h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

matt, if you have ideas on how to improve and complete it, then I think it will be best (end-product-wise) if you take it on. I guess what I was saying up there is that rather than see it sink to the bottom of FM, I would be happy to have a go at subbing it.. So yes all round, over to you, Matt

(To the eds: can I sub it when he's done? )

hmm, well, I'm hapy to take it on and resubmit to PR as a new collaborative Entry if all are in agreeance?

I agree. I think it is the best solution all round.

W

Although, it IS bending the rules somewhat...

And would mean the Entry is in PR twice...

So, what'll do is do the new Enty then post a link to it in this thread.

Once everyone is happy the new Entry can be superimposed over this one by a sub and my name can be removed. How's that sound?

Matt, this is indeed an elegant solution, but to keep it strictly cricket, can you make your changes, even if they are substantial, here in this thread just in case the author should return. When you're done and the concensus is that it's good to go, we'll accept the Scout's recommendation and then send it to Wilma to sub.

Fine by me, if it's fine by you, Matt

Fine by me, I'm in the middle of it now. I'll post the GuideML to this thread for ease of solution. It's what I did with Vauxhall Astra's WWI Trenches Entry

*lays in supplies*

Okay, what I've done so far is here A24029273

I'm yet to add some links, but if anyone has suggestions oranyting let me know, either here or at the Entry

Very nice!

(do you really need all those capitals? )

What would the EU say if they heard yo talking about not needing Capitals? Hmm?

They'd lurve me anyway

Matt - you've done a fantastic job with that!

Well, I think I'm done now. Added appropriate links and reread over and over!

Here's the GuideML (for the Eds):



The period of 1920 - 1930 may truly be hailed as the Golden Era of Physics in India, for it was during that decade four important discoveries were made in the field. Namely, Bose statistics, the Raman effect, the Chandrasekhar limit and the Saha ionisation formula. It is this latter discovery and its discover that are the subject of this Entry.

Meghnad Saha was an Indian astrophysicist who was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Physics (1935-36), was a fellow of London's Royal Society, founded the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics (West Bengal, India) and was Member of the Indian Parliament from 1951 to 1956. His initial work was in thermodynamics, though he later changed his field to astrophysics and became famed for the Saha Equation.

The Beginnings of Greatness

Meghnad Saha was born on the 6 October, 1893, the fifth child of Jagannath Saha and Bhubaneswari Debi. Jagannath Saha was a shopkeeper in the village of Seoratali, near Dhaka, in Bangladesh. The Sahas were not rich and barely managed to make ends meet. Young Meghnad was admitted to the primary school of the village where he did so well, particularly in mathematics and history, that his teachers wanted him to attend an English secondary school. The nearest such school was being in another village about ten kilometres (seven miles) away. Meghnad was lucky in that one Dr Anantha Kumar Das took an interest in him and offered free board and lodging (providing the boy did his washing and attended to minor chores around the house), so the young Meghnad could go to school. Later in life, Meghnad never failed (whenever the occasion arose) to express his gratitude to Anantha Kumar Das for this timely help at a crucial stage, without which his education may never have continued.

Schooling

In 1905, Meghnad went to Dhaka and joined the Government Collegiate School where he received a free scholarship. This was the period the British partioned Bengal, much against the will of the people. Naturally there were protests everywhere and when Fuller came on a visit to Dhaka, a boycott was organised. Along with other students Meghnad joined in the agitation, and as a result was suspended from the school and his scholarship was terminated. He was later admitted to Kishorilal Jubilee School, where he again received a free scholarship.

In 1911, Meghnad travelled to Calcutta and joined the Presidency College to study for a B.Sc. in Applied Mathematics. Once again he was dependant on a free scholarship. Noted Indian scientists S.N Bose and P.C Mahalanobis also attended this college, along with the freedom fighter Subhas Chandra BoseOf no relation to S.N Bose.. After B.Sc. came M.Sc., and S.N. Bose was Meghnad's classmate. Both in B.Sc. and M.Sc. Bose secured the top mark, while Saha came second.

