Hack Green Secret Bunker

Wednesday June 25^th2014. The Science Group visited the Hack Green Secret Nuclear bunker followed by lunch at Bridgemere Garden Centre and some time to have a wander

Hack Green signposted

around there.

The general opinion was that the visit was very successful, with many people being quite surprised, and even a little shocked, by the degree of preparedness (or lack of) in the event of a “four-minute warning” being given.

Many thanks to Barry Carr for organising the visit and ensuring a smooth trip.

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The bunker was built to be the administrative H.Q. for the North West, in case of a nuclear attack in the cold war era. All the facilities to govern this area were based there. They remain as they were, ready for use.

This chilling reminder of that time now looks somewhat dated yet is a fascinating piece of history.

You can see what might have happened if the bomb had been dropped.

There are many public information films that were never released, explaining what we should do – rather reminds me of that cartoon ‘When the wind blows’.

The History of Communications

Wednesday, 2nd July 2014 – The History of Communications over the past 100 years, with particular reference to the changes made during the lifetimes of our members, by Mike Briggs. Mike started out as a ship’s Radio Officer in the Merchant Navy, before moving into the world of Microwave Transmissions systems for both TV and data.

The talk covered

• evolution of human verbal communications
• early methods of how information and messages transmitted beyond the location of the originator
• visual methods used for signalling through the centuries
• the importance of communication and its development of our world
• examples of how significantly, even disastrously, communications has impacted upon on our lives
• essential components required for long and short range communications systems
• examination of the amazing developments which have been made during the past 100 years

There was also a selection of equipment available for people to examine, from the simple but amazing telegraphic Morse key through to point to point microwave systems, walkie talkies and a few museum pieces.

All in all, Mike gave us a great insight into the developments that have changed the way we communicate with each other.

Chemical elements part 1

Wednesday, 4th June 2014 – “Chemical Elements – Part 1″ – a joint effort by 6 of our members, each talking for 10 to 15 minutes about their chosen element. The line-up was:

Patsy Colvin setting the scene with a brief definition of an element, a bit of atomic theory and a tour around the periodic table, then on with the show, starring your very own…

Edmund Moynihan talking about Iron.  A whizz through the history of iron taking in Soviet Art, the Romans, the industrial revolution, geology with a bit of biology to finish with.
Beryl Yates talking about Copper.  Its history, its geology complete with samples to show: what more could you ask for!
Chris Procter talking about Phosphorus.  From its discovery to its critical importance in biology and agriculture, everything you wanted to know.
Peter Croughan talking about Noble Gases  Six elements at once, not so unreactive as you might think with much curious chemistry and many important technological applications
John Parsons talking about Chlorine  A much maligned element, critical to modern hygiene.  The world of Domestos revealed
Tony Edwards talking about Platinum  Not just for jewelry, important in many areas of technology especially the glass industry.  We learned some metallurgy from an expert.

Each of these has a story, and each of the presenters took a different tack. We heared some fascinating things about the discovery, chemistry, physical properties, uses and economic importance of each of these elements; and with seven of our own presenters, no one fell asleep!

Time – a brief history?

Wednesday, 7th May 2014 – “Time” – by Philip Pendred, who talked to us last year about Comets. This time, his talk concerned the way time was measured with particular regard to Astronomy (Solar time etc.); sundials; the equation of time and its derivation; the importance of timekeeping with reference to finding longitude; precession of the Equinoxes and the calendar and its adjustments.

I can give no better summary of the talk than to print this poem by Judy Ingman:

Measuring Time

Philip Pendred’s lecture was enthralling, as we were all to find
As we learned from the early Ancients the ways to measure TIME
And all about the water buckets, a device that’s called Clepsydra
Where servants counted buckets filled, a job of much fastidiar!

Time measurement throughout the ages, relied on the movements of the Sun
Candle clocks, sundials, and hourglasses, before the pendulum
Then we proceed through huge machines, until we come eventually
To atomic clocks measuring increments in our last twentieth century.

The question, what’s a  SECOND?  is answered, equal to tick, tocks
And thereby do we come to our watches and all our many clocks!
For accuracy we must measure the elliptical orbit of Earths’ way
With equinoxes and solstices, to determine a Solar day.

