science
Notes: 53
Academician Nikolai Gennadiyevich Basov (1922-2001)
Nikolai Basov, Nobel laureate and MEPhI graduate, the real scientist Zhorik needles Roman with as a parting joke.
Amentia
Amentia, an acute psychotic disorder of clouded consciousness caused by severe illness or intoxication.
Aniline
Aniline is a chemical compound that played a key role in creating the first synthetic dyes, sparking a revolution in 19th- and 20th-century fashion…
Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)
Arthur Schopenhauer was a German philosopher, one of the best-known thinkers of irrationalism and the creator of the philosophy of pessimism. Born to…
Ataractic
Ataraxia, the Epicurean and Stoic ideal of untroubled calm — and what it means for a laugh to sound cold and ataractic rather than genuinely amused.
Carbohydrates in the Diet: Why "Greens" Alone Aren't Enough
Carbohydrates, proteins, and fats in the diet: why vegetables and fruit alone aren't enough. The functions of macronutrients and the importance of a…
CDMA -- a Revolutionary Wireless Technology
CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) is a channel-access method used by various radio communication technologies.
Circadian Rhythm
The circadian rhythm is the body's biological clock, regulating sleep, wakefulness, metabolism, and body temperature over a 24-hour cycle. It is…
Colloid
What a colloid is — from Thomas Graham's 1861 coinage to the sols, emulsions, foams, and gels that fill everyday life.
Combustiology: the medicine of burn treatment
Combustiology, the narrow medical specialty of treating burns, and what it meant to be treated by a combustiologist in 1990s Russia.
Cro-Magnons and troglodytes: from anthropology to insult
Why calling a bodybuilder a 'Cro-Magnon' or a 'troglodyte' was 1990s intelligentsia shorthand for brawn without brains.
Cubic Zirconia
The diamond-look-alike synthesized at Moscow's Lebedev Physical Institute in 1970 — a fitting, and famously overused, prop in the jewelry of the "New…
Cyan and Magenta
Cyan is a shade of blue that sits between blue and green, associated with water and purity. Magenta is a rich purplish-red tied to creativity and…
Darwin's Theory
Darwin's theories explain the evolution of life on Earth. Natural selection drives the formation of new species, sexual selection influences the…
Differential Equations: the Mathematical Apparatus for Describing Processes
A complete guide to differential equations: definitions, classification, solution methods. Studying differential equations in MEPhI's second year…
Empathy: a Psychological Phenomenon and Social Skill
Empathy is the ability to perceive and understand others' feelings. The term comes from the ancient Greek "empatheia" ("feeling into"). In the 20th…
Four Dimensions
Four-dimensional spacetime comprises three spatial dimensions (length, width, height) and one time dimension, per Einstein's theory of relativity. In…
Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling (1775-1854)
Friedrich Schelling was one of the greatest German idealist philosophers, a figure of Romantic philosophy. Born into the family of a Protestant…
Gigameter
The unit behind the novel's poetic way of naming the sun: "plasma one hundred fifty gigameters away" is, almost exactly, the Earth-Sun distance.
Imbeciles
The word "imbecile" comes from the Latin imbecillus, meaning "weak, feeble." In 19th- and 20th-century psychiatry, "imbecility" denoted a moderate…
Iteration
The word "iteration" comes from the Latin iteratio, meaning "repetition." In scientific terminology, this term has several specialized meanings…
Keratosis
Keratosis is a group of skin conditions marked by excessive keratinization. The main types are actinic (precancerous), seborrheic (benign), and…
Kurums
Kurums are boulder fields formed in mountains through the weathering of rock. They form in harsh climates, especially permafrost zones, where…
Mariana Trench
The Mariana Trench is the deepest point in the ocean (10,994 m), formed by tectonic subduction, with pressure exceeding 1,000 atmospheres. It hosts…
MIT -- the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Why comparing MIT to Moscow's own MIFI was, for a Soviet-trained mind in 1993, the single highest compliment one could pay an American institution.
Moraines
Moraines are deposits of debris (from boulders to clay) transported and accumulated by glaciers as they move and grind down rock.