During 1913 through 1915, while studying in Presidency College, Meghnad grew to know Bagha Jatin. So called because he had killed a tiger (bagha) single-handedly with a dagger while gun-running in the jungles of Sunderbans, Jatin was a famous freedom fighter who used to visit Saha's hostel. Although Meghnad was emotionally sympathetic to the cause of freedom, he did not become involved with the revolutionary activities.

Finding Work

After college Meghnad tried to appear for the Financial Civil Service (FCS) examination and enter the FCS, but was denied permission as he was suspected of contacts with revolutionaries. Not being able to join Government service was a big blow to Saha but as it turned out, it was a great boon for science. Meanwhile a living had to be eked out and Saha did this by going up and down Calcutta on a bicycle giving private tuition.

In 1919 the American Astrophysical Journal published - On Selective Radiation Pressure And Its Application - a research paper by Meghnad. Slowly his expertise became astrophysics. And Saha Ions Theory was published. By 1920 Meghnad had established himself as one of the leading scientists in physics and was awarded the D.Sc. degree by Calcutta University in 1918. In between Saha married and then went to Europe for two years. He spent time in research at Imperial College, London and at a research laboratory in Germany.

Teaching

On return to India, Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee became the Vice Chancellor of Calcutta University and offered lecturerships to both Saha and Bose in the Department of Mathematics, but because they could not get along with Dr Ganesh Prasad, the professor, they were transferred to the Physics Department (where Raman had been appointed Palit Professor).

There was pressure from Indian students for including new sections in higher studies curriculum in science subjects. Most of the new developments in physics were taking place in European countries like Germany. Meghnad's duty was to teach Quantum Mechanics. The knowledge of German picked up earlier came in handy and within a few days of starting to teach, Saha and Bose translated papers on relativity published by Einstein and Minkowski into English versions. Later on this was published as a book by the Calcutta University.

In 1927, Meghnad was elected as a fellow of London's Royal Society. He wanted to set up a modern research laboratory in Calcutta University, but was not very successful in this venture. He moved to Allahabad University and in 1932 Uttar Pradesh Academy of Science was established which turned out such students as D.S. Kothari and R.C. Majumdar, who went on to establish the Physics Department in Delhi University. Meghnad was later nominated for the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work in this field (1935-36).

Into Politics

Scientists are often accused of living in the 'Ivory Tower' and not troubling their mind with realities and apart from my association with political movements in my juvenile years, I had lived in Ivory Tower up to 1930. But science and technology are as important for administration now-a-days as law and order. I have gradually glided into politics because I wanted to be of some use to the country in my own humble way. - Meghnad Saha

In 1947, Meghnad established the Institute of Nuclear Physics, which later was named after him as Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics. He took the first steps to include Nuclear Physics in the curriculum of higher studies of science, and for the sake of the development of science in India, he joined went into politics. In 1952 was elected as a Member of Parliament fo the North-West Calcutta consituency, an advocate for the peaceful use of nuclear energy and instrumental in the reformation of the Indian calendar.

The Work of an Empassioned Man

Meghnad Saha's basic work was on the thermal ionisation of elements. When an element is heated to a very high temperature, the electrons in its atom get enough energy to break free. This is termed as thermal ionisation. Meghnad discovered that by studying the spectra of various stars, their temperature can be measured. This led him to a formula that he called the 'equation of the reaction - isobar for ionisation', which later became known as Saha's 'Thermo-Ionisation Equation'.

The Ionisation State

The ionisation state is basically the electronic connotation of what goes on in a chemical reaction, the very basics of a chemical process by which an electron is removed from an atom, molecule, or ion. It is of basic importance to electrical conduction in gases and liquids and, in the simplest case, ionisation may be thought of as a transition between an initial state consisting of a neutral atom and a final state consisting of a positive ion and a free electron. In more complicated cases, a molecule may be converted to a heavy positive ion and a heavy negative ion which are separated. Using the Saha Equation, you are able to determine the ionisation state of the various elements in a star.

