POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OFOFOF THETHETHE PHILIPPINES PHILIPPINES PHILIPPINES ̊̊̊ COLLEGE COLLEGE COLLEGE OFOFOF SCIENCE SCIENCE SCIENCE ̊̊̊ DEPARTMENT DEPARTMENT DEPARTMENT OFOFOF PHYSICAL SCIENCESPHYSICAL SCIENCESPHYSICAL SCIENCES
Volume 1Volume 1Volume 1◦ ◦ ◦ Issue 1Issue 1Issue 1◦◦◦ THE OFFICIAL NEWS MAGAZINE OF THE PUP PHYSICS SOCIETY THE OFFICIAL NEWS MAGAZINE OF THE PUP PHYSICS SOCIETY THE OFFICIAL NEWS MAGAZINE OF THE PUP PHYSICS SOCIETY ◦◦◦JanuaryJanuaryJanuary—June 2011June 2011June 2011
Physics is everything. A requirement of life. The key to excellence.
The path that gives light to everyone. It reflects to-tality. It brings anybody
to higher excitation level either in
medicine, education, Industry, and
research.
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1st Prize
DOSTDOSTDOST PNRIPNRIPNRI NIPNIPNIP NISMEDNISMEDNISMED PAGASAPAGASAPAGASA PHILVOCSPHILVOCSPHILVOCS St. LUKESSt. LUKESSt. LUKES DENRDENRDENR
Engineers andEngineers andEngineers and TechnologistsTechnologistsTechnologists MedicalMedicalMedical
ProfessionalsProfessionalsProfessionals
Government and Corporate Government and Corporate Government and Corporate Other Other Other ScientistsScientistsScientists
PHYSIC IST
PHYSIC IST
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ISSN ISSN ISSN 224322432243---852185218521
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Converging Relative Minds
January—June 2011
QuantumQuantumQuantum
I consider the publication of the maiden issue of QuantumQuantumQuantumQuantum as one of the major achievements of the PUP Physics Society. This official news magazine that features inspiring articles ignites the desire of BS Physics students to become great scientists who will serve as pillars in na-tion building.
To editorial staff and adviser of QuantumQuantumQuantumQuantum, as well as to the officers and members of PhySoc, MY CONGRATULATIONS. You have proven that in unity there is strength and power. Let QuantumQuantumQuantumQuantum be an instrument in bringing out the best in everyone of you. Keep on promoting the importance of Physics in this modern world of technology.
DR. EVELYN M. MATCHETE Chairperson, Department of Physical Sciences
QUANTUM
Converging Relative Minds
Dr. Zenaida R. Sarmiento
Dr. Evelyn M. Matchete
Dr. Edgardo A. Latoza
Publication Consultants
Ron Louie G. Palacio
Editor-in-Chief
Debbie V. Velasquez
Managing Editor
Lorenzo P. Lopez Jr.
Associate Editor
Ma. Angela B. Faustino
Feature Editor
Jona Mae M. Dalisay
Copy Editor
Ricky G. Ampoloquio
Cartoonist
Mr. Reynold V. Luna
Publication Adviser
ABOUT THE
COVER
What lies ahead
the BS Physics
Program? Well,
this is the
answer.
Annaliza M. Amo, Ronald A. Anonuevo,
Jocel B. Bartolay, Aldrin S. Bendal,
John Paul A. Besagas, Debinya B. Buenafe,
Michaelray Cainglet, Joseph A. De Mesa,
Ryan T. Diocampo, Kevin P. Domingo, April
Angelique E. Dominguiano, Kate Ann R.
Esguerra, Jobelle J. Gimeno, Roma S. Lopez,
Rheymar T. Morales, Micah Ann G. Padua,
John Patrick L. Porcadilla, Louie Jane R.
Rico, Arianne Gail S. Rivera,
Bhenz Rodriguez, Yuta Louie Rola,
Joniel F. Rumbawa,
Kerve M. Supnet, and Karlo J. Timbal
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Co
nce
pt
by
: A
rve
n I
. C
afe
I congratulate the Physics Society in coming up with its
official news magazine, Quantum.Quantum.Quantum.Quantum.
This is a venue where the physics students can express
their ideas, display their accomplishments and share their knowl-
edge and research findings on how valuable physics is on the
lives of men and their well-being. Quantum, Quantum, Quantum, Quantum, the magazine, is an innovative move to-
wards encouraging students to be interested in physics and go into this field. To the men
and women who never get tired in providing guidance and support to our physics society,
may your tribe increase. To the editorial staff of the Quantum, Quantum, Quantum, Quantum, keep up the good work
and more power!
2
DR. ZENAIDA R. SARMIENTO Dean, College of Science
MR. REYNOLD V. LUNA Adviser, Quantum
It is with great pride that the Physics Society is pre-
senting this 1st issue of its news magazine, the Quantum. Quantum. Quantum. Quantum. This
material is a product of the collaborative efforts of the society
members, the PUP physics students and faculty who all recog-
nize the value of physics in man’s life. The articles published
here are expected to awaken the students’ interest in this
branch of science.
I would like to thank the editorial staff of the Quantum Quantum Quantum Quantum and those who made
this publication possible. To the PUP administration, please accept our endless appre-
ciation to your support to the cause of our Physics Society.
January—June 2011
Message from the Dean 2
The Chairperson of the Department of Physical Sciences 2 The Quantum Adviser 2 Advanced Physics Training: Its Probability and Advantage 3
News
PhySoc Ushers Head Start 2011 4 CS Holds Recognition Day 4 SMPP Accredits PhySoc 4 Physics 3-Day Sale 5 Year End Means New Beginning 5
Basic Mass Integration 6
PhySoc Holds Freshmen Orientation 6
ASTROCAMP and NIP HOUSE Tour 7
PhySoc Amazing Race Held 7
PhySoc at 13: A Total Maturity 8 Swim for Fun 9 New Materials for Future Physicists 9 PhySoc Academic Achievers 9
Opinions
PAGASA: Boon or Bane? 10 Physics Society: Continuing … 10 Weather Forecasting… 11
Features
Don’t Call Him Sir 12 SHIELD: Clash of the Houses 13 Jr. Agham Meets the Nation 14
Convection and an Insight to the RB Planet 14 PhySoc SWORD Strikes for Excellence 15 Is Planking Fascinating 15 Physics First Class 16 DOTA: Physics Mode 17 Fear Not: Radioactivity. 17 X-Men: First Class 18
Literary
Love is Like… 19 Tomorrow’s SketchUp 19 NIPians 20 Breaking the Egg Shell 21 Game Over! 22 Dalawang Taong Paglalakbay 22 A Physicist 23 Nature’s Blessings 23 Liknayismo 23 Pagtupad sa Pangarap 23
Researches
Fabrication and Characterization of… 24 Shattered Glass Door Probe… 26 Freezing Hot Water 26 Pendulum 26 In Furnace! 27
Notes
My hymn, My discipline 28 PhySoc Kasama Mo 28
QuantumQuantumQuantum
Quantum is a semi-annual news magazine of the PUP Physics Society. Any con-
tributions, suggestions/comments can be forwarded to the editorial board at N609 6th
Floor of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines. Look for Ron Louie G. Palacio.
Contact information
E-mail: [email protected]
Mobile no.: 09176081964
Landline no.: 716-78-32 to 45
VISIONVISION
QuantumQuantum, the official publication of the PUP Physics Society, envisions itself in becoming , the official publication of the PUP Physics Society, envisions itself in becoming
an avenue to relay news and information about the local and international physics com-an avenue to relay news and information about the local and international physics com-
munities.munities.
MISSIONMISSION
QuantumQuantum commits itself to provide students with information through unbiased journal-commits itself to provide students with information through unbiased journal-
ism and relevant news and features in science community and researches.ism and relevant news and features in science community and researches.
The relative importance of teaching in the physics enter-
prise has increased dramatically in recent years. A larger fraction of
available academic positions requires people inclined to teaching-
science –related courses and subjects, physics, among others. Even
at research universities, science teaching is now playing a larger role in promotions and
tenure decisions. In this brave new world, a physics graduate student who aspires for an
academic career dares not neglect his graduate training to enhance his teaching capabil-
ity and experience.
Physics is an excellent career major. The key to a successful career in these
changing and unpredictable times is flexibility, that is, the ability to adjust one’s career to
technological and societal changes. Most of what one learns or achieves in physics is
fundamental and enduring. The processes by which science in general and physics in
particular should be taught demand advanced training. The ability to analyze physical
situations in quantitative terms, the mastery of sophisticated mathematical analytical
methods, the skills necessary to handle and use a wide variety of measuring instruments,
the applicability of physics laws and principles in dealing with life and the considerable
capacity to use computers and other modern technology will definitely provide the
knowledge-provider or the instructor, the confidence and enthusiasm to share himself
his skill, knowledge and experience, and thus, contribute to the development of future
Filipino scientists or science-inclined students.
The Polytechnic University of the Philippines is very much in a position to de-
velop further physics-trained individuals. It can offer an advanced course in physics, spe-
cifically through its Graduate School and Open University. Technologies as the internet,
videotape, telephone and the like are easily accessible nowadays, be it at house or in
school. Appropriate skills, competencies and desirable values can be developed thus
boosting the teaching capability of the concerned professionals, the physicists. This train-
ing is advantageous for it will redound to better-trained students who can contribute
and become assets to the nation.
Take affordable advanced training in Physics and make the difference in nation-
building.
Ad v a n c e d P h y s i c s T r a i n i n g : A d v a n c e d P h y s i c s T r a i n i n g : A d v a n c e d P h y s i c s T r a i n i n g : A d v a n c e d P h y s i c s T r a i n i n g :
I t s P r o b a b i l i t y a n d Ad v a n t a g eI t s P r o b a b i l i t y a n d Ad v a n t a g eI t s P r o b a b i l i t y a n d Ad v a n t a g eI t s P r o b a b i l i t y a n d Ad v a n t a g e
DR. EDGARDO A. LATOZA
3
January—June 2011
SMPP Accredits PhySoc
Manila City-April 30, 2011, the
Polytechnic University of the
Philippines Physics Society
(PhySoc) went to the Samahan
ng Mag-aaral sa Pagpapaunlad
ng Pisika (SMPP) for the ac-
creditation of the society. Jowi
P. Cruz started the presenta-
tion by introducing the univer-
sities to the panel schools: De
La Salle University (DLSU) in
Manila, University of Sto.
Tomas (UST), Ateneo De Ma-
nila University (ADMU) and
University of the Philippines
(UP). The PUP Physics Society
was presented by its president
and vice president ,Kate Ann R.
Esguerra and Lorenzo P. Lopez
Jr., respectively. Then, after a
long time of waiting for the
decision they announced that
PhySoc has been formally ac-
credited under one year pro-
bation.
After the schools’
accreditation, the SMPP de-
cided to proceed to the new
phase of law-making and revi-
sions in its constitution.
This is just the begin-
ning of how we can supervise
the next set of officers next
school annum to continue
achieving the goals and objec-
tives of the society.
-KERVE M. SUPNET
QuantumQuantumQuantum N ew sN ew sN ew s
4
The PUP Physics Society, PhySoc, held
its first activity in this school annum as Head
Start 2011: The Physics Society’s Team Building
with the theme, “Firing Up and Keeping the Mo-
mentum of Excellence in Passion in Leadership”.
The event was conducted last May 14,
Saturday, at Tierra
Fontana 12 Waves
Resort in the city of
San Jose del Monte,
Bulacan. The pro-
gram started with an
opening remark
from the former
society vice presi-
dent, Ms. Lara Jen-
ina A. Gianan, fol-
lowed by a trivia
game- Name Your
Name.
The first talk, given by Hernanie T. Sala-
zar Jr., focused on how to develop leadership
within oneself. He pointed out the keys in suc-
cessful leading as he cited some influential peo-
ple of the history. He also stressed the differ-
ence between management and leadership.
The PhySoc’s former president, Mr.
Raymond C. Ordinario, focused on leadership in
the academe and real world. He broad it up with
the characteristics of a leader and discussed
some leadership styles from his experiences as
the PhySoc president during his term with
bunches of advise for the current officers. He
also gave emphasis on problems that arose in his
term and how he solved them.
Ms. Gianan
discussed the types of
leaders with their
functions. In this con-
nection, she ad-
dressed the reorgani-
zation in the Society.
As an appli-
cation of leadership
talks, games swal-
lowed the whole day.
Team 4 (composed of
Annaliza M. Amo,
Noel Jesus Oliver Jr.,
Ma. Regina Ilarde, Joniel F. Rumbawa, and Karen
Luz Penetrante) was the overall champion.
Participants were given the chance to express their
sparks in leadership through a project planning
workshop and a Tug-of-war game.
The program ended with the awarding of
certificates and tokens to the speakers as formally
closed by the current PhySoc president, Kate Ann R.
Esguerra.
Fire Up. Fire Up. PhySoc with Mr. Reynold V. Luna during the PhySoc with Mr. Reynold V. Luna during the
Team Building at Tierra Fontana.Team Building at Tierra Fontana.
DEBBIE V. VELASQUEZ
College of Science Recognition Day for
school year 2010-2011 was carried out on March
22, 2011 at the Bulwagang Bonifacio, Ninoy
Aquino Library and Learning Resource
Center of the main campus of Poly-
technic University of the Philippines.
