Aran Murphy 12/18/13
Earth Science
Honors
Current Event Report “The Big Squeeze”
Kenneth Chang, a reporter for the
New York Times, writes about what happens to certain substances when they are
exposed to immense amount of pressure. When some materials are placed between
two diamonds and exposed to extreme pressure, they appear to change. This
transformation sheds light on the creation of new materials and technology.
When matter is put in between the diamonds, it undergoes a change and stays
that way; this is defined as being metastable. For example, peanut butter
changes into diamonds when exposed to large amounts of pressure. Oxygen changes
into a metal when it is put in between the press. It has been discovered that
putting a mixture of sodium and silicon in the press can create a very
efficient photovoltaic cell. These photovoltaic cells can then be used to
create efficient solar panels. Oxygen, when pressed by the machine, forms a
metal that is indistinguishable from other metals. This scientific discovery
could possibly yield a revolution of technology and power.
This
discovery is very relevant to this day in age due to the rapid evolution of
technology. By using this technique, new substances could be formed that can
allow for the cheaper production of metals. Superconductors can be formed using
this method, which allows power to travel without resistance. This allows for a
higher efficiency in our electronic devices. The more efficient photovoltaic
cells, or solar panels can allow for cheaper and smaller solar panels. This
could possibly reduce the cost of power and the consumption of oil. This allows
for a much healthier environment. With this method being recently discovered,
there is still much to discover. This could possibly lead to a ground breaking
scientific discovery.
I found
this article very interesting and well-written, but there are a few
improvements that could be made. While it is interesting that peanut butter can
be turned into diamonds, it would be great to know what the device that can
achieve such miracles looks like. I thought that while I might understand some
of the terminology in this article, others might not. Some might not understand
what resistance means, or understand the concepts of superconductors and semiconductors. I think that some of the vocab in this
article might be over the heads of some readers. Other than that I thought that
the article was very interesting to anybody interested in physics or chemistry.
Works
Cited
Chang, Kenneth.
"The Big Squeeze." Nytimes.com. New York Times, 16 Dec. 2013.
Web. 18 Dec.
2013.
I really like the length of your review and its cohesiveness. You formatted it well with the summary paragraph being longest, and the relevancy and critique paragraphs having similar lengths. Also, I like how you did not get too carried away with your summary paragraph. You used great examples to show how certain substances change when being exposed to a lot of pressure, and being wedged between diamonds. I liked how you made a good point about how technology is evolving to new heights, and substances can be formed more easily now. What I found to be interesting is that when matter is put in between diamonds, it undergoes a change and everything stays the same. The term of this definition is metastable, which I never heard of before reading this. Also, what I found peculiar, but impressive was that peanut butter changes into diamonds when exposed to large amounts of pressure! Overall, this review was very good. If I had to suggest anything, it would be to incorporate a couple quotes into your review to give a little insight of others. Nice work!
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