In summary, the author discusses how computers have changed many aspects of life and how they can be used in science. They also mention how students should be trained to use computers to collect data and process it.
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  • #2
Nice article, great topic though i miss the lab excitement of doing an experiment not unlike the zeeman effect using a badass water cooled electromagnet complete with Frankensteins knife switch and a massive sliding potentiometer in series to split the delicate spectral lines for measurement.

With the caveat of don't pull the knife switch until you cycle down the magnet via the potentiometer to prevent death by electric arc.

I too am of the slide rule age. In my senior year at college the TI SR-50 came out and we were just amazed. $180
 
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  • #3
Thanks for your kind comment - can't say I know much about the Zeeman effect (potential Insights article ?) other than reading somewhere that "the anomalous Zeeman effect" drove Pauli into fits of depression! Agree that nothing quite matches the excitement of hands on experiments although - on the whole - I think I would rather process the data via Excel and leave my slide rule in it's "museum drawer"! My brother still has in his possession an early electronic calculator which - in it's time - made him the envy of the sixth form (UK system schooling).
 
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Likes Charles Link, jedishrfu and Greg Bernhardt

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