A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE PREVIOUS CLASS AND STRATEGY SESSION (05:06 PM)

PARTICLE PHYSICS- HIGGS BOSON or GOD PARTICLE (05:33 PM)

• Peter Higgs explained why fundamental particles have different masses and some particles are massless. He explained a mechanism named after him, if the Higgs mechanism is correct then we should be able to find a particle known as Higgs Boson which was discovered in 2012 by a very famous experimental setup "Large Hadron Collider"
• LHC= It is a 27 km long circular tunnel where the same charged particles such as Proton means are accelerated very close to the speed of light and collided. It is operated by CERN 
• 

CONTRIBUTION OF INDIAN SCIENTIST (05:45 PM)

• J C Bose
• He was a polymath, physicist, biologist, botanist, and archaeologist. He was the Father of Open technology in India
• He started to write science fiction in India
• Dr. Vikram Sarabhai
• Dr. Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai was an Indian astrophysicist who is considered as the Father of the Indian Space Program. 
• He played a role in Satellite vision. 
• He was instrumental in setting up of premier institutes and labs
• He also contributed to nuclear technology. 
• Dr. Homi Jehangir Bhabha
• Bhabha is acknowledged as the father of Indian nuclear power.
• He envisaged the 3 staged nuclear programs to effectively utilize the thorium reserve of India. 
• Dr. A P J Kalam 
• Satellite launch vehicle (SLV) was discovered under the leadership of Kalam. 
• Thumba near Thiruvananthapuram- Dr. A P J Kalam was instrumental in setting up of this. 
• Dr. Raja Ramanna
• Raja Ramanna was an Indian physicist who made significant contributions to nuclear science and played a prominent role in India's nuclear program
• Dr. Hargobind Khurana
• He proved that genetic code consists of 64 different three-letter words, which told the cell where to begin reading the code and where to stop. 
• He Discovered the structure of transfer-RNA, or tRNA (small RNA molecule that participates in protein synthesis. 
• He Contributed to the science of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, used to detect genetic material from a specific organism, like a virus.
• 
• Contribution of women scientists
• Go through the handout provided in the class

GRAND UNIFIED THEORY AND THEORY OF EVERYTHING (06: 02 PM)

• A theory that can combine electromagnetic strong and weak interactions is called Grand Unified theory. 
• Nature at a larger scale can be explained by the General Theory of Relativity and at a very smaller scale by Quantum Mechanics. A theory to combine both of them in one can be called the theory of Everything. Such attempts have been futile. The most famous candidates are String theory and Quantum loop gravity. 
• 

EINSTEIN'S THEORIES (06:15 PM)

• Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity, 1905 
• It was developed by Einstein in 1905 which revolutionized our understanding of space, time, and motion. 
• According to Einstein, the speed of light in a vacuum is always the same regardless of the frame of reference. This leads to interesting consequences 
• a) Space and time are not separate entities. We live in a 4-dimensional structure called Space-time where time is the 4th dimension. 
• b) Thus the notion of absolute length or Absolute time is not correct. Different observers based on relative motion can measure the different lengths or different times for the same object or same event. 
• c) It also introduced the famous equation, E= MC²
• Einstein's general theory of Relativity, 1915
• The general theory of relativity was developed by Einstein in 1915. It is a theory of gravity which provides a deeper understanding of how massive objects like planets and stars influence the fabric of space-time. 
• 
• According to this theory, massive objects such as stars and Galaxies lead to curvature in space-time (Warping), and what we think as an attractive force, Gravity is actually caused because of the curvature of space-time. This has many consequences 
• a) Bending of light around massive objects- Gravitational lensing
• It is a phenomenon in which light from a distant object is bent by the gravitational fields of massive objects such as clusters of galaxies. This leads to an effect similar to a converging lens, hence the name Gravitational lensing. It has applications in Astronomy. 
• 
• b) Time is affected by Gravity
• c) Black holes can exist
• d) Universe is expanding, which means if we extrapolate this expansion backward in time then the universe originated from an incredibly hot and dense state known as the Big Bang. 
• e) It also predicts the existence of Gravitational waves.  

GRAVITATIONAL WAVES (07:15 PM)

• Gravitational waves are ripples in the fabric of space-time caused by the acceleration of movement of massive objects. For example- The merger of black holes, the Supernova explosion, the Merger of neutron stars, and the black hole can create gravitational waves which travel with the speed of light. 
• Gravitational waves squeeze and stretch anything in their path as they pass by. 
• 
• LIGO (Laser interferometer Gravitational-wave observatory) is a scientific experiment designed to detect gravitational waves. It consists of 2 L-shaped arms, 4 Km Long.
• With the help of laser beams, we can accurately measure this length, if a gravitational wave passes through, it causes tiny changes in the length which can be detected in LIGO setup in the USA. 
• There are other observatories- VIRGO in Italy, Kagra in Japan, Geo 600 in Germany
• LIGO India is a proposed project in Hingoli district Maharashtra to be completed by 2030 and Funded by DST (Department of Science and Technology) and DAE (Department of atomic energy). 
• 
• There is another proposed set up by European Space Agency, e-LISA. This consists of three spacecraft flying in a triangular configuration. 

ROBOTICS (07:41 PM)

• Robotics is an interdisciplinary branch involving Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer science, and Material science among others. 
• Robots are programmable machines that can be used for various objectives. 
• Robotics has many applications
• In Agriculture 
• Farming in harsh terrain, difficult weather
• Use of drones in crop monitoring
• Using agricultural inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides
• Use as scarecrows
• In Manufacturing 
• Jobs of assembly lines
• In Logistics
• Robots for warehouse management
• Drones for delivery
• In Space
• Exploring alien terrain
• In Defense and security
• Internal security, monitoring Naxal-affected areas
• External security
• In hazardous areas
• Manual scavenging, Mining, Nuclear waste management, Chemical waste management
• Fire squad, Bomb disposal squad
• Rescue from dangerous areas. 
• Note- Blind opposition to Automation is not the way forward 
• Note- Luddite movement- The Luddites were members of a 19th-century movement of English textile workers who opposed the use of certain types of cost-saving machinery, often by destroying the machines in clandestine raids.
• Way forward
• Job loss will be compensated with job creation but in the skilled sector so we need to work on Skiiling, Reskilling, etc
• Social security measures. 

Science and Technology Class is completed.