Who a Neurasthenic Is, and What Neurasthenia Is
Neurasthenia is a neurotic disorder marked by fatigue, irritability, reduced concentration, and exhaustion. It arises from prolonged stress and was…
The Dionysian impulse and the life of Friedrich Nietzsche
Nietzsche's Dionysian/Apollonian split and his own tragic biography, invoked when Roman recognizes his own craving for sex stripped of transaction as…
What an Oasis Is
An oasis is a patch of desert land where water creates conditions for life, from groundwater, rivers, lakes, or rainfall. Oases serve as key survival…
Oligophrenia
Oligophrenia is intellectual disability caused by damage to the central nervous system, ranging from mild (moronity) through moderate/severe…
Gorgias's Three Theses: "Nothing Exists"
A detailed analysis of the famous theses of the ancient Greek sophist Gorgias on non-being, unknowability, and the inexpressibility of truth. The…
Oxytocin
Oxytocin is a hormone and neurotransmitter that influences love, attachment, trust, and empathy. It's released through physical contact, producing a…
Refraction
Refraction is the change in direction of light rays when passing between media, explained by Snell's law: the ratio of the sines of the angles equals…
Rhododendron
The rhododendron is a popular ornamental shrub of the heath family, known for its vivid blooms and wide variety of species, widely used in gardening…
Serotonin, the "Happiness Hormone"
Serotonin is a biogenic amine that functions as both a neurotransmitter and a hormone. It regulates mood, appetite, sleep, and social behavior. Most…
Structural Linguistics and Ferdinand de Saussure
Structural linguistics is a school of language study that examines language as a system of interrelated elements. Its core principle: meaning arises…
What Barkhans Are
A barkhan is a crescent-shaped sand dune formed by wind in desert regions. Its convex side faces the wind, while its "horns" stretch out in the…
The Bradis Tables
The four-digit math reference book every Soviet schoolchild used before calculators — and the novel's metaphor for a life calculated in advance, down…
The neuroscience and philosophy behind Roman's "seventh element of euphoria"
The neuroscience, philosophy, and history of euphoria, from Freud's cocaine to the runner's high — and a speculative reading of Roman's 'seventh…
The Ether: from Ancient Philosophy to Modern Technology
Ether is an ancient Greek concept, considered a fifth element alongside earth, water, air, and fire. Aristotle described it as the divine substance…
The Integral
An integral is a core concept in calculus, expressing a sum or an area. An indefinite integral is a family of antiderivatives; a definite integral is…
The Lagrange Polynomial
The Lagrange interpolation polynomial is one of the most important tools of numerical analysis, widely taught in Soviet and Russian higher education…
The Mathematics of Infinitesimals
An infinitesimal, in mathematics, is a function or sequence whose limit equals zero. In simpler terms, it's a quantity that, as it changes, becomes…
The Neocortex
The neocortex is an evolutionarily young part of the mammalian brain's cortex, most developed in humans. It consists of six layers of neurons and…
The Physics of Fast-Flowing Processes
The physics of fast-flowing processes studies phenomena that occur within microseconds or femtoseconds. It arose in the 1940s with research into…
"The Revolt of the Masses" by Jose Ortega y Gasset
José Ortega y Gasset's 1930 treatise on mass society, and its bleak vision of an "average man" who takes control of public life without the culture…
What Thermodynamics Is
Thermodynamics studies the energy of macroscopic systems. Its development is tied to the steam engine. Key scientists: Carnot, Clausius, Joule…
Thyristors, Diacs, and Triacs
Diacs and triacs are specific semiconductor devices belonging to the thyristor family. These terms are especially fitting for the technical speech of…
Traverse, a Sideways Movement
The mountaineering term "traverse" — crossing a slope without gaining or losing elevation — plus its nautical, military, and fortification meanings.
Two-Tenths of a Second
How brief two-tenths of a second really is — roughly one human eye-blink, and how the falling hero manages to notice diamond gates within it.
Tyrannosaurus Rex, or T-Rex
Tyrannosaurus Rex was one of the most famous predators of the Late Cretaceous period. It lived in North America, reaching 12-14 meters in length, up…
Vocabulary
Vocabulary is the sum of words used by a person or a language. Active and passive vocabulary are distinguished. In 1990s Russia, the average passive…