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  • In Focus : TATA INSTITUTE OF FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH

    The Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) is a National Centre of the Government of India. Located in Colaba, Mumbai, the TIFR is dedicated to basic research in Mathematics, Natural Sciences, Biological Sciences, Computer Science and Science Education. Sheltered under the Department of Atomic Energy, it is also a Deemed University awarding degree for Master’s and Doctoral programs. It also has a Graduate Programme leading to a PhD in all the major fields of study…

    A VISION THAT LED TO THE FOUNDATION

    In 1944, Homi J. Bhabha, known for his role in the development of the Indian atomic energy programme, envisioned a better future for the nation.

    “It is the duty of people like us to stay in our own country and build up outstanding schools of research such as some other countries are fortunate to possess.”

    Dr. Bhabha wrote to the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust requesting financial assistance to set up a scientific research Centre. With the support from J.R.D. Tata, the then Chairman of the Tata Group, TIFR was founded on 1st June, 1945 under the vision of Dr. Homi Bhabha, who was rightly appointed as the first director of the TIFR.

    THE HERITAGE INSTITUTION

    TIFR’s Bombay campus was designed by Chicago-based architect Helmuth Bartsch and was inaugurated by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on 15 January, 1962. Post India’s independence, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) designated TIFR to be the centre for all large-scale projects in nuclear research in 1949.

     ACADEMICS AND RESEARCH

    The first academic physics group was set up by Bhabha’s students B.M. Udgaonkar and K.S. Singhvi. In December 1950, Bhabha organized an international conference at TIFR on elementary particle physics. Renowned scientists from across the globe attended the conference, including Rudolf Peierls, Léon Rosenfeld, William Fowler as well as Meghnad Saha, Vikram Sarabhai and others providing expertise from India.

    TIFR – A Deemed University

     In the 1950s, TIFR was a significant institute that played a key role in the field of cosmic ray physics. In June 2002, TIFR attained the official deemed university status. With the rising demand of space for research and accommodation, TIFR set up centres at Pune, Bangalore and Hyderabad. Today, TIFR is considered as one of India’s most outstanding research centres.

    Dr Siddhi Barve

    ScienceNow Digital

  • In Focus: TIFR’s SUPER COMPUTER

    Tata Institute of Fundamental Research Automatic Calculator or TIFRAC was the first digital electronic computer to be designed and built in India. It was developed by the scientists at the TIFR and was formally commissioned in 1960 and was named so by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru….

    DESIGN AND ASSEMBLY OF A SUPER COMPUTER

    In 1995, scientists designed a pilot machine. By late 1956, the machine was operational. It was in 1959 that the machine was developed into a digital computer. TIFRAC had numerous vacuum tubes which were covered within a huge steel rack that measured approximately 18 ft X 2.5 ft X 8 ft. it was developed from modules of 4 ft X 2.5 ft X 8 ft, where each module had steel doors on either side for accessing the circuits. The magnetic core memory of TIFRAC had a capacity of 1024 words, and was later expanded to 2048 words.

    WORKING OF TIFRAC

    The software of TIFRAC were written in a series of commands of 1’s and 0’s. A punched paper tape was used to print the data from TIFRAC. The output would either be printed out directly or punched on paper tape. A cathode ray tube display system served as an auxiliary output to the computer for analogue and digital display of both graphs and alphanumeric symbols.

    BUDDING COMPUTING OPPORTUNITIES

    TIFRAC played a key role in understanding of the infrastructural needs and requirement of computing experts needed for establishing the computer industry in India. It created ample opportunities for technical personnel and helped them in the advancement of computer science skills required for operation and maintenance. With the rising demand for TIFRAC, it was operated in two shifts per day so as to cope with the computational requirements of TIFR.

    ACQUIRING COMPUTING EXCELLENCE

    TIFR scientists required expertise in the maintenance of TIFRAC’s complex electronic system and the hundreds of inter-connected parts inside it. A few scientists who had helped design and build the TIFRAC travelled to American universities. On returning, TIFR set up a committee to supervise more research into large-scale computing. This led to further research using systems like CDC and OLDAP. This made TIFR a major asset for computing excellence in India.