The said program was
headed by the dean of CS, Dr.
Zenaida R. Sarmiento; and the chair-
persons of the college, Dr. Evelyn M.
Machete of the Department of Physi-
cal Sciences, Dr. Lourdes V. Alvarez of
the Department of Biology, Prof. Ber-
nadeth Nobles of the Department of
Mathematics and Statistics, with the
participation of the science faculty.
During the event, Mr. Jeffrey C. de Vero,
a research associate of the University of the Phil-
ippines Diliman Photonics Research Laboratory
and also a member of CS faculty
gave an inspirational talk. He shared
some of his experiences when he
was a BS Physics student of the col-
lege and delivered motivating mes-
sages.
Mr. De Vero’s talk was fol-
lowed by the awarding of students
who achieved academic excellence
and shown good performances and
leadership. This included giving of spe-
cial awards to those who won the uni-
continued on page 9
Official logo of the College of
Science
This activity is the be-
ginning of a year of excellence
for the society as it lights up
the path towards totality.
JOHN PAUL A. BESAGAS
January—June 2011
QuantumQuantumQuantum
5
Day 1. To open the wholeness of Physics Days, a blissful
mass headed by the
University pastor was
held at the PUP inter-
faith chapel. Right af-
ter, a parade was
formed highlighting
physics advocacies be-
tween the hous” e divi-
sions: Einstein, New-
ton, Galileo and Max-
well. Continuing the
day, an activity called
“Physikalan”, a sports
event was set with
games such as Dragon Head and Tail, Patintero, Dodge Ball, and
Agawan Base.
Day 2. An exhibit was organized by the society inviting
all students and professors. This shared the full spectrum of Phys-
ics with its blasting set-up of experiments and presentation. With
ample time, continuity games were battled. The brainiac game
chess was held at the University freedom park with human
pieces. Another was the Treasure Hunting Quest with gold boxes
giving Physics puzzles before garnering their fortunes.
Day 3. It was a battle between brains and beauties. On the first
half of the day, an Academic Contest was held at the E611 labora-
tory with participants grouped from all year levels. The team of
Angelie J. Liamzon conquered the outrage of mathematical and
conceptual Physics. The “Little Mr. and Ms. Physics” started late
afternoon. It was attended by Dr. Edgardo A. Latoza, Assistant to
the Vice President for Student Services, and other Society presi-
dents from the College of Science as honorary judges. To crack
the ennui, a forthcoming singing competition served as the inter-
mission. Noel Jesus Oliver Jr. and Micah Ann G. Padua won the
said pageant, and
Dan Estrella and
Jemerleene Ox-
ciano got the
peak of singing
notes.
The 3-
Day activity
though time lim-
ited was one of
most exciting
activities the so-
ciety produced.
Physics 3-Day Sale KATE ANN R. ESGUERRA
P U P M a n i l a – T h e P U P P h y s i c s S o c i e t y h e l d i t s 1 2 t h f o u n d i n g a n n i v e r s a r y l a s t F e b r u a r y 2 3 - 2 5 , 2 0 1 1 .
The Pageant. Kerve M. Supnet, Rachel Caalim, Micah Ann G.
Padua, Noel Oliver, Regina Ilarde, Gene Itable, winners of the
said event.
CS officials together with PUP Physics Society
members on the ceremonial parade
Annual PUP Physics Society (PhySoc)
YEAR END ASSEMBLY was held at the Poly-
technic University of the Philippines (PUP)
Sta. Mesa main campus, east wing, E611
room last March 31, 2011.
Dr. Zenaida R. Sarmiento, dean of the
College of Science, gave her inspirational talk
as the program started. In addition, Dr. Evelyn
M. Matchete together with other physics pro-
fessors gave their appreciation to the organi-
zation with their encouraging remarks.
PhySoc 2010 – 2011 officers pre-
sented the achievements of the society as well
as the summary of the entire activities of the
organization in their term. The administration
honored the respective outstanding members
by giving their corresponding awards. Oath
taking and transition of authority to the newly
elected officers were done afterwards.
Before the event ended, an inspira-
tional talk was given by Mr. Reynold V. Luna,
PhySoc adviser, which encouraged and ignited
the new elected officers as well as the members
of the society. -LORENZO P. LOPEZ JR.
AUGUST
Latex Seminar
Linggo ng Wika
Science Enrichment
Program I
Urban Training
SEPTEMBER
Climate Change
Seminar
Basic Mass Integra-
tion
Historical Tour
University Contest
OCTOBER
Tree Planting
Science Enrichment
Program2
NOVEMBER
Mid-Year Assembly
DECEMBER
PNRI –AEW Tour
Star City Tour
Year End Means New Beginning Year End Means New Beginning Year End Means New Beginning Year End Means New Beginning
Awarding Ceremony of the PUP Physics Society
PhySoc’s SET OF ACTIVITIESPhySoc’s SET OF ACTIVITIESPhySoc’s SET OF ACTIVITIESPhySoc’s SET OF ACTIVITIES
Here is the list of the upcoming wave
N ew sN ew sN ew s
BS Physics boys while preparing to carry the carbonated hay stock to be used on reforestation program.
January—June 2011
PhySoc Holds Freshmen
Orientation
KERVE M. SUPNET
First year orientation was
held at the Polytechnic University
of the Philippines (PUP) Sta. Mesa
main campus last June 13, 2011. In
line with this, Mr. Reynold V.
Luna, the adviser of PUP Physics
Society (PhySoc), introduced the
PHYSOC as well as the officers of
the organization to the first year
students of Bachelor of Science in
Physics (BS-PHY). Afterwards, an
election for freshmen officers was
done. Right after the election,
PhySoc officers together with their
members toured the freshmen in
different rooms, offices and places
of the said campus.
In addition, to make the
connection between the society and
the freshmen more intimate, the
PhySoc officers and members had
their lunch meeting together with
them. Before the activity ended, a
surprise birthday celebration was
held for June celebrators.
QuantumQuantumQuantum
Members of AGHAM, coordinator of Kalingap Watershed, and the Polytechnic University of
the Philippines Junior AGHAM (PUP Jr. AGHAM) in cooperation with the PUP Physics Society organ-
ized and facilitated a Basic Mass Integration last March 28-29, 2011 at Sitio San Joseph, Paenaan,
Antipolo City, Rizal. The said activity was participated in by BS Biology students from PUP.
At around 10 in the morning, the stu-
dents left the university riding two rented jeep-
neys and arrived by 12 noon at Sitio San Jo-
seph. After the coordinator guided and toured
them to the working field, they were also intro-
duced to the residents of the said area. A lunch
at the lounge was prepared by the facilitators
for the participants as well as for the residents.
While having their lunch, the coordinator gave
the students some insights about the livelihood
of the community and challenged, at the same
time encouraged, the students to embrace and
share lives with them. After lunch, the students
headed a seminar concerning the proper nutri-
tional food to eat. Right after the seminar, the
participants were headed to the proper tree
planning activity. Moreover, the students were
grouped in their respective area wherein they
would stay with and live like the residents of
that place. Late afternoon, the students went
to their assigned areas accompanied by their
adopted family and spent their night with
them.
Early morning the next day, the stu-
dents maximized their stay through fun activities
such as swimming and mountain hiking. Right
after, a gathering ceremony was held highlight-
ing the participants’ overall experiences fol-
lowed by a full-packed meal.
Freshmen meet Seniors
In line with this, before the
activity ended, an inspirational talk
was given by Bro. Pol Soriano,
AGHAM’s head coordinator, citing
the importance and nobility of the
people at that place with regards to
their livelihood and daily living.
-LORENZO P. LOPEZ JR.
Peasant coaching with Ms. Natalie Pulvinar of
Agham
6
N ew sN ew sN ew s
January—June 2011
ASTROCAMP AND NIP HOUSE TOUR
DEBBIE V. VELASQUEZ
PUP Physics Society took the oppor-
tunity in stepping the outside shell of its
bound states. It was invited to go through the
doors of the National Institute of the Philip-
pines (NIP) and Philippine Atmospheric, Geo-
physical and Astronomical Services Admini-
stration (PAGASA), both located in the Univer-
sity of the Philippines, last February 22, 2011.
The PhySoc members roamed
around the NIP hopping at different laborato-
ries. The program included the introduction of
devices and equipment, its principles and
mechanisms, and applications contributing to
national and international technology.
Open laboratories were: Supercon-
ductor, Semiconductor and Photonics. Partici-
pants also passed the lectures of the alienated
laboratory of Theoretical Physics wherein
space-time projection of Super Virtual World
of Cartoons, Pokémon and Dragon Ball Z be-
came real.
On the late night, the society held an
astronomical camp at the PAGASA. The de-
partment provided large telescopes in viewing
constellations, stars and planets. There was
also a lecture on astrophysics at the Planetar-
ium viewing a 3D motion of constellations.
The program highlighted astronomi-
cal reading and viewing of some heavenly
bodies.
At the end, astonishing participants
were awarded as PhySoc Stars for their deeds
and views during the entire day.
QuantumQuantumQuantum
7
Seminar at N.I.P.Seminar at N.I.P.Seminar at N.I.P.
Saturn, Feb. 22, 2011
In pre-celebration of the Physics Days, PUP Phys-
ics Society launched its Amazing Race last February 22,
2011. The event aimed to advocate that students’ excel-
lence should not only exist within the academic grounds
but also in extracurricular activi-
ties and to establish rapport with
its members. Among the 7 par-
ticipating teams of Violet, Black,
Green, Brown, Yellow, Blue and
White, Rachel Caalim, Regina Il-
larde, John Manalo, Mary Grace
Padilla, Joy Mina, and Roberto
Leal of the Red Team emerged
victorious.
Contestants assembled
8:00am at the 6th
floor south wing
lobby of the main building, PUP
Manila campus. Challenges in
sequence included: crawling
down the PUP dome while blow-
ing weightless tissue paper; eat-
ing a concoction full of onions,
tomatoes, radishes, chilies and
pepper; performing a cheer and
dance number; ticket selling worth
25php; getting mobile numbers of
handsome men at the command
of usher Sandi A. Razalan in St.
Thomas Square, España; begging
for up to 200php worth of money
in Delta, along Quezon Avenue;
bell hunting and on the spot po-
etry writing plus reciting at the
Quezon City Memorial Circle
(QCMC); walking across an over-
pass in University of the Philip-
pines-Diliman (UP) in joined laces
of shoes to Arven I. Cafe and;
straw blowing with pyramid build-
ing at the Sunken Garden of UP-
Diliman. The last challenge sym-
bolized the unity of the society. -
RON LOUIE G. PALACIO
Jayvee Hayuhay of violet
team while blowing the
tissue paper down the dome.
Dan Estrella and Jona
Dalisay as they do the 2nd
task.
Green team while dancing
at the SM Sta. Mesa for the
third post.
Debbie V. Velasquez of
yellow team while searching
for his ticket buyers.
Angela Faustino as she
accomplish her job to photo-
shoot with a guy.
Green team begging for
money.
White team as they reach
the QCMC.
Violet team as they walk
across the footbridge.
Yellow team as they build a
human pyramid. The winning team.
N ew sN ew sN ew s
January—June 2011
QuantumQuantumQuantum
A General Assembly was held last June 25,
2011 at the PUP Claro M. Recto Hall joined by its
society arms: both undergrads and alumni of the
BS Physics program; faculty members of the Col-
lege of Science, Mr. Jeffrey C. De Vero, Dr. Edgardo
A. Latoza, Mr. Rogelio G. Dizon; and also special
guests from its national affiliations- Junior Agham
and Samahan ng Mag-aaral sa Pagpapaunlad ng
Pisika (SMPP).
The event was formally opened by the
Dean of the College, Dr. Zenaida R. Sarmiento, and
followed by the 8th
PhySoc president and current
PAGASA Weather Observer, Mr. Raymond Ordi-
nario. He boosted the undergrads’ spirits in con-
tinuing their chosen program by giving strategies in
surviving the tension, pressure and stress of it. He
even quoted, “ Start your future with full spectrum
by putting the best foot forward” firing up every
listener in setting the momentum of sweet success
in their Personal Legends.
Another talk was given by Mr. Unico A.
Bautista, another PhySoc former president, he
shared stories of his life from a Physics student up
to a Science Research specialist at the Philippine
Nuclear Research Institute. He also highlighted the
rewards of choosing the Physics course by giving
positive vector paths not only in research but also
in other career fields such as industry, medicine
and education.
After each talk, certificates and tokens
were awarded to both speakers by the Physics So-
ciety as headed by the Dean and Chairperson of
the Science College.
To continue the assembly, the first live
presentation of PUP Physics Hymn was done by the
selected 3rd
year students. Right after, the General
Plan of Activities for the school year was intro-
duced and supported by its proposed budgetary
outline.
Another presentation, categorically an
Infomercial, was viewed giving insights of career
avenues for personal totality in the field of Physics.
The latter part of the day is dedicated on
giving the certificates and medals to those who
won the annual PUP Physics Society Academic Con-
test held before the start of the assembly. The
president of the society, Kate Ann R. Esguerra gave
a presentation on their plans for this year and the
energetic Prof. Mr. Reynold V. Luna, the PUP Phys-
ics Society adviser.