A Varied Legacy

Meghnad went on to invent an instrument to measure the weight and pressure of solar rays, and was also associated with the building of several scientific institutions like the Physics Department in Allahabad University and the Institute of Nuclear Physics in Calcutta. He was also the leading light behind organising scientific societies like the 'National Academy of Science' (1930), the 'Indian Physical Society' (1934), 'Indian Institute of Science' (1935) and the 'Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science' (1944) and was the founder and editor of the journal Science and Culture.

As a Member of Parliament, Meghnad was also the chief architect of river planning for India during the early 1950s and prepared the original plan for the Damodar Valley Project. The valley had a history of seasonal flooding and was in a seismic zone, so Meghnad prposed the building of a series of dams instead of a single one. The Damodar Valley Project continues to function, and is a testimony to Saha’s engineering acumen. This great and versatile scientist died suddenly of a heart attack on 16 February, 1956, the lasting memorial to him the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics. Dr Kothari recalls of him;

He was extremely simple, almost austere, in his habits and personal needs. Outwardly, he sometimes gave an impression of being remote, matter of fact, and even harsh, but once the outer shell was broken, one invariably found in him a person of extreme warmth, deep humanity, sympathy and understanding; and though almost altogether unmindful of his own personal comforts, he was extremely solicitous in the case of others. It was not in his nature to placate others. He was a man of undaunted spirit, resolute determination, untiring energy and dedication.







Matt

Dammit I picked up some boobs

Here tis;



The period of 1920 - 1930 may truly be hailed as the Golden Era of Physics in India, for it was during that decade four important discoveries were made in the field. Namely, Bose statistics, the Raman effect, the Chandrasekhar limit and the Saha ionisation formula. It is this latter discovery and its discover that are the subject of this Entry.

Meghnad Saha was an Indian astrophysicist who was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Physics (1935-36), was a fellow of London's Royal Society, founded the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics (West Bengal, India) and was Member of the Indian Parliament from 1951 to 1956. His initial work was in thermodynamics, though he later changed his field to astrophysics and became famed for the Saha Equation.

The Beginnings of Greatness

Meghnad Saha was born on the 6 October, 1893, the fifth child of Jagannath Saha and Bhubaneswari Debi. Jagannath Saha was a shopkeeper in the village of Seoratali, near Dhaka, in Bangladesh. The Sahas were not rich and barely managed to make ends meet. Young Meghnad was admitted to the primary school of the village where he did so well, particularly in mathematics and history, that his teachers wanted him to attend an English secondary school. The nearest such school was being in another village about ten kilometres (seven miles) away. Meghnad was lucky in that one Dr Anantha Kumar Das took an interest in him and offered free board and lodging (providing the boy did his washing and attended to minor chores around the house), so the young Meghnad could go to school. Later in life, Meghnad never failed (whenever the occasion arose) to express his gratitude to Anantha Kumar Das for this timely help at a crucial stage, without which his education may never have continued.

Schooling

In 1905, Meghnad went to Dhaka and joined the Government Collegiate School where he received a free scholarship. This was the period the British partioned Bengal, much against the will of the people. Naturally there were protests everywhere and when Fuller came on a visit to Dhaka, a boycott was organised. Along with other students Meghnad joined in the agitation, and as a result was suspended from the school and his scholarship was terminated. He was later admitted to Kishorilal Jubilee School, where he again received a free scholarship.

In 1911, Meghnad travelled to Calcutta and joined the Presidency College to study for a B.Sc. in Applied Mathematics. Once again he was dependant on a free scholarship. Noted Indian scientists S.N Bose and P.C Mahalanobis also attended this college, along with the freedom fighter Subhas Chandra BoseOf no relation to S.N Bose.. After B.Sc. came M.Sc., and S.N. Bose was Meghnad's classmate. Both in B.Sc. and M.Sc. Bose secured the top mark, while Saha came second.

During 1913 through 1915, while studying in Presidency College, Meghnad grew to know Bagha Jatin. So called because he had killed a tiger (bagha) single-handedly with a dagger while gun-running in the jungles of Sunderbans, Jatin was a famous freedom fighter who used to visit Saha's hostel. Although Meghnad was emotionally sympathetic to the cause of freedom, he did not become involved with the revolutionary activities.