    Dr Siddhi Barve

    ScienceNow Digital

  • Know the Genius Thomas Alva Edison

    Thomas Alva Edison was born on February 11, 1847 in Milan, Ohio. In 1854, when he was just seven years old, the family moved to Michigan where Edison spent the rest of his childhood…..

    Early life

    Edison went to school for a brief period and was not good at studies. In fact, his mother, a former teacher, had to teach him at home. However, Edison loved reading and also liked to conduct various experiments at his home. He even printed his own newspaper, the Grand Trunk Herald, on a moving train. At 15, Edison roamed the country as a “tramp telegrapher.” Using a kind of alphabet called Morse Code, he sent and received messages over the telegraph. Even though he was losing his hearing, he could still hear the clicks of the telegraph.

    Some Inventions

    Edison moved from Newark to Menlo Park, New Jersey, in 1876. There he built his most famous laboratory because he created two of his three greatest works there:

    • The phonograph was the first machine that was invented by Edison that could record the sound of someone’s voice and play it back. In 1877, Edison recorded the first words on a piece of tin foil. He recited the nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” and the phonograph played the words back to him.
    • It was in 1878, that Edison worked on one of his greatest achievements – the electric light system. Edison also designed a system of power plants that produce electrical power and the wiring that brings it to people’s homes.
    • It was in 1887 that Edison built a laboratory in West Orange that was 10 times larger than the one in Menlo Park. This was the place where Edison earned half of his 1,093 patents.

    Beyond Inventions But Edison did more than invent. Not only did Edison improve the phonograph several times, but he also worked on X-rays, storage batteries, and the first talking doll. At West Orange he also worked on one of his greatest ideas: motion pictures or movies. He worked here until his death on October 18, 1931, at the age of 84.

    -Team ScienceNow Digital

  • Do it yourself : SCIENCE EXPERIMENT

    MAKING A SUN DIAL

    Let’s Try some experiment….

    WHAT DO WE NEED?

    • A straight stick (2ft long)
    • Small sea shells or rocks
    • A watch

    LET’S PROCEED

    • Find a sunny spot. Plant the stick vertically into the ground.
    • We need to begin the experiment early in the morning. Around 7:00 am, use a small rock or seashell to mark where the shadow of the stick falls.
    • At around 8:00 am, 9:00 am, 10:00 am and so on till there is daylight, mark the shadows.
    • You can also mark the pebbles with the time that they were placed using a chalk.
    • By the end of the day, you will complete the sundial.

    HOW DOES IT WORK?

    The sunlight makes the stick cast a shadow. As the earth is constantly rotating and revolving around the sun, the angle of the shadow will change depending on how the sunlight falls on the stick.

    –Team ScienceNow Digital

  • Do you Know… Try to understand some facts in science….

    Why do chillies burn even though they are cold?

    Chillies contain capsaicin, which makes the receptors in our mouth feel that there is something really hot. Capsaicin affects receptors everywhere, so we normally feel the heat again throughout. The degree of heat found within a food is often measured on the Scoville scale.

    Why Is the Sunset Red or Orange?

    The sunset appears reddish because while the sun is setting, the light that reaches us goes through different atmospheric layers when the sun is overhead. Hence, the only coloured light that is not scattered away is reddish which is a long wavelength light.

    Why Does the Moon Appear in the Daytime?

     The moon does not produce its own light. We see the moonlight when the sun’s light is reflected off its surface. The visibility of the moon’s light also depends on its angle and its distance from Earth. When the moon and sun are on the same side of the Earth, it makes the moon 1,00,000 times brighter than the brightest star in the sky, thus making it visible during the day.

    Why is a rainbow curved?

    A rainbow is curved because it reflects the round shape of the sun. On Earth, part of the sun is blocked. This makes rainbows appear as a half or a quarter circle. But when we are in an airplane, we often see the rainbow below and it might appear as a full circle.

    Why is the Sun the only star that can be seen during the day?

    Stars often glow during the day. But because of their brightness and closeness of the sun, they are impossible to see. Also, the light coming from the sun is scattered into the bright blue colour of the sky. This bluish atmosphere blocks out the stars which shine very faintly. On the other hand, if we see the Earth’s atmosphere from above the moon, we could see the stars appear both during the day and night.

