Some of the stuff we did was mindblowing. I couldnt believe one single laboratory took up as much energy as all of westwood. The technology was incredible. We first started of the day with shapes. We looked at shapes in nature and science. What freaked me out was how sounds could have shapes. Nature demonstrated this. Certain crystals, or something, would change shape when a high frequency sound came in. The shapes changed to weird circles and god knows what those other shapes and patterns were called.
Something really interesting was visiting the Fouler Museum and seeing the art of the Aborigines. Most of the art just looked the same. These guys have been around for quite some time in the deserts of Australia, and have learned to live in that harsh and arid environment. Lately, they have been getting pushed around by the English settlers, kind of like the Native Americans. To paint, they use complex patterns of dots and colors. They have a very primitive and simple communication language that they paint in their paintings. They have been scared of letting their “precious” culture bleed to westerners. They want to keep their art sacred and special.
The most amazing thing was the Plasma lab in Westwood. It was quite a walk, especially with the hot sun, dark jeans and shirt, and a long time of walking. It was worth seeing the Plasma lab though. Plasma is known as the fourth state of matter, that doesnt naturally occur on Earth. It has plenty of practical applications, like plasma t.v.s and stuff. It is when electrons are relatively free. They must occur in very high temperatures though. They are electrically conductive and respond well to an electromagnetic field. It is the most abundant state of matter in the universe. The stars and our own sun are made of it.
UV light or a laser can form plasmas, by transferring energy to knock down electrons. They can be steered by electrical and magnetic fields. The magnets at the lab were strong enough to wipe away your credit card or, in my case, my room key that also gives me food. Because they can be controlled and applies easily with magnets, they have many practical applications. They can be efficient sources of radiation. They are good for lighting. Something really interesting is that the energy from fusion and forming a plasma can be extremely exothermic and produce huge amounts of energy. However, if done for even a short amount of time, the plasma will melt everything due to the high temperature. The sun gets its energy from this. A lot of research is being done on plasma, but the plasma has cool temperatures and are only performed within millionths of a second.
http://www.aboriginalartonline.com/index.php
http://www.plasmas.org/what-are-plasmas.htm
http://www.pppl.gov/
http://pluto.space.swri.edu/image/glossary/plasma.html
http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes/Sciences/Physics/PlasmaPhysics/Applications/Applications.htm