E=MC2 ... Let's Have Little Fun!

Hi everyone, and thanks for stopping by the Official A to Z Challenge Website. My name is Stephen Tremp and I post here every 1st and 3rd Thursday of every month with something fun, different, and exciting in the world of science.

Today I thought we’d have a little fun with a Mass to Energy Calculator and get a peek into Einstein’s famous equation E=mc². According to Einstein's Theory of Relativity, matter and energy are simply different forms of the same thing. Energy can be turned into matter, and matter back into energy. Pretty cool stuff. But wait, there's more!

Energy is equal to matter times the speed of light squared. We don't have space to go into what this means, but think that multiplying a small unit of mass by 186,000 miles a second or 700 million miles an hour. It doesn't take an Einstein to make the connection this is a very powerful number.

Example: If you consider all the energy in the full kilogram of water, which contains hydrogen and oxygen atoms, Einstein's formula tells us the amount of energy this mass would be equivalent to is the total energy close to 10 million gallons of gasoline. Now that's a lot of energy!

Fun Facts: Check out this Mass To Energy Calculator (you’ll have to scroll down a bit) to show the amount of energy if a particular quantity of matter were completely converted to energy. For example, one pound of mass has the potential to release almost 10 megatons of TNT. 100 pounds = 974 megatons of TNT (a megaton is one million tons).

Take a few moments and plug is some numbers. You can quickly begin to see the awesome and amazing power available in our world.

Question: Should we pursue methods to convert mass to energy more efficiently (current methods are coal, oil, nuclear plants)? Or do recent events in Japan tell us we should proceed with caution or stop for a while?

If you feel this blog is worthy, please select the appropriate icon below such as Twitter. And as always, thanks for stopping by and supporting the A to Z Challenge Website throughout the year!

Stephen Tremp, author of BREAKTHROUGH and OPENING, blogs at Breakthrough Blogs. Stop by and say hello. And feel free to Tweet this post if you think it is worthy.

Post A-to-Z Road Trip Check-in (Rest Stop)

Hello out there in Blog-Land!  Hopefully, everyone has recovered in full from the A-to-Z Challenge and is busy enjoying their summer (or winter, for those of you in the southern hemisphere).  

We're well aware that summer is a busy time, so the Post A-to-Z Road Trip is meant to be nice and laid back.  We're a couple weeks in, though, so how about a quick check-in to see if anyone's making any progress?  Even if you've visited one blog, that's progress!  Everyone's got to stop at a rest stop on a road trip, so this is rest stop number one.  Time to kick the tires, check the oil and clean those bugs off the windshield.

I'm not going to lie.  I'm still trying to catch up with the comments on my blog.  School's out, my kids are home, and we are keeping busy, which is wonderful.  Also, I started a new novel!  Yay!  On top of that, Tina and I are both participating in BuNoWriMo (thus starting a new novel!)  So I am, admittedly, busy, and I know I'm not the only one.  I have gotten through a couple blogs when I've had a little bit of time here or there, and I'm still delighted with new blogs I'm finding.  However, it's a slow process.

So...check in!  Let us know if you've been road tripping.  Have you discovered any blogs you'd like to share?  Feel free to do so in the comments.  Also, we'd love to hear how June is treating you.  Anything interesting or fun to report?  Any big plans? 

Now pass me another pina colada and the map; I need to figure out where I'm heading to next.

Your Post A-to-Z Road Trip Hostesses,

Shannon L.
The Warrior Muse

&

Tina D.
Life is Good

The Art of Seeing the Invisible

Badge design by Ada Z from Collagepodge.com

         I had intended to go into depth about my proposal presented in last week's post, but have since decided to put this on hold.  There were so many wildly varying interpretations in the comments and from input I received elsewhere that I came to some realizations that I won't explain at this time.   I thank all of you who provided input in last week's comment section and a special thanks to those who answered my request for some evaluation of what they thought was going on in last week's post and the ensuing comments.

        As I mentioned in one of my comment replies, I will present a simplified outline of my proposal to see if that offers any clarification.

Here is the process as I envision it:

• Simple registration for screening and classification purposes.
• Registrants are collected into one master list through which all screened links can be accessed.
• Sub-lists that are derived from master list and divided into categories will appear in separate locations for those who prefer more definition in what blogs are.
• Due to the better organization, list can be accessed according to alphabetical, topical, audience rating, and other methods of approach.

      

        Some of you felt that my suggested method would create too much work for the administrators.  There were also mentions related to the complexity of maintaining multiple lists.   The point of my proposal is to address these concerns.   The primary work would be programming the system that would automatically administer the list.   Once the system were in place the list, the categorization, the screening, and the cleaning would mostly manage itself if done correctly, with minimal overseeing by administrators.  My goal is more efficiency, greater ease of use, and less maintenance.