Dr. Edgardo A. Latoza, Assistant of the
Vice President for Student Services, closed the pro-
gram followed by a short picture taking of the stu-
dents. -DEBBIE V. VELASQUEZ
Congratulations to the PUP Physics Society as it successfully celebrated its 13th
year of existence with
a theme, “Continuing the Trajectory Towards a Total Person”.
Mr. Raymond C. Ordinario
(upper) and Mr. Unico A.
Bautista (above) giving their
respective career talks.
Oath taking of the PUP
Physics Society officers,
assisted by Dr. Zenaida R.
Sarmiento, Dean College
of Science.
Next, the PUP Physics
Family
8
N ew sN ew sN ew s
“Continuing
the TRA-
JECTORY
towards a
January—June 2011
KATE ANN R. ESGUERRA
Fun is always a by-product of Physics. Either
from the stressful touch of exams or the storm rage of
problem sets, it is a commencement to laugh and have
fun for every small thing.
But, the roll-going activities of the Physics So-
ciety never evade its members. For their convenience
and enjoyment, the society proceeds to its once-a-year
event called, “Physics Funday.”
It was held last March 24, 2011 at the Rainfor-
est Park in Pasig City. The event started 10:00 in the
morning wherein participants were grouped into five.
The first activity was the “Amazing Treasure
Hunting” which maximized the park vicinity searching
for color-coded eggs. The Blue Team won the game
with prizes still for fun.
Afterwards, the water pool served the partici-
pants to cool the warmth welcome of summer start.
From it, games and physics rituals followed. Witnessed
by the water, quarks (participants) bound together to
form one single particle; having one single goal in life-
to gain Physics’ Excellence.
This activity gives path to stronger bind to the
society members, and also to view each potentials in
maintaining the Physics’ greatness with smile in faces.
QuantumQuantumQuantum
9
Quarks bound together for Physics’ excellence.
The College of Science
Laboratory, headed by Dr. Li-
wayway Velasquez, has pro-
duced new sets of laboratory
materials for BS Physics stu-
dents. Some of them include
hydrometer, transformer, gal-
vanometer, x-ray demonstra-
tors, oscilloscope, ripple tank,
voltmeter, gyroscope, electro-
scope, barome-
ters, DC motor,
and optical
bench, among
others.
In an
interview with
Dr. Velasquez,
she stated that she’s very glad with the im-
provement in the supply on the quality of
laboratory materials in physics. She gave as an
example the old
force tables that
had been broken
which are re-
placed by new
ones. She also said
something about
the value of these
materials on the
students, and I
quote, “Kahit anong bagay, ‘pag yung theory,
you put into action, into practical use, mas
matututunan mo kasi naaapply mo ang mga
itinuro sa iyo sa lecture. ” -JP BESAGAS
New Materials for
Future Physicists PhySoc
Academic Achievers
Congratulations to the follow-
ing for being at the top.
GENERAL SCIENCE
1. Jocel Bartolay
2. Redentor Natividad
3. Stephen Louis Cordura
SOCIAL SCIENCE
1. Danilo Estrella
2. Michael Montalban
3. Bon Lester Roan
GENERAL STATISTICS
1. John Carlo Elmaguin
2. Jayson Almario
3. Kenth Sallegue
BASIC MATHEMATICS
1. Justine Kyle Tiamzon
2. Ryan Hechanova
3. Jerwin Laurente ADVANCED
MATHEMATICS
1. Hernanie Salazar Jr.
2. Raiseth John Fajardo
3. Jocel Bartolay
PHILIPPINE HISTORY, CULTURE
AND ARTS
1. Xyrus Ayala
2. Jonathan Guste
3. Christian Anjo Ringor
EXTEMPORANEOUS SPEAKING
(ENGLISH)
1. Jona Mae Dalisay
2. April Dominguiano
3. Arvin Lamando (FILIPINO)
1. Rheymar Morales
2. Angela Faustino
3. Aldrin Tan
CS Holds...
continued from page 4
versity and inter-university aca-
demic contests, graduating
scholars, presidents of the col-
lege student organizations, pass-
ers of the 2010 licensure exami-
nation, best theses writers, and
those who gained highest gen-
eral average.
Special awards for fac-
ulty were also given to the advis-
ers and co-advisers of students’
organizations, thesis advisers and
thesis panelists.
CONGRATULATIONS CONGRATULATIONS to theto the
Physical Science FacultyPhysical Science Faculty
New Doctors!New Doctors!
ROMEO G. CASTROROMEO G. CASTRO
Doctor of EducationDoctor of Education
andand
JEFFREY C. DE VEROJEFFREY C. DE VERO
Doctor of Doctor of
Philosophy in PhysicsPhilosophy in Physics
N ew sN ew sN ew s
Capping ceremony of
Dr. Romeo G. Castro
Dissertation defense of
Dr. Jeffrey C. De Vero
Free fall
apparatuses.
Hand crank generators
Oscilloscopes
PAGASA: BOON or BANE? Wounded. Lost. Dead. These are what we see after a storm, and peo-
ple blame PAGASA for these.
PAGASA. Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical & Astronomi-
cal Services Administration, is the official weather forecasting agency
of the country. It is comprised of weathermen, IT experts, with the
instruments used to predict the weather for the next successive
days.
When we are dealing with forecasting we are dealing also
with uncertainties. Predicting weather is done in a scientific manner
carefully observed and studied by men called meteorologists. These
people commit themselves into the agency. For people working in
PAGASA, a government institution, having low compensation is not
an issue; mocks and blames are well-endured by them.
Dedication is not enough. We need an innovation in PA-
GASA and in GOVERNMENT. In order for the agency to give adequate
information, proper instrument should be supplied. Weathermen
should be handled properly.
From Typhoon Milenyo to Ondoy, people mocked and
spoke to PAGASA for their bad forecasts . Do they have the right to
do that?
No. Innovation and modernization must be done on the
tools that forecasters use. They must be upgraded and maintained.
PAGASA people are intelligent, educated and experienced. Some
further enhance their capabilities through pursuing higher education
here and abroad. Scholarship grants by foreign institutions are of-
fered to its men with potential. Piracy is also a proof of how great
PAGASA is. Materials they are state-of-the art. Compared to the
other developed and developing countries, our PAGASA uses ad-
vanced equipment really designed to predict intensive weather with
higher accuracy.
When we are dealing with science we are also dealing with
complexities and uncertainties. Turbulence and chaos are always
present in the atmosphere. Science, especially forecasting, which the
public does not know, deals with them and not with the classical
100% folk.
Today, PAGASA has new sets of equipment donated by Ja-
pan and other countries, and some state-of-the art equipment ac-
quired through the efforts of our government. Weather forecasting
is made easier with these tools, which also increase accuracy of pre-
diction and frequency of bulletin issuance.
BOON or BANE?
Everything will be a bane if it is treated stubbornly. In the
case of PAGASA, it will be a bane if it is not considered as a priority
by the government.
The Society’s theme really con-
verges my mind into something enthusiastic
world of vision but it also baffles me at all
time.
From the extemporaneous speech
contest I have attended, also an activity pro-
vided by the society, I got impressions of the
annual theme from my fellow students and
they really enlightened my puzzled con-
sciousness. So let’s integrate them by parts.
Continuing. From the word CON-
TINUE. So what will be continued? The Phys-
ics Society provided activities for self-
fulfilment since 1998. The astronomical
camps at PAGASA, open-house
visits to National Institute of the
Philippines (NIP), attending semi-
nars from the Philippine Nuclear
Research Institute (PNRI), and so
on; are activities that partly give
great deals to students pursuing to
fathom the applications of Physics.
Trajectory. It is the trav-
elled path at a projectile motion.
An exact position in real dimen-
sion. A vector path, true direc-
tional,
continued on page 11
“Physics Society: Continuing the Trajectory Towards a Total Person” DEBBIE V. VELASQUEZ
“Totality is scattered everywhere. It is how you consider them as logical parts of your body.”
January—June 2011
QuantumQuantumQuantum
10
OpinionOpinionOpinion
January—June 2011
QuantumQuantumQuantum
Our day to day activities are affected by weather.
Weather is variable both in time and space. Knowing this fact,
weather forecasting deals with many uncertainties. The main
question is how uncertain is the weather forecasting?
In terms of science, when you deal with variables you
deal with many assumptions and limitations. Physical parame-
ters as well as known physical laws are not enough to make
these uncertainties negligible. Meteorology is the science that
deals with the study of the atmosphere at which the weather
is dependent.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astro-
nomical Services Administration (PAGASA) is the country’s
official weather bureau. How does PAGASA deal with the un-
certainty of the weather? Expert meteorologist or weather
forecaster is one of the key factor to limit the error due to
these uncertainties. Another factor is the modern equipment
being purchased and employed by PAGASA. Another is the
use of well-developed numerical weather prediction models.
These models are based on the atmospheric equation derived
from the known physical laws. But, even with these why does
PAGASA always fail to give an accurate weather forecast?
The answer to this is not in the people or in its equip-
ment, is the science itself. The atmosphere itself is complex in
nature, as told by James Gleick in his bestselling book: Chaos.
Dealing with complexity makes weather forecasting an inter-
esting one. But, being uncertain makes many people vulner-
able to unexpected weather such as the local thunderstorm
that occurred in Davao last June 28 that caused massive flash
flooding which resulted to less than 25 people dead. Even in
developed countries such as United States of America, United
Kingdom, Australia, Japan and others weather forecasting is a
great challenge. They never got a 100% accurate forecast. But
they have higher confidence in terms of their forecasts.
The question of who to blame should not be a great
issue. The awareness of the people regarding these weather
occurrences together with the uncertainties is the key to
lessen the hazard of this weather disturbance. Preparation
and proper decision keeps the people away from the impacts
of these atmospheric hazards.
Physics Society: Continuing ...
continued from page 10
provided to any interested body to understand its desire in Physics. It is a pushing way to move forward, either positive or negative, for
the challenges of life. Towards. To whom? To what for?
This includes the aiming point of every individual. The pushing force, the total energy, a real goal in life. It is the inspiration that
lives in any objective.
Total. A completeness of something that may give an impression of value and love. This positive force makes somebody to swim
into the wave pool of massive encounters. It is the strength-maximizer, adrenaline power, that puts anything at comfort.
Person. A pinnacle of every point of life. It delivers harmony of humanity and peace. A true conjunction of faith and honour.
Into agreement upon the integration, the PUP Physics Society does not want to be a starting point for ravenous intelligence. It
provides service of happiness, completeness, concreteness, and psychological consciousness. The Society wants to illuminate each of its
cells the transparency of life, the balance, the shine and glitters of it, the hard core, the high-fly of every award, the actions and results –
thus, the REALITY.
It is a society of mental awareness. It visions to open every conscious mind into its super conscious level. The activities are not
literally focused onto Academics but connotatively on Personal Totality.
People need social communication as a reflection of their interest. The camps, seminars, assemblies, contests, meetings, com-
munity services, and also the travel trips are part of life enjoyment. They teach how to live life. Even the Creative Plan has said, “Let there
be light,” and so there is light. Light is the most promising material (to be considered) in the vast universe. It radiates and transfers its
photon energy to each of the particles. It behaves like a wave as one receives heat that eventually gives life. It also cleanses people from
any other impurities.
Be a light, too. The society is a torch of wisdom. It is a vista of pleasure. In every path it offers, is gained a thought of wholeness –
the stepping stone of satisfaction.
It follows, therefore, that as you CONTINUE moving forward into the TRAJECTORY of life, walk TOWARDS your vision (self-
totality), live as a TOTAL PERSON.
MR. RAYMOND C. ORDINARIO (Weather Scientist, PAGASA)
OpinionOpinionOpinion
11
Alumni RosterAlumni RosterAlumni RosterAlumni Roster
Congratulations to the
newly graduates
of BS Physics program last
May 2011
Rialyn Z. Maquinad
Lara Jennina A. Gianan
Roma S. Lopez
Lou Bryan G. Abrena
Sandi A. Razalan
Sheryllyn M. Linda
Mheldee D. Dizon
Jobelle J. Gimeno
Arianne Gail S. Rivera
Vida A. Sayson
Angelie J. Liamzon
Arven I. Cafe
Ryan T. Diocampo
Mary Ann A. Pangilinan
Melvin N. Borbe
January—June 2011
QuantumQuantumQuantum
FEA-
TURE
12
“When I first stepped in the BS
Physics program, I met two groups of peo-
ple: first, the ones who really wanted the
course, second, the ones who were just put
by the registrar”. So then I asked, “So..
were you in the former or latter?”. He an-
swered, “I am a physics enthusiast”.
“Walang madaling course sa PUP. There are
students who come to me for advice. They
wanted to shift to another course but I en-
courage them to pursue physics”.
Just like any other students, “I have
no idea. ‘Di ko talaga alam!” was his answer
to my question, “What was your first im-
pression in the program and the physics
society?”.
Q: So what did you expect as a fresh-
man?
A: Wala talaga. E-enter ako ng BS
Physics, I need to graduate after 4 years. Yun
lang! Nothing at all. That was my mindset
(with an emphasis on “was”).