    –Team ScienceNow Digital

  • THE SCIENTIFIC INDIAN: A 21st CENTURY GUIDE TO THE WORLD AROUND US

    Authored by India’s missile man, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and his associate Y. S. Rajan, ‘The Scientific Indian’ delves deep into the realization of the vision for the country’s better future. This realization will need a keen understanding of our needs and can be achieved only by modifying our research and innovations with the aim to achieve national development….

    The book is divided in three sections – space, earth and life.  the book answers several questions on space including how difficult it is to place satellite in orbit, how it is injected into an orbit and how satellites help to give us real-time data of natural calamities and disasters, aiding space security and defence forces. About earth, the book explains how our blue planet is unique and is located perfectly so as to use sun’s energy in order to nurture life. The book also explains the origin and evolution of Earth. The book concludes with dealing with life on Earth with the importance of food, crop production, and irrigation systems and fertilizers which can boost produce and fetch resources. The section also aims at the need for better technology, energy, electricity and water for a better India.

    –Team ScienceNow

  • What if … If THERE WAS NO GRAVITY?

    Gravity is basically a force of attraction between any two atoms. It is an attraction that keeps us on Earth, and keeps Earth orbiting the Sun. Biologically, the atoms in our body also exert gravity so as to keep the organs functioning….

    What does gravity do?

    The gravity on Earth is because of the mass of the Earth which is made up of gigantic number of atoms held together. So, gravity is what keeps us in place. It is also why planetary bodies are in motion rotating in a certain orbit around the sun and is the basic strength behind the formation of new planets and stars. Gravity also holds many things down on Earth – people, vehicles, furniture and almost everything.

    What will happen if there is no gravity?

    If there was no gravity on the planet, everything would just start floating around. Without gravity, the water in the oceans, rivers and lakes would disappear, leaving Earth with no water supply. Without gravity, the air in the atmosphere has no reason to hang around and it would vanish into space. No one would last if the planet didn’t have gravity. If gravity vanishes, it would feel as though the ground beneath us is falling out and leaving us floating upwards in slow motion. On Earth, our body has adapted to pushing against the force of gravity which constantly pulls us down. Lack of gravity would lead to drastic changes in body temperature, breathing, pulse rate, bone displacement muscle tension and blood pressure. This physical tension is termed as Zero Gravity. This makes the gravitational force very significant and a true constant in our lives.

    Do you know…

    Astronauts lose at least 14% of their bone strength during a six month stay on a space station

    WHAT IF THIS GRAVITATIONAL FORCE INCREASES?

    if gravity were to suddenly double, it would be almost as bad as everything would be twice as heavy. There would be big problems with anything structural. Houses, bridges, skyscrapers, table legs, support columns and so on are all sized for normal gravity. Most structures would collapse fairly quickly if you doubled the load on them. Trees and plants would have problems. Power lines would have problems. The air pressure would double and that would have a big effect on the weather.

    –Team ScienceNow Digital

  • Ancient Science : ARYABHATTA

    India has been the cradle of many scientific discoveries. Here we profile an Indian scientist and one ancient Indian technology…

    Aryabhatta was the first mathematician astronomer from the classical age of India. His works in mathematics and astronomy have been extensively used by the Greeks and others in the Middle East. His most famous work Ayrabhatiya’ covering several branches of mathematics such as algebra, arithmetic, plane and spherical trigonometry was compiled when he was just 23 years old.

    He was the first mathematician to give what later came to be known as the tables of sine, cosine, versine, and converse sine to four decimal spots, which brought forth trigonometry. Aryabhatta has named the initial 10 decimal places and derived the methods for extracting square roots and summing the arithmetic series. But it was his work on the place value system and discovery of zero that was of utmost significance.

    Do you Know

    Aryabhatta calculated the sidereal rotation which is the rotation of the earth with respect to the stars as 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4.1 seconds. He calculated the length of the sidereal year as 365 days, 6 hours, 12 minutes and 30 seconds.

