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Re: [Phys-l] tutorial on scaling laws

It would be logical to say --

A body generates heat proportionate to volume (muscle
mass)(length cubed), while it dissipates heat proportionate to surface
area (length squared).

Compare an elephant to a shrew.

Oren Quist
South Dakota State U.

-----Original Message-----
From: phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
[mailto:phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu] On Behalf Of Ludwik
Kowalski
Sent: Friday, July 27, 2007 9:31 AM
To: Forum for Physics Educators
Subject: Re: [Phys-l] tutorial on scaling laws

On Jul 26, 2007, at 4:21 PM, John Denker wrote:

I recently put together a tutorial on scaling laws:
http://www.av8n.com/physics/scaling.htm

Comments and suggestions are always welcome. Since this is still a
work in
progress, now is a particularly timely time for comments.

1) Not only volume but anything proportional to volume, for example
mass, scales cubically with distance.
2) On the other hand it is possible to think of a situation in which
the mass of an object remains constant when its volume changes. In such
case mass does not scale cubically with a linear dimension.
3) This observation makes me think that the concept of volume is
somehow closer to the concept of distance than the concept of mass is.
Yes, I know that the idea of "closer" is not applicable because it
implies distance in space populated with ideas rather than with
material objects.
4) Does it make sense to discuss a space populated with ideas? I think
so. That what we do when pedagogical issues are debated. Ideas form
sequences in which some concepts are pedagogically closer to each other
than other. A line of ideas? A surface of ideas? A volume of ideas? A
space of ideas? Spiral pedagogy? Volume of knowledge?
5) Hmm, I was not thinking about all this when John's essay prompted
me compose the first sentence. The rest is instant improvisation.
_______________________________________________________
Ludwik Kowalski, a retired physicist
5 Horizon Road, apt. 2702, Fort Lee, NJ, 07024, USA
Also an amateur journalist at http://csam.montclair.edu/~kowalski/cf/

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