What he realized afterwards was
that he could not just do that. He could not
just enter in, go away, and find a good re-
searching job.
Like us, he went through many chal-
lenges. It wasn’t easy for him to lead the
society (PhySoc) as a president and the
same time a third year student where he
met all the “hard core” physics. As a stu-
dent, I admired this successful man in the
bravery he possesses. “When it comes to
PhySoc activities, I wanted them full of fun.
Moreover, I didn’t want us to box ourselves
inside the university so for an activity, I
waived the whole society. That was tough.
Someone almost had an accident. I knew for
a fact that when ‘the bad thing’ happened, I
should expect the worst: I would be kicked
out of PUP”.
There was also a time, same school
year, that someone, during a society meet-
ing, threw him a bad word just because he
“impeached” an irresponsible officer. IN-
TRIGUING.
From call center to PAGASA.
You might be thinking, “What could be my career after my four years of physics?” I am a very positive person knowing that my future is secured in the One who holds everything in His hands. But as time goes by, here in the physics course, it was not very easy for me to hold on this hope, but I did. Everyone needs an inspiration. Kuya Ordi has a story to tell, he did not become what he is now without perseverance. He did not become a weather specialist in a snap after he graduated.
Don’t Call Don’t Call Don’t Call Don’t Call
Him Sir Him Sir Him Sir Him Sir
Tête-à-tête with
Mr. Raymond C. Ordinario
By MA. ANGELA B. FAUSTINO
Mr. Ordinario while doing his numerical models
at PAGASA
Graduates pose for the
camera after the graduation
ceremony .
SHIELD. Students’ Homogeneity In Ex-
cellence, Leadership and Development: Clash
of 2011-2012 is a house battle wherein differ-
ent houses will
aim to be on top.
Its main objective
is to unleash the
competitiveness
and leadership
skills in every
member. It also
aims to balance
the academic and
n o n - a c a d e m i c
skills of each
team.
The name of last year’s houses came
from the names of the scientists who contrib-
uted to the world of physics. For this year, the
name of houses came from some Greek letters
that are often used in studying physics. These
are the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Gamma each
with their colors, red, blue, green, and pink,
respectively.
Each member of a house that will par-
ticipate in some projects of the society will bag
points. These points will depend on the nature
of project. Some of these projects are seminars,
contest (academic and non-academic), exten-
sion programs, and also Quantum, the official
publication of the PUP Physics Society. Heavy
points are given away for the academic contest
rather than the non-academic because the offi-
cers believe that the members of the society
should excel in these aspects.
Many members of the society are ex-
cited to showcase their skills and also to prove
that they are the best. Some are hoping and
praying that they will not be at the bottom.
One thing the officers are sure of is this project
will be great and members will experience trials
and fun, trials that will mold them to be better
member of the society and fun that they will
cherish forever.
- BHENZ RODRIGUEZ
SHIELD: logo of unity , leader-
ship and development
January—June 2011
QuantumQuantumQuantum
FEA-
TURE
13
This now young profes-
sional is blessed by intelligence
and a gift of leadership. In addition
he has, a good heart willing to help
his Alma Mater, the physics stu-
dents, by giving lectures/ seminars
on things related to his work: FOR-
TRAN (a programming language
used in numerical modeling) and
global warming. “We have two
semesters of numerical methods
for physics but the problem is the
facility. ‘Till now it is my heart that
the physics society will have its
own computer that would be avail-
able for all”.
“We cannot love now in
Physics more of a theory. The trend
now is how you use physics in the
industry. When I started my mas-
ters in meteorology in Ateneo, I had
observed that it is more of applica-
tions rather than theoretical”. He
works now at PAG-ASA as a
weather specialist I at the numeri-
cal modeling section – research. He
showed us his sample output: it
was a 2D Philippine map,
“simulation-like” wherein a tropical
depression is moving towards and
away from the Philippines.
He advised us that we can-
not live in “whatever”, in that
“after four years, I’ll graduate and
find a good job”. He quoted,
“Kailangan nating aminin as scien-
tists, as researchers, we’ll never
stop studying. Do not expect that
you can be in the physics industry
without taking up your masters
first.” “We don’t wanna see you in
call centers”, he added.
Mr. Raymond Ordinario, a
physicist, a Weather Specialist I of
PAG-ASA, is an alumnus of batch
2007, taking up his Masters in Me-
teorology at the Ateneo de Manila
University. Thumbs-up Kuya Ordi!
(from Quantum feature staff).
He always insisted that BS
Physics is BS Physics and not as call
center agents and high school edu-
cators.
A numerical model done by Mr.
Ordinario, used to predict the be-
havior of the weather.
Mr. Raymond Ordinario (right) to-
gether with the interviewer (left)
and PUP Physics Society adviser
(middle).
A conference and appreciation party
with his (Mr. Raymond Ordinario –
fourth from right) colleagues.
MR. JEFFREY D. TARE
Advancement in technology in the past decades allowed us to explore not only the
magnificent lifeforms here on Earth but also the depth and immensity of the Universe ( at
least partly ). Who among us would not be amazed of the picturesque views of planet
atmosphere such as those of Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, or even our Earth seen on print
materials or videos? Awesome, indeed! But the natural processes behind those huge forms
are even mind-boggling yet worth working on to fully understand the mechanism involved.
In the literature, it is agreed upon
that convection plays a major role in the
atmosphere of a planet. Convection is a
well-known physical process that pertains
to fluid motions caused by temperature
differences. It is essential as breathing; and,
as a mode of energy transfer, it is really
important in disturbing minerals and nutri-
ents from the underneath to the Earth’s
surface, be it on land or ocean. In addition
to wind currents in the atmosphere, con-
vection can also be observed during a vol-
canic eruption. Molten rocks from the
Earth’s inner core act as the convecting
fluid that rises to the earth’s layer. The
pressure beneath the earth keeps accumu-
lating and the temperature constantly rises.
In due time, once a critical parameter is
reached, say the threshold to which the
Earth can no longer hold the pressure from
the inner layer, our planet will instantly
collapse and then annihilate from the solar
system. That is far more destructive than a
volcanic eruption.
Is there any way on how we can
keep track of all convective processes and
then possibly reduce the overwhelming
effects of catastrophes? Modern state-of-
the-art technology makes various forecasts
with quite good accuracies. However, the
data provided by detection systems to offer
short-term information and long-term pre-
diction remain a challenge up to now.
How important studying a phe-
nomenon like convection entails realization
of its complexity and understanding the
significance of simplification of the problem
to come up with reasonable approxima-
tions. One might over rate the impossibility
of modeling convection given the observa-
tion of its real-life manifestations. On the
contrary, convection can be modeled, un-
der a controlled condition ( and that is good
thing! ). It is mentioned above that convec-
tion is mainly due to differences in tem-
perature. In fact, the temperature gradient
involved is said to be pointing in random
directions. This occurs when uniform heat
is applied from the bottom of the plane or
the system is uniformly cooled from above.
This setup anticipates Rayleigh-Benard (RB)
convection whose arising fluid motion is
primarily induced by buoyancy owing its
wide-range applications in astrophysics,
meteorology, and even in industry like cool-
ing nuclear power plants and heating of
buildings. Benard cells are regular convec-
tion cells that form because of close con-
straints on experimental conditions
.
moting science and technology that genu-
inely serve the interest of the Filipino peo-
ple, especially the poor. It aims to vigorously
encourage S&T professionals, workers, and
advocates sharing their knowledge and ex-
pertise through direct community service,
research, consultancy, campaigns and advo-
cacy, fora, fact-finding missions, and discus-
sion groups. AGHAM is established in the
Philippines as the name of Samahan ng Nag-
tataguyod ng Agham at Teknolohiya Para sa
Sambayanan, on July 24, 1999 and duly reg-
istered with the Security and Exchange Com-
mission on January 2000.
PUP Junior Agham was founded on
October of 2010. It was established by phys-
ics students of PUP, a professor who is al-
ready a member of AGHAM, and other
AGHAM officers. Before, students were just
invited to join one of AGHAM's many activi-
ties, the PSS or Peoples Science School. Its
aim is to teach urban peasants’ basic science
so that they can use it to improve their daily
life. Students participated in the said activ-
ity. After that AGHAM conducted a second
activity that made students interact with the
rural folks, BMI or Basic Masses Integration.
It was joined by volunteers outside the cam-
pus, members of AGHAM and physics stu-
dents from PUP.
Hence, PUP Junior AGHAM and AGHAM
have the vision for the society to be unite
and be innovated in the field of science and
technology. Moreover, they believe that
science should work for the people and not
the other way around. -KARLO J. TIMBALKARLO J. TIMBAL
January—June 2011
QuantumQuantumQuantum
FEA-
TURE
14
AGHAM Youth or PUP Junior AGHAM is an advocate of science and technology like
its mother superior, AGHAM. Its vision and definition are the same with its parent yet this
sector is focused in molding the youths to be leaders and to be promoters of goodness to
the environment as well as to the people behind. AGHAM is an organization of patriotic, pro
-people science and technology advocates, bonded together by a common interest of pro-
Let us imagine the Earth as exhibit-
ing purely RB convection process, and Benard
cells are present both in the atmosphere and
beneath Earth’s surface. In this setup, we
depict Earth as an example of an “RB
PLANET”. With the simplistic nature of RB
convection and regularity of Benard cells,
how life on Earth be? We might think that
weather forecasting will no longer be applica-
ble. That makes sense as regularity of Benard
cells in the atmosphere means no weather
disturbance at all. Wind currents will be uni-
assess improvement.
Monitoring of the
program will be done twice for
this school year, one for each
semester. In line with this,
tutees will evaluate their tu-
tors based on their perform-
ance during the tutorial.
PhySoc SWORD Strikes
for Excellence
JOHN PAUL A. BESAGAS
The PUP Physics Society carries
out its tutorial program named SWORD.
SWORD stands for Scientific Wisdom
Ontogeny and Readiness in the Disci-
pline. It was started in June 22, 2011,
headed by Mr. Reynold V. Luna, PhySoc
adviser and project consultant and yours
truly, the academic affairs chairperson of
the said organization.
The SWORD has its general ob-
jective “Extending the Enlightenment of
Minds in Exploring the World of Sci-
ence”. It aims to develop the scientific
and mathematical skills of the students
and boost their potentials.
The program includes tutorials
in physics such as college physics, gen-
eral physics, physics fundamentals, mod-
ern physics, electromagnetic theory,
theoretical and statistical mechanics. In
the field of mathematics, SWORD has
tutorials in college algebra, analytical
geometry, trigonometry, differential and
integral calculus, elementary differential
equations, vector analysis and complex
analysis. Moreover, general biology and
chemistry are also included in the said
program.
Students of the Polytechnic Uni-
versity of the Philippines especially those
who have science and mathematics sub-
jects are welcome to join the program. In
actual, the registration period for tutees
had started on the first day of classes,
June 13, 2011 and is extended.
Also, 2nd
to 5th
year students
who have good grades are qualified to
become the tutors of the SWORD.
SWORD follows a class discus-
sion method. Books and printouts are
used as reference materials. A pre-
examination is given to tutees to see if
they have a good background about the
lesson to be discussed. Then, it is fol-
lowed by a lecture and coached problem
solving. After that, a post examination is given to
SWORD: Scientific Wisdom Ontogeny and Readiness in the Discipline
Convection and an Insight… continued from page 14
in all places. We might even have a single weather
system, neglecting Coriolis Effect and other effects
brought by the Earth’s rotation and revolution. All
countries will have the same number of climate
seasons as well as good weather condition all year
round. That means no flight cancellation, no casu-
alty from typhoons or hurricanes, no tornadoes,
and so on-just a perfect weather! Moreover, the
Earth as seen from the outer space will look more
appealing and resemble like a giant Christmas
ornament owing the regular pattern of its atmos-
phere. How about periodic shifting of the atmos-
pheric pattern from hexagons to rolls, rectangles,
or squares?
We may observe and experience some
pros of living in an RB planet on land. Assuming a
favorable and uniform temperature on the tropo-
sphere and good porosity of land masses, hazards
of volcanic eruption will be lessened. This will be
made possible through approximate uniform cool-
ing of planet’s surface so that temperature be-
neath will be prevented from further increasing.
Also, the release of heat will be aided by good
porosity of the soil and all land masses to weaken
the pressure that accumulates beneath the sur-
face. This means weak earthquakes, less to tsu-
nami alerts, less to destruction of properties, and
less casualties (if there is any). Will RB convection
in this case allow for long-term earthquake predic-
tion? Periodicity of Benard cells may favor the
possibility. If scientists and engineers will be able
to develop a technology that can determine peri-
ods of occasional strong quakes based on move-
ments of giant convection cells beneath, then long
-term prediction will be likely.
Other applications of RB convection are
yet to be discovered, and more accurate approxi-
mations warrant advancement in computational
fluid dynamics and software development. This
poses a great challenge to our scientists and engi-
neers, and even to us, students. Deep understand-
ing of all mechanisms involved in the RB phe-
nomenon may pave way to significant improve-
ment in weather forecasting and earthquake pre-
diction in the future. One should just be open-
minded enough for all possibilities. How about
migrating to the RB planet for a while and look
everything in an RB perspective?