    In Astronomy, he discovered the position of nine planets, provided the circumference and measurement of the Earth, pronounced that the moon has no light of its own and concluded that the earth is round and that it rotates on its own axis thus causing days and nights. He also made predictions about the solar and lunar eclipses, duration of the day as well as the distance between the Earth and the Moon. India’s first indigenous satellite was named after this legend

    Dr Shobha Tawade

    ScienceNow Digital

  • Ancient Science : Water Conservation

    India has given us many water conservation techniques that are still used in many a places across the country. Of the many unique forms, the stepwells built over thousand years ago are not only an architectural marvel but innovation at its best. Let us take the example of Chand Baori, a stepwell built over a thousand years ago in the Abhaneri village of Rajasthan…

    This 13-storey deep well is one of the oldest, deepest and largest stepwells in the world with 3,500 narrow steps arranged in perfect symmetry to the bottom of the well. At the bottom of the well, the air would remain 5-6 degrees Celsius cooler than at the surface.

    The Baori has a precise geometrical pattern with the steps forming a magical maze. As you go down the steps on the left, you can see the baori narrowing towards the bottom. The wall of the well is symmetrically lined with two flights of steps each on three sides of the wall. It is based on the concept of equilateral triangle pattern where three smaller triangles would form a bigger triangle. Its deep and well-rounded bottom along with other geometrical shapes like rhombus, and diagonal criss-crossing lines makes Chand Baori look like an inverted pyramid

    Dr Shobha Tawade

    ScienceNow Digital

     

  • BERMUDA TRIANGLE – A MYSTERY ZONE

    BERMUDA TRIANGLE – A MYSTERY ZONE 

    For decades, a section of the North Atlantic Ocean has been a notorious place on Earth. From sea monsters to UFOs, the triangle has been a topic of scientific studies and theories. But the mystery remains coded as it proposes various possibilities that makes it one of the biggest science mysteries in the world….

    What is Bermuda Triangle?

    The Triangle is a part of the Atlantic Ocean between Bermuda, South Florida and Puerto Rico. It is also termed as Devil’s triangle for being a mysterious area, known for sudden disappearances of ships and airplanes.

    Is it an extra-terrestrial territory or a pirate haven?

    Often touted as a scene from a Steven Spielberg movie, the Bermuda triangle is believed to be tracked by aliens. According to a few theories, the extra-terrestrials must have travelled across space and time to enter Earth’s atmosphere. Shooting off from the scenes from ‘Pirates of the Carribeans’, the Bermuda triangle could be home to pirates. But being humans, where would they store the assumed stolen ships and airplanes? Nevertheless, these fictional possibilities barely stand a chance for explaining the mystery.

    Could it be the rogue waves?

    Well, though the triangle is a section in the Atlantic Ocean, waves would have little role in causing much turbulence. But rogue waves, that usually pop up from deep water and land on your boats can make them sink. And it does occur in the Bermuda triangle without any forecast or warning like it occurs in seas and ocean across the globe. It could be a tectonic activity that would cause the disastrous waves which cannot be ruled out.

    Methane Gas – the newest supposition

    Methane is a natural gas that is less dense than water. As per the scientific theories, if a ship sails through methane infused water, the patch of ocean would display massive methane bubbles with harmful stench that comes from the deep water. The methane gas hydrates exist in deep, high pressure environments found in all the world’s oceans, including parts of the Bermuda Triangle. But there are no recorded cases that any such an incident has occurred.

    Do magnetic glitches play a role in the mystery?

    Many articles, shows or videos have often documented recordings of sailors and pilots of sudden disruption in signals and their instruments going non-functional. Scientifically, true north only exists within a small section of the Earth. Often, as magnetic variations are normal, most sailors, pilots and even computers with GPS systems need to adjust compass bearings to the north. With the compass going haywire, signals may go wrong or blank, causing dislocation and thereby making things ‘disappear’.

    Mystery or deception?

    The area around the Bermuda Triangle is one of the most travelled shipping routes in the world with ships frequently crossing through the island ports in the Americas, Europe and Caribbean. Thus, most reputable sources dismiss the ‘mystery’ and term it to be wrongly reported or simply overstated. There is no recent case of any disappearance in the area. But still, the Bermuda Triangle still remains a mystery to be decoded!

    Do you know?

    Besides Bermuda, over 70 islands that make up the Bahamas, fall within the Triangle!

    –Team ScienceNow Digital