Well, the maths and its minutiae leave one gobsmacked to the core
And I don’t know if I can honestly claim to understand much more!
Except to say, to traverse the Sun, days number, three six five and a quarter
So that’s where Leap Year comes on in and rounds off the maths like it oughta!

But thank you Mr. Pendred for talking of Time and how it’s been measured
For it was an afternoon that informed us all, and one that will be treasured.

Thank you Judy.

FutureLearn

FutureLearn is an offshoot of The Open University providing online courses in a wide range of subjects, many of a scientific nature. The aim is to connect learners from all over the globe with high quality educators, and with each other. Courses are delivered one step at a time, and are accessible on mobile, tablet and desktop, so you can fit learning around your life, rather than your life around learning.

 

Courses are typically from 2 to 8 weeks long and expect you to do between 1 and 4 hours work per week.

The list of courses currently running or soon to be run is here.

Visit to National Coal Mining Museum for England

Wednesday, 9th October. 44 members travelled by coach to the National Coal Mining Museum near Wakefield, Yorkshire. After kitting out with helmet and headlamp, we descended the mine in 3 separate groups, each led by an experienced old miner armed with many an anecdote, and not a few dire warnings about safety!

The tour of the mine took us on a chronological progression of evolving mining techniques and machines, and by the end we could appreciate something of the horrendous conditions endured by young children and women working in the mines up to 1842.

Above ground, we were able to take a brief look at exhibits describing other facets of the history of mining, before watching a film about notable mining disasters, and how each one led to legislation and action to improve safety and conditions of work.

All in all a very interesting visit, and one that can be recommended if you are ever in that part of the country.

Nicolaus Copernicus

Edmund Moynihan, who gave us a delightful talk about Sir Isaac Newton in 2012, returned to tell us about “Copernicus and the Motion of the Earth”. Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) was a Renaissance mathematician and astronomer who formulated a heliocentric model of the universe which placed the Sun, rather than the Earth, at the centre.

The publication of Copernicus’ book, De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres), just before his death in 1543, is considered a major event in the history of science. It began the Copernican Revolution and contributed importantly to the scientific revolution.

From Man on the Moon to Life in Cyberspace

Here’s a marvellous opportunity…read on!

At the North West U3As AGM in Chester Cathedral on Thursday 23 May, which is also to be a U3A Festival with lots of ancillary activities, there is a talk by Professor Nigel Linge (University of Salford) from 3.00 – 4.00 p.m. Any U3A member can attend the day, which is chock full of interesting things to do (see the NW U3A AGM 2013 invite and download the programme and booking form here)  The cost is just £5 to cover refreshments and you don’t have to attend the AGM at all – just do something different.

Professor Linge’s lecture, entitled, “From Man on the Moon to Life in Cyberspace”, takes 1969 as its starting point and explains how the early development of the Internet was achieved. It then goes on to trace the evolution of both the Internet and the World Wide Web to the point where today virtually every aspect of daily life has been impacted and influenced. Mankind may well have made a giant leap on reaching the Moon in 1969 but cyberspace has potentially had a far greater impact on us all since then!

Nigel Linge is Professor of Telecommunications at the University of Salford. An electronics engineer by profession, he is an experienced academic with over 25 years’ service and offers a series of popular general interest lectures that showcase the engineering achievements that lie at the heart of our telecommunications revolution and examine how our lives have been transformed.

Bletchley Park visit (including Oxford and Cambridge)

For a brief report of the visit in the words of one who took part, Alastair Sutcliffe, see the separate page.

Visit to Bletchley Park

The planned trip to Bletchley Park, home of the British code-breaking effort during WWII, and the subject of an extremely interesting monthly talk about the German “Enigma” machine by Dr Mark Baldwin in May 2011, is now full.

The visit will include a guided tour of the park and buildings, entry to the Colossus and Tunny galleries and to the National Museum of Computing, situated inside Bletchley Park.

There are also many items of wartime memorabilia, a wartime mini cinema and an outstanding Churchill collection.

The visit is from Tuesday 19th to Thursday 21st June, and to make the trip even more interesting we are calling in at Oxford on the way down, and Cambridge on the way back. The visit, including 2 nights’ dinner, bed and breakfast, and lunch at Bletchley Park, will cost £179, plus a supplement of £40 for anyone wanting a single room.

Further details of things to see in Oxford and in Cambridge will be sent out to those booked on the visit in the weeks to come.