Planking refers to the act of lying face
down in unusual public places with arms to the
sides with fingers pointed, while the body re-
mains straight together with toes pointed, and
the expressionless face lied down, mimicking a
wooden plank. Participants of planking are
called plankers.
Planking began in 2006 when two Brit-
ish students posted pictures of themselves in
Facebook, participating in the “Lying Down
Game”. Not later in 2008 when the term
“planking” was reportedly coined by Paul Car-
ran, a New Zealander living in Sydney, Austra-
lia. Today, plankers multiply in number because
of their taste for innovation, good photo con-
cept which they can use on social networking
sites.
Many students, especially in the Poly-
technic University of the Philippines (PUP), do
planking for fun. Some of them plank at the
Obelisk, at the desk, at the swimming pool, at
the famous unlimited lugawan spot, even at
the chairs where they looked like levitating.
continued on page 16
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These are the Physics prodigy profiles of super powerful mutants, clash of the class of knowledge- bringers.
Is Planking… continued from page 15
But what really is planking?
Is it an outrage of an emotion or is it a flashback on the his-
tory? People plank because of their TRIP to do it so. It is their way of
saying that here I am, free and liberated to express my feelings with
this manner, a genuine fun, a sign of calmness.
Regarding the history, slaves caught in Africa were forced to
lay down on planks with hands side by side on their bellies and had
their wrists chained on their waists. They are stacked on top of the
other as they are shipped to be sold in market. Many did not survive
this cruel treatment, some died of hunger and possibly suffocation.
Although many contradict this, that it was called “packing,” it was
also referred to as “planking” and that planking was different be-
cause they lie face
down and not face
up. Was it that hard
to see the resem-
blance?
Though it is
good or not, what
necessary is to ex-
press your emotion.
Showing it can gain you sympathy and enemies too. Just be responsi-
ble for it. -JOCEL B. BARTOLAY
Let’s do the plank.
BEAST. Reynold V. Luna. A geek with high interest
in medical physics. He conversely created connections
between any other forms of sciences related to medicine.
With too much desire in
genetic engineering and
radioactive patenting
(Raven’s Blood), he made
an experimental formula
and tested it himself, trans-
forming him into overflow-
ing strength. He is capable
of swinging his body from
place to place, acting like a
low mass dancing ballerina.
A living proof of Incredible
Hulk purely packed with
obedience, giving him the
aura of gentility.
MAGNETO. Jeffrey C. De Vero. Being part of the Physics First
Class made him a sturdy person. With great love for his mother,
he entirely discovered his magnetic ability. A lure type man that
broadens his skills up
into electromagnetic
radiation, more specific
a LASER. He’s a living
superconductive magnet
that quantumly elevates
the potentials of his
every ally. You may think
that he can whip you
into macabre state, but
surely he’s a maestro
that repels your nega-
tive domains.
HAVOK. Rogelio G. Dizon,
Physics and Chemistry bias,
he formulated his body to
emit super powerful plasma,
make him part of the Physics
First Class. At first, he can
not make plasma hula hoops
and make them blast ironi-
cally in specific pattern. With
the help of Professor X and
Magneto, he developed a skill in electronics wherein he was
packed with a distressful-to-discuss silicon device, giving him a
control of his plasma blast with a certain vector. All out of these,
he is a man of sincerity and soul-enlightened attitude.
PROFESSOR X.
Ruben Madridejos. The
very most foundation of
the Physics First Class.
This mental magus has
greatly developed his
Physics skill since child-
hood. With high preci-
sion of theoretical
knowledge, he eventu-
ally conforms any sort of
any problems at instant.
He can mathematically
prove the existence of any living force and nearly read what’s
in your mind. This unjustifiable abilities make him a true honor,
still puzzling identity covers him for nobody knows his middle
name, that exactly made him be called, Professor X.
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DEBBIE V. VELASQUEZ
How did you feel when you heard the news about nuclear
meltdown, or commonly known as radioactive scare? Were you
afraid? Or you’re intelligent enough so you don’t care? Compared to
bomb scare, the reaction of the people is less intrigued. It’s all over
the news like wildfire but still not many of us know what radioactiv-
ity really is.
For the sake of the doubt, everything, even the person be-
side you is considered to be radioactive. Since “radioactive or radio-
activity” has been mentioned many times in the forms of mass me-
dia, I’m sure that almost every person is familiar with it. But still, not
everyone knows its definition. According to Encarta, radioactivity is
the process of emitting energy in the form of a particle or wave. It is
classified into two forms namely the ionizing radiation which is
mostly used for nuclear purposes and non – ionizing radiation which
is commonly found in some devices.
continued on page 22
Defense of the Ancients. This top game of the season acts like a hydra-quickly growing; attacking the mass players being versatile evo-
lution of Warcraft. The hitting points of it are the revised gameplay mode (Sentinnel VS Scourge), more hero options, and having an automatic
call for power (back-ups).
In any game concept, hero’s background are the mean point. The strength, agility, and intelligence, also the survival stamina, skills and
stats are the one always being considered. But most eventually, heroes are selected according to their abilities, skills and mechanism in the bat-
tlefield. In which way they will be valuable in times of a saga. This is necessary to inflict more damage, threaten and even slay their opponents as
the pinnacle of the game.
To be more specific, the game is rolled upon the physics environment that is purely attributed to the enthusiasm of any player. Let me
give you some heroes so you would refrain to be a “noob” or to evade the worst adjective-“weak.”
Darkchow. He is a radioactive villain from the remains of the nebular collapsed star en-
formed within a field of cosmological magic with the mystical power consuming hundreds of worlds,
he’s a living proof of the Olber’s paradox. With the knowledge of Albert Einstein about his special the-
ory of relativity and other out-of-this world mathematics Darkchow had managed to solve the unifica-
tion theory we had for today.
With this, he can teleport to any of his allies or making them portals of escape in baffling
state. He happily summons a super massive scattered black holes sucking up his enemies while having
pieces of anti-matter on the ground making a way for a closer destruc-
tion. These great attributes bewilder any form of creature that let him
known to be “Enigma”-a true oblivion more enough than a supernovae.
Stone Giant. There is a newly born giant from the rocky mountain gradi-
ent of having the strength of a hill and the acceleration of a falling boul-
der. He is definitely massive yet full of haste-a wonderful momentum. He masters the Newtonian Mechanics (of de-
fense building), capable to stun his rival by giving a bone-breaking bash that is powerful as it creates shockwaves that
make vibrational ripples on the ground. Tangled with superconductive elevation force, he can flurry huge amounts of
soil at ease to cause sinusoidal avalanches and also, perfectly throws
huge-massive rocks in different trajectory. Moreover his ferromagnetic
granite heart shifts his body-magnetic domains, attracting rocks on his
environment, evolving him to a larger iron-hand golem, a more powerful one. These Newtonian-
magnetic entities called him to be Stone Giant.
Morphling From the succession of evolution, this magnum opus has a liquid body supported by an
unknown membrane. He believes on Daniel Bernoulli’s principle for his dynamic locomotion. He can
change power attributes in a whim whenever it is needed, changing from a particle type (strength) for
a wave-like (agility) and vice versa. Morphling can also force his body to flow over opponents creating
a wave fronts of high amplitude, critically damped, leaving great injury to them. Also to include he’s an
expert of Snell’s Law, distributingly creates literal clones of his target, forcing them to face their own
reflection as he crushes them in confusion.
I remind you guys, don’t let yourself be a psychological war freak. Instead, be an intelligent gamer, one who balance entertainment and
work. Analyze the information behind the game, it is a reflection of who you are.
Rock on! Keep learning playing while. Put the Physics forward. -DEBBIE V. VELASQUEZ
January—June 2011
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“X“X -- MEN: FIRST CLASSMEN: FIRST CLASS” PHYSICS QUANTITY
KATE ANN R. ESGUERRA
Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr
Oh no! Physics again? Maybe that’s
your initial reaction when you saw the title
of this article. Well, I’m not making things
complicated but since I’m a physics student
let’s relate things with physics. We can’t
escape physics whether you like it or not.
Physics is always present in this universe; all
we have to do is to deal with it. This movie
caught my attention when I first saw it.
At a German concentration camp in
occupied Poland in 1944, scientist Dr.
Schmidt observed young Erik Lensherr bend
a metal gate with his mind when the child
was separated from his parents. In his office,
Schmidt ordered Lensherr to similarly move
a coin on a desk, and killed his mother when
the child cannot. In his grief and anger,
Lensherr's magnetic power manifested,
killing two guards and destroying the room,
to Schmidt's delight.
At a mansion in Westchester
County, New York, young telepath Charles
Xavier met homeless young shape-shifter
Raven. Overjoyed to meet someone else
"different" like him, he invites her to live
with his family.
In 1962, an adult Lensherr is
tracking down Schmidt to take revenge. In
England, Oxford University graduate Xavier is
publishing his thesis on mutation; Raven,
now his foster sister, lived with him. In Las
Vegas, CIA agent Moira MacTaggert followed
US Army Colonel Hendry into the Hellfire
Club, where she saw Sebastian Shaw, Emma
Frost, and Azazel. After Shaw threatened
Hendry, Azazel disappeared with the officer;
moments later Hendry was in the War Room,
advocating that the US install nuclear
missiles in Turkey. Shaw later killed Hendry,
revealing himself as Schmidt and
demonstrating the energy-absorbing mutant
power that had de-aged him.
MacTaggert, seeking Xavier's advice
on mutation, convinced him and Raven to
join her at the CIA, where they convinced
Director McCone that mutants existed and
Shaw was a threat. The unnamed "Man in
Black Suit", another CIA executive,
sponsored the mutants and invited them to
the CIA's secret "Division X" facility. Xavier
located Shaw, arriving in time to stop
Lensherr, who had attacked Shaw, from
drowning as Shaw escaped. Xavier brought
Lensherr to Division X, where they met
young scientist Hank McCoy, a prehensile-
footed mutant whom Xavier inadvertently as
a mutant. McCoy, developing a bond with
Raven, promised her he would find a way to
normalize their appearance. Xavier used a
mutant-locating device, Cerebro, to find and
recruit mutants for training to stop Shaw. He
and Lensherr found stripper Angel
Salvadore; taxi driver Armando Muñoz, who
took the code name Darwin; Army prisoner
Alex Summers, who called himself Havok;
and Sean Cassidy, who dubbed himself
Banshee. Raven took the name Mystique.
She also dubbed Charles "Prof. X" and Erik
"Magneto."
When Frost met with a Soviet
general in the USSR, Xavier and Lensherr
captured her. Meanwhile, Azazel, Riptide
and Shaw attacked Division X, killing
everyone but the young mutants and
offering them the chance to join him. Angel
accepted, when Darwin tried to fight back,
Shaw killed him. With the facility destroyed,
Xavier took the mutants to train at his family
mansion. McCoy devised protective uniforms
and a stealth jet. In Moscow, Shaw compeled
the general to have the Soviet Union install
nuclear missiles in Cuba.
During the Cuban Missile Crisis, US
President John F. Kennedy instituted a
blockade to stop a Soviet freighter from
moving the nuclear missiles to Cuba. Shaw,
wearing a helmet that foiled Xavier's
telepathy, accompanied the Soviet fleet to
ensure the missiles arrive, trying to trigger
World War III and achieved mutant
ascendency. Raven went to seduce Lensherr,
who convinced her to embrace her nature as
a mutant. Later, McCoy offered Raven his
cure for her appearance, but she refused.
The cure backfired on McCoy, rendering him
a leonine beast. Though ashamed of his new
appearance, he piloted the mutants and
MacTaggert to the blockade line. In an
ensuing battle with Shaw, Lensherr took the
helmet for himself, allowing Xavier to
immobilize Shaw. Despite Xavier's
objections, Lensherr killed Shaw by forcing
the Nazi coin through his brain.
Fearing the mutants, the fleets fired
their missiles at them. In a struggle, Xavier
kept Lensherr from destroying the fleets
with the missiles, but when MacTaggert fired
at Lensherr, a deflected bullet hit Xavier in
the spine. Lensherr, remorseful, left with
Mystique, Angel, Riptide and Azazel. A
wheelchair-bound Xavier and the mutants
returned to the mansion, where he intended
to open a school. MacTaggert promised
never to reveal his location and they kissed;
at the CIA later, she said she has no clear
memory of recent events. Lensherr, in a
uniform with the helmet and calling himself
Magneto, broke Frost from confinement.
If you have seen the movie you’ll be
attracted with the powers of mutant which
some of them use the principle of physics. I
bet we all agree that physics is very hard, but
seeing a movie like this and relating it on our
forte we can say that physics is somehow
enjoyable.
Clips from: http://www.imdb.com/
media/rm2875308288/tt1270798 © 2011 - Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
The BEAST at CIA’s secret facility
January—June 2011
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Love is Love is Love is Love is Like...…Like...…Like...…Like...…
By RON LOUIE G. PALACIO
Love is like Algebra, The x is annoying.
Love is like Solid State Physics, Full of bonds.
Love is like Quantum Mechanics, Filled with uncertainties.
Love is like Radiation Physics, It is lurid to those who don ’ t understand.
Love is like Classical Mechanics, It is fundamental.
Love is like Statistics, You ’ re my mode I wanna be your mean.
