El lenguaje científico, la divulgación de la ciencia y el riesgo de las pseudociencias

El lenguaje de la ciencia, al igual que los lenguajes técnicos, se caracteriza por su especificidad. En él palabras de uso común 'englobadas en el grupo comunidad científica del resto de la sociedad. No debe pues sorprendernos que el lenguaje científico especializado sea, en no pocas ocasiones, utilizado por algunos científicos 'aquéllos que por el hecho de ser científicos se consideran parte de una élite intelectual' como una suerte de muralla comunicativa, que los mantiene a una distancia 'prudencial' de los profanos y los diferencia del resto de los ciudadanos. Afortunadamente estos científicos son en la actualidad una minoría, ya que la mayoría entiende que la ciencia debe, ante todo, establecer una relación fluida con la sociedad. Y aquí es donde entra en juego la divulgación de la ciencia. Para que la ciencia pueda llegar a la sociedad en su más amplia extensión, y para que pueda ser entendible y aceptada, debe apostar por desprenderse, al menos en parte, de esa incomprensible jerga científica para adoptar un lenguaje más cercano y cotidiano. Pero todo esto colisiona con una corriente opuesta: la adopción por parte de las llamadas 'pseudociencias', como la homeopatía, la osteopatía, o el psicoanálisis de un lenguaje deliberadamente opaco que imita al científico, precisamente con el fin de revestirse de una pátina de respetabilidad, al modo de las ciencias básicas, e incluso para 'protegerse', dificultando el acceso y la comprensión del público general hacia ellas. del vocabulario denominado general' aparecen con significados concretos, en muchas ocasiones diferentes de los que se dan en el discurso cotidiano o general. El discurso científico se caracteriza además por contar con un gran porcentaje relativo de vocabulario específico y exclusivo de este discurso. Esto hace que el lenguaje científico pueda reflejar cierta opacidad, particularmente ante la gente ajena a su uso; lo cual crea una barrera que, en la práctica, aísla a laScientific language is characterized by its specific characteristics. Common general words appear here with specific meanings, frequently different from the ones used in the daily language. Scientific discourse is also characterized by the great relative amount of specific vocabulary, exclusive of this discourse. This makes scientific language to reflect a certain degree of opacity, particularly to people alien to its use; this in turn creates a sort of barrier which in practice isolates the scientific community from the rest of society. It is no surprise that specialized scientific language is often employed by some scientists 'those who believe themselves to be a part of an intellectual élite' as a sort of communicative barrier, which keeps them at a 'prudential' distance away from the laypersons and distinguishes them from the rest of people. Fortunately these elitist scientists are nowadays a minority, for most of them understand that science must, above all, establish a fluid relationship with society. And here comes popularization of science. For science to reach society in its widest extension, and to be understandable, it must get rid of this incomprehensible scientific jargon in order to adopt a closer and more quotidian language. All this collides with an opposite trend: the adoption by the 'pseudo-sciences', such as homeopathy, osteopathy, or psychoanalysis, of a deliberately opaque language which imitates scientific language with the sole aim of arm these pseudo-sciences with a patina of respectability, which serves to protect themselves hence hindering the access to them and the comprehension of the general public

NGC1600 - Cluster or Field Elliptical?

A study of the galaxy distribution in the field of the elliptical galaxy NGC1600 has been undertaken. Although this galaxy is often classified as a member of a loose group, all the neighbouring galaxies are much fainter and could be taken as satellites of NGC1600. The number density profile of galaxies in the field of this galaxy shows a decline with radius, with evidence of a background at approximately 1.3 Mpc. The density and number density profile are consistent with that found for other isolated early-type galaxies. NGC1600 appears as an extended source in X-rays, and the center of the X-ray emission seems not to coincide with the center of the galaxy. The velocity distribution of neighbouring galaxies has been measured from optical spectroscopic observations and shows that the mean radial velocity is approximately 85 km/s less than that of NGC1600, indicating that the centre of mass could lie outside the galaxy. The velocity dispersion of the `group' is estimated at 429 km/s. The inferred mass of the system is therefore of the order of 10^14 solar masses, a value that corresponds to a large group. NGC1600 therefore shares some similarities, but is not identical to, the `fossil clusters' detected in X-ray surveys. Implications of this result for studies of isolated early-type galaxies are briefly discussed.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures and 2 table, accepted for publication in the Ap

Analytical properties of horizontal visibility graphs in the Feigenbaum scenario

Time series are proficiently converted into graphs via the horizontal visibility (HV) algorithm, which prompts interest in its capability for capturing the nature of different classes of series in a network context. We have recently shown [1] that dynamical systems can be studied from a novel perspective via the use of this method. Specifically, the period-doubling and band-splitting attractor cascades that characterize unimodal maps transform into families of graphs that turn out to be independent of map nonlinearity or other particulars. Here we provide an in depth description of the HV treatment of the Feigenbaum scenario, together with analytical derivations that relate to the degree distributions, mean distances, clustering coefficients, etc., associated to the bifurcation cascades and their accumulation points. We describe how the resultant families of graphs can be framed into a renormalization group scheme in which fixed-point graphs reveal their scaling properties. These fixed points are then re-derived from an entropy optimization process defined for the graph sets, confirming a suggested connection between renormalization group and entropy optimization. Finally, we provide analytical and numerical results for the graph entropy and show that it emulates the Lyapunov exponent of the map independently of its sign.Comment: 19 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in Chao

Phisically based modelling of induction lamps: aplication to the improvement of energy efficiency in the lighting system of a University building. Poster

To manage efforts in energy efficiency, the Polytechnic University of Cartagena (UPCT) decided in 2003 to develop an ambitious project to reduce energy use intensity and costs during the period 2003-2008. To accomplish this objective in lighting end-use demand -one of the two main electrical uses together with space cooling/heating-, the UPCT joins, in July 2002, the U.E. GreenLight program as a partner. This paper describes the University experience in the second year (2003/04) of partnership in this UE initiative. The objectives were: to manage the demand, to improve the quality of lighting, working and environmental conditions, and reduce significantly energy and O&M expenses. Basically, the work developed in this year is focused in the change of conventional High Intensity Discharge (HID) lighting systems in classrooms (2000 m2) through the evaluation of advantages and drawbacks of different alternatives. The most promising one, the change to a new technology -165W induction lamps-, will be analyzed in detail in the paper

CHAPTER 7: GRAVITY

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