The Wire Up

Listen while you read: The Malloys - Home is where I like it

First off, Check out The Malloys above at http://www.themalloysonline.com/

Occasionally, I will find questions on other forums about various topics sometimes technology or science related questions, and sometimes question about a careers in engineering. One recent question I encountered was asked by a young student on a Facebook group. He was trying to find out what electronic engineers and electrical engineers do. So when I have questions I of course like all of you, twitter them.

• Question??? Can someone describe to me their understanding of the difference between an electrical engineer and an electronics engineer.
  

Here are some of the responses below.

My favorite one from a personal friend.

• One makes more money! An electronics Engineer deals basically with Electronics, and an Electrical Engineer deals with ANYthing Electrical..And electronics is more hands on...

A great array of responses, no? I personally think they're all correct in some way. I'd like to throw my two cents in and sort of provide an overview of what I've learned from the responses gathered from the twitter and other forums on the internet.

Electrical Engineers deal with the transportation of energy and electronic engineers deal with the transportation of information. If your planning on going to school to be either one you will most likely be taking the same type of fundamental course work. Later, into your junior and senior years is where the course work will begin to become much more specific and students of either major will be begin to branch off into either field.

Way to go twitter for again providing fun and intelligent conversation. Having a twitter community is wonderful, a hardy thank you to all the followers making it possible.

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First rant via Ustream.

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Listen while you read: Late Of the Pier - Focker


This is a topic that brings a lot of excitement to me because I have for several years studied RF theory and electronics. I'm writing this post because I believe there are many common misconceptions with RF even though most of our society is so dependent on it.

So, the question is: why does metal spark inside your microwave? The same way sunlight passes through windows, microwaves also pass through some materials. Materials like glass, paper and plastic are unaffected by microwaves. Metal however, reflects microwaves. Yes reflects, just like a ball bounces off a wall. The metal walls of a cooking space actually work like a resonator containing all the waves inside the space. So why then does tin foil or aluminum spark and catch on fire when I nuke leftovers in the microwave and not this metal surrounding the microwave? Something called frequency resonance.

Have you ever heard a wine glass vibrate when you play the right piano key? The wine glass vibrates because its body is tuned to the right frequency. When the sound waves from the piano hit the glass they are vibrating at the right frequency to make the wine glass in turn vibrate to the same frequency.

Now, microwaves are electromagnetic waves, which are oscillating electric and magnetic fields. The oscillating waves cause current to run through metals and other conductors, the build up of current causes the metals to heat up. This is the reason thin metals from a microwaveable pizza meal heat up. The reason some metals spark or even catch fire in a microwave is because current can build up so tremendously at the sharp points of metals. The electrical potential can be so great that the air around can conduct electricity, causing an arc between two conductors.

How does the metal surrounding the microwave not heat up? Again, frequency resonance. The surrounding metal is tuned to the exact frequency of the microwave. The metal and microwaves produce a uniform electromagnetic wave pattern, in which there is no current buildup thus no heat. Oddly enough, the frequency of the microwave is the same frequency of your cell phone, 2.45 GHz. So when talking on your phone you are essentially cooking your brain with a very tiny microwave. This is why some people have headaches while talking on the phone all day, putting on a tinfoil hat is going to make things worse by the way.

Thanks for all the responses from Twitter. You can follow me if your not already just look for kurf.

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Listen while you read: Ray LaMontagne - You Are the Best Thing


It's been awhile since my last post. I have been a bit busy lately with weekends trips and senior design deadlines looming, I promise to get back to posting with my every improving and insightful posts.

However, I did want to share with you an awesome experience I had this weekend. While visiting some family up in Northwest Indiana, a couple friends and I took a trip to the 3 Floyds Brewery in Muster Indiana. For those not familiar with micro brews distributed in Indiana, 3 Floyds is most well know for their Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout that is only sold one day of the year, last Sunday in April, on Dark Lord Day. On this day thousands of beer fans pilgrimage to Munster to buy, limit of 6 bottles, what is widely considered the best beer in the world.

3 Floyds produces about 4,800 barrels of bear a year and has about 7 beers that are made all year round. They have various seasonal beers some of which you can only get at their pub attached to the brewery. My favorite is the Moloko, a milk stout much like Samuel Adams Cream Stout but so much better. It reminds me of chocolate milk.

If you talk with the employees at 3 Floyds you will certainly find out that they love the beer they make but they are huge fans of other micro breweries and often trade beers. Some are on there pub menu. I did take a tour of their brewery but honestly I don't remember enough to share, blame the beers I was drinking while on the tour, most of the setup and processes were over my head.

I had a such a great time at the pub, enjoyed a great pulled pork sandwich and a fry cone, I bought a T-shirt to share with all of you. My bounty from the visit. I love how it matches the color scheme of my blog.

Catch you all later, I will be back posting soon I promise. I think I will be live on Ustream late tonight so look for me there.

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