Love is like Complex Analysis, It has the Real and Imaginary.
The Heepney. Walking through the smart road, with
controllable magnetic domains for vehicle safety, I
rode a heepney. Yes, it is! It’s a three door commuter
jeep with up and down compartment having a capacity
for 150 riders. It is made up of scraps from space shut-
tles and 7th
generation Mag-Lev with a 150kW hydro-
gen internal combustion engine with the ability to put
you at instant to your destination with a travelling
maximum speed of 350kph hovering the ground of 10 feet above.
By the way all vehicles are renamed with H for hydrogen for all oil
companies are down and replaced with extractor dams as source
of this techy fuel.
10-Gen House. As I say
buh-bye to my SpongeBob
pineapple house, I re-
member the notion bring-
ing up all universal houses
into solar powered house with a plant landscape on top.
The outer walls of this house is made up of amorphous
anti-reflection solar stands with carbon nanotube coat-
ing. So surely, it is eco-friendly with a Typhoon 10 resis-
tance.
HoloCom. As I observe during my trip to the Water Lion City (Singapore), it’s annoying and dis-
tracting to view the behemoth dimensional holographic ads that
will thoroughly access to my H-pod. Although they give views of my
favorite H-TV listing, it spoils my technological interest. Somehow,
it relieves my rear tension as I scroll my Dbook comment list.
Kinetic Pant. Oops. I’m in low-batt. Good thing I gained this 27th
generation of Levis jeans. All I need to do is to attached the charg-
ing cord to my H-pod (in hologram too). The secret of charging
(now it is not a secret anymore) is within the fibers making this clothes, converts your mechanical
energy input (by means of walking) to electrical energy output. Truly this innovation is a call for
healthy and green living. By the way this is washable
and cool to wear!
Anti-Gravity Structure Technology. The reality of
breaking Newton’s Law, here I am at the city. I got to
snapped at the Ayala Zenith, the first route-walking
mall in Asia. With its sky rise parking units, shoppers
can freely hop from place to place though the traveler
mall.
January—June 2011
QuantumQuantumQuantum
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19
Tomorrow’s Sketch Up A FUTURISTIC VIEWS
DEBBIE V. VELASQUEZ
It’s been a minute after I regained myself from the space-Lifelight. As I leave my
emphatic virtual room, I went through the entire vicinity of Millenium City (formerly Ma-
nila). Years before, it was an ill-blood city of wilderness, almost forgotten from strains of
the great deluge of “Super Typhoon 7 OPENG” and now urbanized by the creation of the
international sector Physics Minion for Advancement, PMA.
“If nature was not beautiful, it would not be worth knowing, and if nature was not worth knowing, life would not be worth living. ”
-Henri Poincare
NIPIANS APRIL ANGELIQUE E. DOMINGIUANO
Waking up on a rainy day, I realized that summer has ended. Just like a dream, the summer that
we, the incoming fourth year students, have been waiting for, ended. Time really flies when you enjoy the
moments of your life.
Every time I close my eyes, I can still have a
glimpse of the National Institute of Physics Laborato-
ries such as Photonics Research Laboratory; Instru-
mentation; Semiconductor and Superconductor
Group under the Condensed Matter Physics Labora-
tory (CMPL); Theoretical Physics Group; Plasma; and
Structural Dynamics. We are so blessed to be one of
the universities that got an access to the said Insti-
tute, thanks to Mr. Jeffrey C. De Vero, proud alumni
of Polytechnic University of the Philippines, PUP. To
give you an update about Mr. De Vero, after his de-
gree in the Bachelor of Science in Physics at the PUP
and got his Masters Degree in Physics at the Univer-
sity of the Philippines (UP), he is now taking his Doc-
torate at UP. So if you are a PUPian, be proud that
you’re one of the thousands of students who studies
at PUP.
Sixteen students from the incoming fourth
year students had an opportunity to be trained in
four of the laboratories at NIP. Annaliza M. Amo,
Joseph A. De Mesa, Bhenz Rodriguez, and I, were
accepted at the Photonics Research Laboratory that
was divided into two groups, the Laser Group and,
Holography and Shearography Group. We had a
great time learning new things from our trainers, Ms.
Jaziel Vitug and Mr. Lean Dasallas. Ms. Vitug taught
us about the apparatuses that they use in the Pulsed
-Laser Deposition (PLD) which is under the Laser
Group, and how these work. Mr. Dasallas, alumni of
PUP, taught us how to fix things in the laboratory. I
could still remember the vise grips, wrenches and
Teflon that we used in fixing the chiller for the Vac-
uum Chambers that PLD used in the experiment. And
oh! I could not forget the time when Ms. Vitug asked
me and Annaliza to connect the wires for the ioniza-
tion gauge. It was like a mini-welding task which was
very exciting figuring out how to connect them in a
neat way. For the two boys, Bhenz and Joseph, it was
like a gym but the difference was that they learned
how to tighten things.
Under the CMPL, eleven students namely:
Mary Ann Calleja, Micah Ann G. Padua, and Hernanie
Salazar; Ricky Ampoloquio, Mina Rose D. Bagay,
Michaelrey Cainglet, Angela B. Faustino, Lorenzo P.
Lopez jr., Vanessa Malapit, Jemerleene Oxciano and
Kerve M. Supnet, were admitted to the Supercon-
ductors and Semiconductors Group, respectively.
When I heard the word “Semicon”, the first thing
that came into my mind was that they were the ones
wearing jacket at summer. Ricky, Mina, Michael,
Angela, Lorenzo, Vanessa, Jemerleene, and Kerve
wore the coziest jacket they had. At a room there
these trainees’ worked on their thesis were two air-
conditions. For their OJT, they worked on their thesis
that Dr. Armando S. Somintac, assigned them to do.
They did the sample preparation, the experiments,
and the analysis using the apparatus such as Scan-
ning Electron Microscope (SEM), Optical Reflectivity,
Ellipsometer, etc. Having a serious time on their re-
search works, at lunch time we all got together and
ate our packed lunch where the entire laugh trip
happened. Vanessa, once called a “Dalagang
Pilipina” and now a “Segway Queen”, made us laugh
with all of her “segway”. Going back to their work,
their trainors, taught them about the different pro-
grams that the laboratory uses, one is Python. Py-
thon is a software where you could solve problems
using a formula that you’ve made.
And lastly, for the Theoretical Physics
Group, we had Raiseth John Fajardo as a trainee at
the said laboratory. It was furthermore divided into
three sub-groups (Galapon Group, Esguerra Group
and Palisoc Group). Each group specialized in differ-
ent fields of interest. He submitted himself to Dr.
Galapon. His group focused on the field of Quantum
and Mathematical Physics. Dr. Galapon gave a prob-
lem about the integrals involving multiple-valued
functions, incomplete gamma functions, and systems
of first order differential equation. Raiseth, as we all
know, is one of the toughest human being in the
society that can solve all this problem. When he
talked about it, we just laughed and thought about
what his question was.
In the end of our OJT in the NIP, we all
learned the art of obedience and time management.
OJT is all about obedience, obey and you won’t be
lost. Submit to the authority, because they know
what the best is for you. And most of all, rejoice,
laugh in simple terms, and enjoy the moments of
your life. Life is short. We only borrowed it, so han-
dle with care. The One above won’t let us stumble. If
He does, He knows that you can stand up and learn
from that experience.
Trainees of NIP
from Theoretical, Photonics,
Superconductor, and Semi-
conductor Laboratories. (up
to down).
January—June 2011
QuantumQuantumQuantum
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Literary
Philippine Nuclear Research Institute
(PNRI) is a scientific caring mother that sways the
peaceful uses of its baby nuke. This eco-friendly
haven is best suited for research enthusiasts who
want to pursue medical and nuclear instrumenta-
tion and material science engineering.
Being one of the chosen children, this in-
stitute helps me in gaining knowledge in various
fields of research, instrument calibration, social
activities and also in putting my best foot on the
course of professionalism. This Institute greets me
with a smile on faces that naturally give off my
travelling stress. Together with my co-trainees in
Applied Physics Research Group (APRG) and Radia-
tion Protection Services (RPS): John Anthony Tan,
Ron Louie G. Palacio, Gilbert Tesalona and Kate Ann
R. Esguerra, Joniel F. Rumbawa, and Christian Val-
gomera respectively; we entered the battle of nu-
clear research and development activities with the
commensalism of knowledge and service as civil
workers. We were given the opportunity to be so-
cially active not only in our group, but also in other
divisions such as ARD, NRLSD, NSTD, FAD through
sports and gaming interests. Also we’re closed to
morality and spiritual thinking as blessed by the
motherly director Dr. Alumanda M. Dela Rosa.
I’ve observed that it’s been a habitual no-
tion to glance and tag happiness to everyone in the
compound.
This once in a lifetime training prepared us
to face the world of professionals. With this practi-
cum, we discovered different and amazing walk-
throughs in the compound, jumped to the labora-
tories, shared cranks with our bosses, ate full-
packed meals, went through dungeons, sawweir-
does and never imagined discoveries, felt the ap-
preciation of every kind of sciences, and knew our
specific goals in life.
We played with x-rays, hugged radioactive
sources, physically and mentally worked-out with 45
lead blocks (12 kilos each), fetched from deionized
water pool, play in the rain, sang along together and
mimicked each voice, slept during broken times, and
also listened to our most favorite DJ-Jasmine.
I am now an expert in, quartz-nitric acid
soup cooking, glassware dishwashing, and remod-
eling the injection type- aspirator, a good floor
manager, full time construction worker, multi-
tasked secretary, speedy encoder, sports enthusi-
ast, eco-friend, keen observant, and mathematics
jester all packed with Physics creative thinking.-
-DEBBIE V. VELASQUEZ
“I am now an expert in, quartz-nitric acid soup cooking, glassware dish-washing, and remodeling the injection type- aspira-tor, a good floor man-ager, full time construc-tion worker, multi-tasked secretary, speedy en-coder, sports enthusiast, eco-friend, keen obser-vant, and mathematics jester all packed with Physics creative think-
“I’ve observed that it’s
been a habitual notion
to glance and tagged
happiness to everyone
in the compound.”
From left to right.
The PNRI summer trainees:
Ron Louie G. Palacio, Kate
Ann R. Esguerra, Debbie V.
Velasquez, Gilbert Tesalona,
Joniel F. Rumbawa, Anna
Grande, Paul Chavit and
Christian S. Valgomera.
Breaking the Egg ShellBreaking the Egg Shell
-The Story Behind the Institution that Always on Easter-
January—June 2011
QuantumQuantumQuantum
21
Literary
Radiation Protection Services (RPS) trainees
Applied Physics Research Group and Trainees
Nalilito. Nang malaman kong nakapasa ako sa
PUPCET, agad-agad akong tumutok sa com-
puter at binuksan ang account ng PUP. Nang
mapuntahan ko na ang mga kurso sa PUP, bigla
akong nalito. Hindi ko alam kung anong kurso
ang kukunin ko. At nakita ko na lamang ang
aking sarili na tila ba naaakit sa kursong BS
Physics. At yun na nga, mula sa araw na iyon ,
Certified BS Physics student na ako.
Naiilang. Tumapak na
nga ang aking mga paa
sa tinatawag nilang Sin-
tang Paaralan. Umakyat
sa ika-anim na palapag.
At pumasok sa N618.
Mainit. Nakakailang ang
mga kaklase ko.
Pakiramdam ko nanliliit
ako. Pero iba, naging
masaya ang unang semestre ko kasama sila.
Natatakot. Sa kabutihang palad, pumasa ako sa
unang sem. At dumating na nga ang kinatata-
kutan naming lahat, lalong lalo na ako. Dahil sa
araw na ito, haharaping ko na ang major ko,
Physics. At nagturo na nga ang aming profes-
sor. At bawat buka ng kanyang bibig ay ito na-
mang kabog ng aking dibdib. Sa wakas natapos
din siya. At hanggang ngayon, hindi ko pa din
maalis ang takot sa dibdib ko.
Kinakabahan. At ilang araw pa ang nagdaan.
Marami ng mga aralin ang naituro. Marami ng
takdang aralin ang naipasa. At dumating na ang
unang pagsusulit namin. Pinagpawisan ako ng
malagkit. Kinakabahan ako, di ko alam kung
ano ang gagawin ko. Hanggang sa maubos na
ang oras. BAGSAK. At ito na lamang ang aking
nasabi, “Pito lang nasagutan
ko,...Nag-aral naman ako..”
Nagalak. At di ko namalayan,
tapos na pala ang unang
taon ko sa kanya. Kinaka-
bahan ako. Hindi ko alam
kung papasa ako. At nang
tumambad sa akin ang grado
ko sa Physics. Hooh!
PASADO.
Masaya. Dumaan pa ang isang taon, hindi ko
namalayan na minahal ko na pala ang kursong
ito. Na nakikita ko ang aking sarili na nag-aaral
tungkol sa Physics. Masaya na ako rito. Mag-
mula sa libro, aparato, guro, hanggang sa mga
kaklase ko… masasabi kong dito na nga ako. At
sa mga ito, ipagpapatuloy ko pa ang paglalak-
bay na aking nasimulan.
-RHEYMAR MORALES
Game Over!
