the viability of generating a man-made magnetic field using the circular wire current loop around the Earth's equator, to produce an equal magnetic field to Earth would require an amperage of 1.29x109 A to produce, possessing a current density of 4.11x 108 Am-2 and ohmic heating per unit volume to be 2.71x109 Wm-3
Informing Student Support Mechanisms through Measurement of Student Confidence in Core Chemistry Topics
No full textTo inform strategies for providing effective student support in the early stages of a chemistry degree programme, a longitudinal study of first year chemistry student confidence levels in core topics was conducted at three points over a one-year period. A student-staff team co-created a confidence matrix that was used as the basis of the study. Students were asked to rate their confidence level in each of twenty core chemistry skills on a three-point scale. Student responses were converted into a normalised confidence score for each individual and each skill. The initial collection of data (at the start of the academic year) showed that the lowest student confidence levels were in Physical Chemistry topics. There were statistically significant increases in confidence levels in half of the skills following instruction. Analysis of the data collected suggests that the ability of some students to engage with the metacognitive processes necessary to complete this type of reflective exercise may improve over the course of their first year of study
Participatory Accessibility in Museums: The Case of the Murney Tower Museum’s Audio Tour
No full textMuseums around the world are increasingly developing new assistive tools and digital technologies to improve access to their spaces and accommodate the needs of disabled individuals. Despite the growing recognition of issues of accessibility in museums, most initiatives are developed without the active participation of those intended to benefit from these projects, including individuals with disabilities (Park et al. 2015; Wilson et al. 2018). As a result, participatory accessibility remains a largely overlooked area both within museum literature and museum practice. Using the Murney Tower Museum’s participatory audio tour project as a case study, this paper offers insights into participatory accessibility design in museums, and reveals the social, cultural and institutional implicationsof this approach to design. Through a detailed analysis of the museum’s threestep audio tour project, the paper argues that accessibility initiatives which are developed with the active participation of disabled people and other target audiences, may create better results in facilitating greater access to museums and cultural spaces
Culturally appropriate social inclusion: Insights from the Chinese museum context
No full textSocial inclusion, defined as a suite of socially related issues and concerns encompassing access, equity, and social justice, transpires in culturally distinct ways. Through a deeply grounded investigation of the dynamics of inclusion in museums in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), I draw upon Christina Kreps’ concept of culturally appropriate museology, probing the possibilities inherent in her approach. I demonstrate that museum practitioners in the PRC are finding culturally appropriate and politically prudent solutions to complex and interlinked concerns around inclusion, especially in relation to young people. Drawing from the Chinese Communist Party’s campaigns of cultural nationalism and the alleviation of poverty, I show how practitioners employ strategies that seek to foster belonging and build cultural capital. Analysing examples of culturally appropriate inclusive practice that challenges the severe stigma of disability in China, I examine the ways that museums remove barriers to access while also providing equity of experience and pursuing social justice for disabled people. By surfacing the unique and situated ways in which inclusive work takes place in China, this study both illuminates and complicates our understanding of inclusion and its possibilities in diverse settings. It also shows how Kreps’ concept of culturally appropriate museology can be extended, enriched, and reframed to evidence its relevance in elucidating a wide range of museological practices and cultural settings
A5 1 Habitable Zones in the Extreme Environments of Active Galactic Nuclei
No full textWe investigate the plausibility of habitable planets orbiting Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN), powered by accreting supermassive black holes (SMBHs). Using a simplified model, we estimate the location of a habitable zone around a low-mass SMBH of 1.6×10^5 M⊙ , where conditions may allow liquid water to exist on a planetary surface. By calculating orbital distances that would result in temperatures conducive to habitability, we demonstrate that under certain optimistic assumptions, planets could maintain life-sustaining conditions in the extreme environment near an AGN
A4 1 Relativistic view of Alice in Wonderland
No full textThis paper investigates whether the temporal discrepancy Alice experiences in Wonderland (2010 film) relative to the real world could be explained by special or general relativity. Special relativity requires Wonderland to be moving at ≈ 99.99% the speed of light, an implausible cinematic scenario unless she is moving at a state of rest alongside everything around her. General relativity calculations a planet with either a lethal surface gravity (≈ 7×10 9 ms -2) or a radius (≈ 9×10 -3 m) approaching its Schwarzschild radius (a black hole). Our analysis concludes that the observed time dilation in the film is incompatible with the principles of special or general relativity under realistic conditions