*picture borrowed from xkcd.com comics*
When I signed up for the class entitled "The Universe," I guess I was expecting an introduction to space akin to the Magic School Bus. A few field trips to the planetarium, maybe some star charts and moon cycle models, and a lot of new interesting facts that could supplement my already filling bank of space knowledge brought to me by my obsession for space fiction: Dead Space, Firefly, Star Trek and Star Wars, to name a few.
As it turns out, the Universe is pretty much run by math and physics. Our first assignment in class, to my dismay, was full of dense equations and long-forgotten Algebraic concepts. Within a few short hours I had dissolved into tantrums, breaking pens and making frustrated calls to my poor husband that went something like this: WHY is my conversion always off by two factors? Who is this Kepler guy and why does he hate me? Damnit Tim, I'm a writer, not a physicist!! (Heh heh, see what I did there?) Etc. etc.
As the class continued, I fell into that category of students which, when faced with the vast unknown, realize they really don't know squat about the world and begin to question everything. I learned that the Disney cartoon Mulan was misleading when they sang about the mysteriousness of the "dark side" of the moon--there is no such thing as the "dark" side! The Sun actually touches every part of the Moon as it rotates on its axis, but because the Moon is synched with the Earth in orbit, we never see the far side of it. I learned that if Superman actually had X-ray vision, he'd basically be blind because the electromagnetic waves from X-ray light can't reach Earth's surface through the atmosphere. I learned that all objects, including humans, can be measured in both waves and particles. Most shocking of all, I learned that when various movie characters tell their associates to "punch it" into hyper-drive (think Solo to Chewie), the stars and planets zipping by at lightspeed should actually be bright blue as they are approached and red as they are left behind, rather than blinding white lines as Star Wars demonstrates (Doppler effect, baby!).
Ok, on a more serious level, I really am learning a lot of neat things about the Universe and how it operates. As a bonus, being reminded on a daily basis that we are tiny specs in an infinite changing environment has helped me put things in perspective. Is it really so important that I spilled half of my coffee on my homework or that my neighbor's bass is giving me a headache, when it has taken literally billions of years for various elements and matter to gather into our solar system and form the Sun and Earth, this civilization, my parents, and myself? Is any mistake I make today going to effect the constant recycling of matter, the turning of the Earth, or the expansion of the Universe? It has taken an infinite amount of coincidences for me to be living here today, and it continues to take an infinite amount of coincidences for others to live, breathe, fight, play, and die. We are miracles, really.
In addition to keeping me grounded in the bigger picture, Newton's Laws have kind of taken my life hostage lately. When I was hurrying to my yoga class and my car slid on the ice, I thought Newton's laws! When I lost balance in yoga and fell to the floor I thought my body exerted equal force to the floor as it exerted on me! Take that floor! And more importantly today, as a series of difficult situations arose I started thinking about Newton's Third and how every motion has an opposite, every negative has a positive. My car needs a new part, but it is in good enough shape to last me the rest of the semester. Things are tight financially, but there hasn't been astronomical medical bills like last winter to deal with. There has been quite a bit of drama in my personal relationships, but there is still time to make things right. All in all, life is pretty good!
Beyond the revelations that have ruined forever some of my sci-fi favorites, I hope I keep the lessons from this class in mind long after I graduate. The Universe is immense and complex and crazy, but we are here and making the best of things and most of the time, our small efforts are enough. We are small, but we are not insignificant.