RONALD A. ANONUEVO
Watching the moon,
while it’s smiling
through it’s phase,
I realized that the sky
is the greatest place;
Because gazing at that
star above my face…
Is the only one who knows
my secret as a phrase!
Each one’s life is
like a game;
When you win, you
will have all the fame,
And when you lose,
maybe you can cry
under the rain,
Always remember,
no PAIN…no GAIN!
Going out alive is a
God’s gift,
Bringing yourself for
Him by retreat;
For Him, no one of us
will be drifted
Because our Father…
will let us be provided.
Game over is not
the sign of end,
It’s a new beginning on
how you will defend;
Your soul, mind,
and heart…don’t teach
how to pretend,
Because in our life,
and in our game,
God is our only friend.
January—June 2011
QuantumQuantumQuantum
Fear Not: Radioactivity...
continued from page 17
The probably most common forms of non – ionizing radiation are the infrared and Blue-
tooth. With just a simple click of a button it enables us to transfer files from one device to an-
other via these, making things convenient for people. On the other hand, ionizing radiation is
used in powering electricity and innovations in the field of medicine. These are only some of the
benefits we can get from radiation.
In 1945, the Americans discharged the Enola Gay, a plane carrying atomic missile. The
Japanese, having mocked and degraded its ability, were astonished when the bomb landed and
caused everything in its path to be ruined. The atomic bomb was a nuclear mechanism that is
designed to explode and annihilate anything on its course. It is considered to be a weapon of
mass destruction, a negative fact that we should take consideration.
Currently, it seems that history is planning to repeat itself. Not in Japan but in the Philip-
pines. Like any common belief, what Filipinos do not know, they are afraid of. Our lack of knowl-
edge will make us susceptible to the adverse effects of radiation. This is a reflection that we
should understand and to be aware of. Listen. Think. Act. Let’s keep in mind that knowledge is
power and need not be afraid of radiation. We shouldn’t be afraid of what we don’t know, the
right attitude therefore is be eager to know. -RON LOUIE G. PALACIO
22
Literary
January—June 2011
QuantumQuantumQuantum
23
YUTA LOUIE ROLA
The man who carries a book
That looks like a bible.
The man who loves to read
But not to memorize.
The man who sleeps late
But comes early in the class
The man who erases the board
By the aid of wet cloth.
The man who attracts every-
thing
But in a gravitational way.
The man who can
treat you special
Not more special than relativity.
The man who can relates all
By the use of their principles.
And that man is called
The Physicist – Revealing Fables
Unang bulas sa Iluminasyon
Piring sa gamundong tradisyon
Kuyom ng basag na Nasyon
Nang taong pinid sa Impormasyon.
Sa konsepto ng paglalang
Isang moog na karunungan
Impit ng kanyang pagsilang
Ang pag-unga ng liknayan.
Dinarang ng paghuhusga
Siniil ng mura at kontrobersiya
Sa lumping lupong na katanikala
Ng agham ay hindi makalaya.
Ngunit ng magbukas-isip ang tao
Bayan, mundo, nagkadunong
at natuto
Umunlad, sumiwang ang talino
Tapak ng tagumpay sa siyentipiko.
Sinukob ng natural na ideolohiya
Hinawi, at kumalag ang mga teorya
Batas na dumalong sa siyensiya
Sa aplikasyong umanak ng teknolohiya.
Sa modernong anyo ng panahon
Sa liwanag ng bawat nasyon
Sa pantas ng henerasyon,
Liknayan ang pundasyon.
ALDRIN S. BENDALALDRIN S. BENDALALDRIN S. BENDALALDRIN S. BENDAL
As we open our eyes
To see the morning light
And the blue of the skies
Amidst eagles in fight
Cover the land with warm breath
From vast space above head
Surround the world like wreath
Should we take care ‘till end
Till time we go to bed
Till life goes to a halt
The world would go ahead
And last like works of art.
God’ s grace is all around
He gave us intellect
To know how vague all was
How intricate He made
All of the things we’re blessed
-JOHN PATRICK L. PORCADILLA
Tulang ginawa upang ika’y hikayatin Na maisakatuparan ang pangarap
natin Ibig kong ito’y iyong bigkasin
At hindi lamang basta baliwalain.
Sa liknakayan, ang mukhang imposible, Ay di maaring hindi na bale.
Mga bagay-bagay ay importante, Kaya kadalasa’y maraming kadebate.
Inaaral ay di basta-basta Kadalasan ay nagkukwenta
Mahalaga rin ang bawat salita, Magbasa ng maigi ng makita.
Kursong sa iba ay angat,
Kaya’t dapat maging maingat Siguradong wala silang binatbat, Kapag ikaw na ang bumanat.
Ang bayan sa atin nakasalalay Kaya pag-aaral ay gawing tunay,
Diyos ang gawing gabay Puso dito’y nararapat ialay.
Pangarap na makatapos, Ay di dapat maupos.
Payo ko, mag-aral ng puspos Upang kinabukasa’y di makapos.
----LOUIE JANE R. RICO
Liknay i smoLiknay i smoLiknay i smoLiknay i smo
Nature’s BlessingsNature’s BlessingsNature’s BlessingsNature’s Blessings
Literary
January—June 2011
Fabrication and Characterization of Extremely Thick Macroporous Silicon Layer Synthesized via Electrochemical Etching
Roma S. Lopez, Jobelle J. Gimeno, Ryan T. Diocampo
QuantumQuantumQuantum
24
Abstract
Extremely thick macroporous silicon layers were fabricated from n-type silicon (100) wafers by electrochemical etching in ethanoic
solution of hydrofluoric acid. At constant anodization time and electrolytic concentration the effects of current density variation on porous
silicon formation were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD) and photoluminescence (PL).
1. Introduction
Active research in porous silicon
(pSi) began in 1990 when Leigh Canham
showed visible photoluminescence for pSi at
room temperature [1]. From then on, proper-
ties of pSi were investigated using various
techniques such as x-ray diffraction, scanning
electron microscopy, transmission electron
microscopy, current-voltage photoacoustic
characterizations are among others [2-5]. Its
distinctive property from that of bulk silicon
makes it potentially useful for a wide range
of applications in optoelectronics, microelec-
tronics, sensors and actuators, chemical sen-
sors and biological applications [12]. How-
ever, most researches used boron-doped (p-
type) silicon substrates. Literatures regarding
porous structures formed in phosphorous-
doped (n-type) substrates were not as vast as
that of p-type silicon.
Electrochemical etching in Teflon
beaker is the simplest cell to fabricate pSi [6].
The crystalline silicon substrate acts as the
anode while a nonreactive metal as the cath-
ode and an aqueous hydrofluoric acid (HF)
solution serves as the electrolyte. The hydro-
phobic nature of silicon requires the addition
of ethanol in the electrolyte solution to pro-
mote deeper penetration on the silicon lay-
ers. It also improves lateral homogeneity and
uniformity of pSi as well as remedies hydro-
gen evolution during the reaction [7]. Either
voltage or anodic current can be supplied to
the cell although, the latter is preferred be-
cause it allows better control on porosity and
thickness [6,7].
Researches on extremely thick
macroporous silicon have not been ex-
hausted up to this date since its novel appli-
cations are not yet realized. This paper pre-
sents the fabrication and characteristics of
extremely longmacroporous silicon layers
formed from n-type silicon substrate via elec-
trochemical etching. Characteristic properties
were analyzed through X-ray diffraction and
Photoluminescence spectroscopy.
2. Experimental Details
An n-type Si (100) substrate having a
resistivity of 0.04-0.08 ohm-cm was used in
this study. The samples were cleaned using
standard degreasing method. The cleaned
silicon substrates were then etched using
24% HF concentration in absolute ethanol
(1:1) for 40 minutes at fixed anodic current
with corresponding current densities, 10 mA/
cm2, 50 mA/cm2, and 100 mA/cm2.
The etched silicon samples were
then characterized using Philips XL-30 FE-
SEM for the determination of the pore di-
mension, crystallinity and crystal quality de-
termination using Bede D3 HRXRD. Room
temperature photoluminescence (PL) spec-
troscopy was also performed. Excitation was
provided by a 488 nm Ar+ laser operating at
30 mW. PL from the sample was dispersed by
a SPEX 500m single-grating monochromator
and was detected by Hamamatsu R636 GaAs
photomultiplier tube. An optical filter with
cutoff of <620 nm was used to protect the
detector from scattered laser lines.
3. Results and Discussion
Porous silicon is a sponge-like struc-
ture made up of Si skeleton in nanometric
dimensions [13]. These dimensions are deter-
mined by different parameters such as cur-
rent density, electrolyte concentration, dop-
ing concentration and etching time. By con-
trolling the anodic current itself, different
sizes of pores can be produced [8].
In Figure 1, SEM cross sectional images of the
etched pores at different anodic current den-
sities are shown.
Figure 1: SEM cross-sectional micrographs show-
ing the (a) pore width and (b) thickness of pSi
fabricated using different anodic current.
Figure 2: XRD spectra of crystalline porous silicon
anodized for 40 minutes at 10 mA/cm 50 mA/cm2,
and 100 mA/cm2.
SEM analysis, it was observed that
the pore width and thickness are 3rd sample
which was anodized for 100mA. Thus, ex-
tremely long high porosity . crystalline po-
rous silicon anodized for 40 minutes at 10
mA/cm 50 mA/cm2, and 100 mA/cm
2.
Pore width and thickness of the pSi
layers were then measured from the images
and were summarized in 2. The thickness of
the samples ranged nm to 160 nm. As given
by IUPAC classification of pore size, a pore
width greater than 50 nm is classified under
the “macro” type of pore [7].
X-ray diffraction is a versatile, non-
Research
Figure 1 (a)
Figure 1 (b)
Figure 1 (a)
January—June 2011
destructive technique in determining crys-
tallographic structure of crystalline materi-
als. It allows the determination of the de-
gree of crystallinity, lattice mismatch, ex-
pansion and strain, as well as the chemical
composition.
Peak broadening and decrease in
intensity was observed in the XRD spectra.
As the current density increases, the greater
offset of the XRD spectra from ideal spectra
whereas, the more perfect the crystal, the
sharper the peaks. A possible implication of
this is the breakdown of the crystal struc-
ture of silicon during formation of pSi at
higher current density. Furthermore, be-
cause of the interconnected branches of
pSi, holes are depleted from the silicon sur-
face into a preferential transport of holes
resulting to surface irregularities [9].
Irregularities in crystal structures
are also indicated by PL measurements, low
PL efficiency was also observed in collapsed
sample as reported in earlier studies [14].
This is due to the increase in non-radiated
recombination probability.
Figure 3 shows the PL peak posi-
tions of the most optically active region in
the samples. The sudden drop seen in the
PL spectra is due to the filter cutoff used in
the set-up. In the PL spectra, peak positions
are observed at round 1.7 eV, which corre-
sponds to red photoluminescence. Here, a
slight blue shifting of the PL peak positions
are evident. The pSi etched at 10 mA had its
PL peak position at 1.73 eV. This shifted to
about 1.77 eV for the samples etched at 50
and 100 mA. This blue shifting may be ex-
plained by quantum confinement as a con-
sequence of an increase in apparent energy
gap [16].
It was observed that as the sup-
plied current is increased from 10 mA to 50
mA, the PL intensity also increased. This was
due to the increase of mount of pSi formed
during etching as the supplied current is
increased. On the other hand, the PL inten-
sity decreased for the samples etched using
anodic current of 100 mA.
This may be due to the degradation
of the topmost pSi layer, which can be ob-
served in Figure 1b. For this set of samples,
optimum PL efficiency is therefore achieved
for the sample with anodic current of 50
mA. In any case, it was observed that the
FWHM narrows as the etching current is
increased.
Figure 3. Normalized PL spectra of PSi formed at
room temperature of 10 mA/cm2, 50 mA/cm
2
and 100 mA/cm2 at 24% HF for 40 minutes.
100mA 50mA 10mA 36.642 80.94 165.8
4. Conclusion We have successfully fabricated
extremely long macroporous having a thick-
ness up to 130 µm with pore width of 160
nm for the sample etched at 50 to 100mA.
XRD spectra showed that the pSi formed at
10 mA which measures to a thickness of 80
µm exhibit almost no deformation on silicon
structure. PL measurements showed the
expected trend where high porosity pSi
have greater blue shift for samples that did
not collapse.
Acknowledgement We acknowledge financial support
from UP-OVCRD, DOST-PCASTRD and OST-
SEI.
References [1] L. T. Canham, “Silicon quantum wire array
fabrication by electrochemical and chemical
dissolution of wafers”, Appl. Phys. Lett., 57, 1046
(1990).
[2] Jia, S.L. Zang, S.P. Wong, I.H. Wilson, S.K.
Hardk, Z.F. Liu and S.M. Cai, “Further evidence
for the quantum confined electrochemisty model
of the formation of p-type porous silicon”,Appl.
Phys.Lett. 69 (1996) 339.
[3] M. Jayachandran, M. Paramasivam, K.R. Mu-
rali, D.C. Trivedi and M. Raghavan, “Synthesis of
porous silicon nanostructures for photolumines-
cent devices”, Mater. Phys. Mech., 4, 143-147
(2001).