        That's my vision at least.   I think some of you saw what I was seeing or something near to it.   It's something that will require more thought.   I continue to be open to questions and suggestions.  Ideas?

"Create your future from your future, not your past.”

— Werner Erhard

Please Be sure to check out Tossing It Out for a big announcement.

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Alphabet Soup - Theatrical Title Twisters

This post is brought to you by Nicole from The Madlab Post...

It’s time for Alphabet Soup - The Word Scramble Puzzle of A to Z Wizards!

Did you know? - Although thousands of movies are made each year, many of them are never shown in a public theater before being exhibited on television or other entertainment platforms. The black-and-white romance film “For Lovers Only” was released on iTunes and VOD cable; Disney’s animated film “The Return of Jafar” was a direct-to-video release as opposed to “Aladdin,” earned over $500 million in box office revenue worldwide.

So today, T is for Theatrical Titles -- let’s play!

Unscramble the following titles of movies starting with Letter T that received a theatrical release. The first commenter who has unscrambled all of them, or who has unscrambled the most at best, wins this week’s Alphabet Soup game. Answers and the name of the winner will be posted here at the A to Z blog during next week’s “Friday Fun Time.” 

1

eT toinTrehrma

2

orfearssmTrn

3

reanpotrTsr The

4

Titgainnrspto

5

Tdngael

6

rakesT

7

odineu TrrcThp

8

rsiTo

Tina at Life is Good currently leads as the Alphabet Wizard, based on her win from the previous Jumbled Jungle of Js word scramble. Will any of you succeed in topping her unscrambling wizardry this weekend? We shall find out!

Need some extra blogging motivation? Sign up for the Monday Movie Meme, a weekly writing and memory activity that will have you thinking about movies in a whole new light. New topics are posted every Monday!

NICOLE
Read The Madlab Post.
Find/Follow/RT @MadlabPost on Twitter.

Special Challenge Participant Feature – Stormy the Weather Gnome!

During the Challenge, Stormy took us on a hilarious adventure. (For those who missed it, go visit Heather Gardner’s site, The Waiting is the Hardest Part.) I wanted to find out more about Gnome behind the Indiana Jones outfit and asked Stormy to join us here today!

Stormy, tell us what you did for the A to Z Challenge?

Well, Alex, let me first just say thanks for having me today.

I mostly just took others on a tour of my daily life. I travel extensively and have a very exciting lifestyle. I just wanted to share what it’s like to, you know, be me.

What was your favorite adventure?

It’s really a toss-up between climbing the Matterhorn and being a guest on Survivor. I certainly am a lucky gnome to experience any of my adventures.

You went on a date during the Challenge that didn’t go well. Who will you ask out next?

Yeah. If anyone knows anything about restraining orders please send me an email.

I’m actually interested in asking out this gargoyle I met. She’s not the prettiest or the most talkative but she doesn’t have a trunk load of emotional baggage either, if you know what I mean.

How do you know so much about the weather?

Like any weather gnome worth his salt, I graduated from the International Weather Institute. Actually I’m joking, there’s no such place.

I just stand outside in the weather a lot and you get to be familiar with things after a while.

Ever suffered from foot fungus, mold, or moss?

Who told you about the moss? It’s no big deal really. Some ointment and a little oil based paint and it’ll clear right up.

What did you think of the movie Gnomeo and Juliet?

To be honest, I haven’t seen it. There was this huge, you know, Union thing with the gnomes and the movie studio. It was like a hot mess.

What character would you like to be in a movie?

I don’t think there’s doubt in anyone’s mind that I could be the next 007.

What was your scariest moment?

To be honest, it was trying to tame all those tigers. When that rare gray & white tiger attacked I thought I was a gnoner!

What was one adventure you didn’t get to complete for the A to Z Challenge?

I really wanted to go surfing. Catch a wave. Hang two. It would have been a blast.

Will you participate in the A to Z Challenge again?

I might. I could come up with Stormy’s Bucket List and do all the things I haven’t tried yet. Ride a Harley. Jump from an airplane. Kiss a girl gnome.

What’s next for Stormy?

Really, I’m just waiting and hoping for that next big weather event. Maybe I’ll head out west and chase a storm or two. Maybe take a walk on the wild side and catch up with El Nino and La Nina! Or maybe, I’ll just take a nap!

Thanks, Stormy! Be sure to visit Stormy and Heather at The Waiting is the Hardest Part.
 
Co-host Ninja Captain Alex is the author of CassaStar and CassaFire and his blog can be found HERE