[4] Q. Shen, T. Takahashi and T. Toyoda,
“Characterization of optical and thermal proper-
ties of porous silicon using photoacoustic tech-
nique”, Anal. Sci., 17, 281 (2001).
[5] P. Pirasteh, J. Charrier, A. Soltani, S. Haesaert,
L. Haji, C. Godon, and N. Errien, “The effects of
oxidation on physical properties of porous silicon
layers for optical applications”, App. Surf. Sci.,
253, 1999-2002
[6] A. Halimaoui in: L.T. Canham (Ed.),
“Properties of Porous Silicon,” IEE INSPEC, the
Institution of
Electrical Engineers, London, 12 (1997).
[7] O. Bisi, S. Ossicini and L. Pavesi, “Porous sili-
con: a quantum sponge structure for silicon
based optoelectronics”, Surf. Sci. Rep., 38, 6
(2000).
[8] E.X. Perez, “Design, Fabrication, and Charac-
terization of Porous Silicon Multilayer Optical
Devices,” 2007.
[9] C. Vinegoni, M. Cazzanelli, L. Pavesi, “Porous
Silicon Microcavities”, Dept.of Physics, 2000.
[10] K. Fukami, H. Kamakura, T. Sakka, Y.H.
Ogata, “Formation Mechanism of Porous Silicon
with Medium Pores: the Role of KMnO4”, Insti-
tute of Advance Energy, Kyoto University Uji,
Kyoto 611-0011, Japan.
[11] A. Saha, S.H. Dutta, S.M. Hossain, S. Chak-
raborty, A. Saha, “Mechanism and control of
formation of porous silicon on p-type Si”, Dept of
Physics, revised March 7, 1998.
[12] V. Parkhutik, ”Porous silicon--mechanisms of
growth and applications,” Solid-State Electronics
43 (1999) pp 1121-1141.
[13] R.J. Martin-Palma, L. Pascual, A.R. Landa-
Canovas, P. Herrero, J.M. Martinez-Duart,
“HRTEM analysis of the nanostructure of porous
silicon,” Materials Science and Engineering C 26
(2006) pp.830 – 834.
[14] G. Le´rondel, G. Amato, A. Parisini, L.
Boarino, ”Porous silicon nanocracking,” Materi-
als Science and Engineering B 69–70 (2000) 161–
166.
[15] A. Janshoff, K.P.S. Dancil, C. Steinem, D.P.
Greiner, V.S-Y. Lin, C. Gurtner, K. Motesharei,
M.J. Sailor, and M.R. Ghadiri, "Macroporous p-
Type Silicon Fabry-Perot Layers. Fabrication,
Characterization, and Applications in Biosens-
ing," J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1998 120, pp 12108-
12116.
[16] S.S. Iyer and Y-H. Xie, “Light Emission From
Silicon in Porous Silicon” Zhe Chuan Feng and
Rafael Tsu(ed). World Scientific Publishing Co.
Pte. Ltd., Singapore, 1994.
QuantumQuantumQuantum
25
Research
“Science, technology, production—
what are they without
PEOPLE?”
-Joan Hinton (1921—2010)
Shattered Glass Door ProbeShattered Glass Door ProbeShattered Glass Door ProbeShattered Glass Door Probe
at NALLRC PUP Manilaat NALLRC PUP Manilaat NALLRC PUP Manilaat NALLRC PUP Manila
JONIEL F. RUMBAWA and LORENZO P. LOPEZ JR.
The pair of the glass door shattered (upper
photo). Fragment from the shattered door
(above).
January—June 2011
PENDULUM ANNALIZA M. AMO and JOSEPH A. DE
MESA
A child who used to play on a rocking
chair can explain the physics of a pendulum.
Children know how hard they have to push off
to keep going and how firm their feet on the
ground should be. They will experience a brief
moment of floating where they sat motionless
in mid-air as the swing changes its direction.
A pendulum is a mechanical device
which is composed of a string and a bob that is
able to swing freely when force is applied. Gali-
leo is often credited for having the discovery of
pendulum principles when he observed the
swinging chandeliers in Pisa cathedral. The
story may be no more than a myth today but
rather the great scientific discovery contributed
to the world's knowledge and understandings
of pendulums. There are a lot of types of pen-
dulum, simple and conical pendulum is given a
focus here. It is about on how the period of a
simple pendulum and conical pendulum varies
with the length of the pendulum, and the mag-
nitude of the bob’s displacement from the
equilibrium position.
A simple pendulum is one in which the
mass of the pendulum is concentrated at a
point. It is obvious that the mass of a simple
pendulum cannot be located at a point, since a
point is defined as position without dimen-
sions. However, the length of the string or wire
supporting the mass (called the bob) can be
large in comparison with the diameter of the
bob. A conical pendulum is a weight (or bob)
fixed on the end of a string (or rod) suspended
from a pivot. Its construction is similar to an
ordinary pendulum; however, instead of rock-
ing back and forth, the bob of a conical pendu-
lum moves at a constant speed in a circle with
the string (or rod) tracing out a cone. (http://
www.lopezlink.com/Labs/Pendulum_Lab/
pendulum_lab.html)
This investigation aimed to know the
factors affecting the period of simple and coni-
cal pendulum. Using corks, string and force
frame as the major materials, we recorded the
time it takes the cork for one complete cycle.
By varying the possible variables present, we’ve
concluded that the period of simple and conical
pendulum is dependent on the length of the
string, the mass of the cork and the angle of
QuantumQuantumQuantum
People living where snow occurs use hot waters to remove the ices that are
gathered. This is because hot water melts ice faster compared to cold water. As many
anticipate cold water freeze faster than hot water --- because compared to cold water,
hot water needs to cool down first before starting to freeze while cold water will just
start to freeze.
Mpemba effect is a phenomenon which occurs mostly in water, in which the hot
water, under some circumstances freezes faster than the cold water in any controlled
environment. This phenomenon has been described by a Tanzanian student named Er-
asto Mpemba observing his freezing hot ice cream mix and noticed that it freezes faster
than the cold ice cream mixes. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mpemba_effect)
We conducted an experiment that would ratify this effect in other types of liq-
uid like --- fish sauce, vinegar, soy sauce and evaporated milk -- liquids that had other
chemicals. We set a 5ml of each of a kind in a test tube. Next, we boiled each liquid to
reach its boiling point ----- we set that it would be at 100o Celsius. Then, as the testing
product reach it; we put it on the ice bath which had a rubber stopper to trap the tem-
perature in the vicinity and a thermometer to see the variation of the time of freezing.
We waited and then recorded the interval of each liquid as they reached at 0o Celsius. As
it happened, we observed and studied. We did again the process but in another tem-
perature --- room temperature. continued on page 27
26
On March 8, 2009 an unexplainable incident
happened at the NALRC ICT, Center PUP Sta.
Mesa Manila. Based from the witnesses of the
incident only the left side of the pair of the
glass door was shattered violently without any
intentional physical means such as smashing,
lightning, thunder, and wind current from the
outside. The only activity on the site was the
drilling activity on a wall opposite the glass
door. The strong sound waves emitted by the
drilling activity produced a single specific fre-
quency that reflected on the wall and focused
on the left side of the glass door that matched
the natural frequency of the glass itself so that
was why the left side of the glass door was
only shattered. The phenomenon in which the
increase in amplitude of oscillation of a me-
chanical system when it is subjected to vibra-
tion from another source near its own natural
frequency or the resonant frequency is that
energy is being transferred to the system un-
der the most favorable condition is known as
resonance. continued on page 27
KEVIN P. DOMINGO
ARIANNE GAIL S. RIVERA
Furnace is an equipment that can
generate heat, a temperature as high as
1100oC. With this, heat treatments like braz-
ing, sintering and annealing of materials
would be possible. Therefore, new material
from raw can be fabricated accordingly as well
as substance modifications.
Thin films and nanostructures like
ceramic superconductors are examples of the
products produced by the use of a furnace.
Research in these topics is currently active
and continually expanding.
To be competitive in such research,
L. Gianan, R. Maquinad and V. Sayson, and I
supervised by our NIP-CMPL-Superconductor
advisers constructed a box furnace to develop
our potentials especially in the field of Mate-
rial Science.
These are all achievable for the fol-
lowing reasons:
1. Furnace is already available in the
PUP- College of Science Laboratory
2. Chemicals in making samples are
obtainable
3. There are accessible instructors
who specializes the line of work stated.
In conclusion; furnace is built, new
materials can be fabricated, and unstoppable
research has just started in PUP, henceforth,
we, students of science will be proficient as
we move to different industries.
January—June 2011
QuantumQuantumQuantum
27
The furnace.
Freezing...Freezing... continued from page 26
Why did we use this type of experiment? It would be easy for us to identify
which of which were valid. All of them actually froze faster as they were hot and those
that were cold took a long time to reach their freezing points. The result shown in the
table --- milk has the shortest time to reach its boiling point and the soy sauce has the
longest period. Now, we can wholly say that the Milk has the great potential to exhibit
Mpemba effect. In a relative manner, soy sauce, vinegar and fish sauce also validated the
said effect but it is too quite. For the good outcome of the study, it is convenient to per-
form it in a laboratory
What are the possible causes of this effect? This behaviour exhibited by certain
liquids is thought to have violated the laws of thermody-
namics but they actually do not. Even if there is no con-
clusive explanation about this, several physical factors are
considered why this behaviour of certain liquids occurs.
These include the concepts of evaporation. Although this
does not account for the whole effect, it does contribute
because it reduces the volume of the boiling sample. Con-
vection is another factor. Higher convection in the
warmer water may spread the ice crystals faster. Frost
also has its contribution on the effect. It has insulating
effects. The warmer water will tend to freeze from the
bottom while the lower-temperature water tend to
freeze from atop. Super cooling is also considered. It is
thought that lower-temperature water when placed in a cold environment cools faster
than warm water but solidifies slower at the same time.
It depends also on the set-up of the experiment and the materials used may also
affect the variation of the outcome of the study.
In fact, as we will see, there are multiple papers confirming the exis-
tence of the Mpemba effect and we just opened it again for you to know a phenomenon
that is not taught nowadays. It is also clear that scientists’ theoretical views influence
what experiments they choose to do, to trust and to think about.
Some liquid samples that have
the Mpemba property.
Shattered Glass Door Probe... continued from page 26
Resonance is a very interesting and very powerful phenomenon. In a related
relation for another vivid dramatic demonstration of resonance is when a singer broke a
glass by just singing in high pitch note. The singer creates sound wave with a frequency
equal to the natural frequency of the glass, causing the glass to vibrate at its natural or
resonant frequency so energetically that causes to glass itself to shatter.
According to Mr. Rogelio G. Dizon who is the first investigator on this incidence,
the possible cause for this incidence is resonance. Based on our further reinvestigation we
found out also that resonance is only the possible cause why the glass door shattered in
the said area. (R. Dizon, PUP Manila, 2009)
PENDULUM
continued from page 26
Nowadays, pendulums have many real-world uses in science and other fields.
The most commonly recognized use of pendulums is in keeping time observed in clocks. It
is also widely used in music, also in presentation of magic tricks, it can also used in accel-
erometers the devices that measure acceleration.
In cooperation with the PUP In cooperation with the PUP Physics Society
theme, an introduction of its theme, an introduction of its first ever hymn was
composed by Debinya B. composed by Debinya B.
Buenafe, a BS Physics junior Buenafe, a BS Physics junior
student. It was presented student. It was presented
during the 13th General during the 13th General
AssemAssembly marking a new marking a new face
for the society. Truthe society. Truly, it is the the
golden golden era for the Physics Physics
students.
The Physics Hymn
harmonically states the life
of every physics students
now and then. Most of them
find it a stressor, a curse
rather than a course.
Staring, at his own notes,
trying to understand each of
their concepts. Some
thought that physics is
boldly written in the
language of mathematics:
integration, exponential
f u n c t i o n s , d i f f e r e n t
logarithmic properties ,
t r i g o n o m e t r y a n d
algebra...Man! My brain
may pop at any moment.
Getting a failing grade
is not always an option. It is
an absurd action for every
physics-competitor. Thinking
of much for the future is a
literal stupidity. By way,
things must go on, since, in every challenge, there’s a
helping hand that always backs-up.
Physics is not only a subject of knowledge. It is a
subject of imagination
together with hard work. The
reality of each combined
dimensional space is purely its
secret. It is a collection of
factional data of any man of
the history. Remember,
Mohammad even uttered,
“split an atom and in its heart
you’ll find a sun.”
PUP Physics Society
visions every student to
appreciate and to have an
acclivity of awareness of all
physics behind.
Life is full of surprises
and still, these are logically
arranged to any physics
concepts. If it can’t be
explained by Newton, try
Einstein. If it does not work,
go on to Quantum YET if still it
doesn’t work, make a
research, make a study. Who
knows you’ll be a Nobel prize
awardee.
Things are part
of the growing knowledge. It is
how we accede every
momentum, where PhySoc
always have an open-hand for
every interested body.
-DEBBIE V. VELASQUEZ
My My hymnhymn
My My disc ipl ined i sc ipl ine
January—June 2011
QuantumQuantumQuantum
NotesNotesNotesNotesNotesNotesNotesNotesNotesNotesNotesNotes
28
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