Finding Work

After college Meghnad tried to appear for the Financial Civil Service (FCS) examination and enter the FCS, but was denied permission as he was suspected of contacts with revolutionaries. Not being able to join Government service was a big blow to Saha but as it turned out, it was a great boon for science. Meanwhile a living had to be eked out and Saha did this by going up and down Calcutta on a bicycle giving private tuition.

In 1919 the American Astrophysical Journal published - On Selective Radiation Pressure And Its Application - a research paper by Meghnad. Slowly his expertise became astrophysics and soon Saha Ions Theory was published. By 1920 Meghnad had established himself as one of the leading scientists in physics and was awarded the D.Sc. degree by Calcutta University in 1918. In between Saha married and then went to Europe for two years. He spent time in research at Imperial College, London and at a research laboratory in Germany.

Teaching

On return to India, Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee became the Vice Chancellor of Calcutta University and offered lecturerships to both Saha and Bose in the Department of Mathematics, but because they could not get along with Dr Ganesh Prasad, the professor, they were transferred to the Physics Department (where Raman had been appointed Palit Professor).

There was pressure from Indian students for including new sections in higher studies curriculum in science subjects. Most of the new developments in physics were taking place in European countries like Germany. Meghnad's duty was to teach Quantum Mechanics. The knowledge of German picked up earlier came in handy and within a few days of starting to teach, Saha and Bose translated papers on relativity published by Einstein and Minkowski into English versions. Later on this was published as a book by the Calcutta University.

In 1927, Meghnad was elected as a fellow of London's Royal Society. He wanted to set up a modern research laboratory in Calcutta University, but was not very successful in this venture. He moved to Allahabad University and in 1932 Uttar Pradesh Academy of Science was established which turned out such students as D.S. Kothari and R.C. Majumdar, who went on to establish the Physics Department in Delhi University. Meghnad was later nominated for the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work in this field (1935-36).

Into Politics

Scientists are often accused of living in the 'Ivory Tower' and not troubling their mind with realities and apart from my association with political movements in my juvenile years, I had lived in my Ivory Tower up to 1930. But science and technology are as important for administration now-a-days as law and order. I have gradually glided into politics because I wanted to be of some use to the country in my own humble way. - Meghnad Saha

In 1947, Meghnad established the Institute of Nuclear Physics, which later was named after him as Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics. He took the first steps to include Nuclear Physics in the curriculum of higher studies of science, and for the sake of the development of science in India, he joined went into politics. In 1952 was elected as a Member of Parliament fo the North-West Calcutta consituency, an advocate for the peaceful use of nuclear energy and instrumental in the reformation of the Indian calendar.

The Work of an Empassioned Man

Meghnad Saha's basic work was on the thermal ionisation of elements. When an element is heated to a very high temperature, the electrons in its atom get enough energy to break free. This is termed as thermal ionisation. Meghnad discovered that by studying the spectra of various stars, their temperature can be measured. This led him to a formula that he called the 'equation of the reaction - isobar for ionisation', which later became known as Saha's 'Thermo-Ionisation Equation'.

The Ionisation State

The ionisation state is basically the electronic connotation of what goes on in a chemical reaction, the very basics of a chemical process by which an electron is removed from an atom, molecule, or ion. It is of basic importance to electrical conduction in gases and liquids and, in the simplest case, ionisation may be thought of as a transition between an initial state consisting of a neutral atom and a final state consisting of a positive ion and a free electron. In more complicated cases, a molecule may be converted to a heavy positive ion and a heavy negative ion which are separated. Using the Saha Equation, you are able to determine the ionisation state of the various elements in a star.

A Varied Legacy

Meghnad went on to invent an instrument to measure the weight and pressure of solar rays, and was also associated with the building of several scientific institutions like the Physics Department in Allahabad University and the Institute of Nuclear Physics in Calcutta. He was also the leading light behind organising scientific societies like the 'National Academy of Science' (1930), the 'Indian Physical Society' (1934), 'Indian Institute of Science' (1935) and the 'Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science' (1944) and was the founder and editor of the journal Science and Culture.

As a Member of Parliament, Meghnad was also the chief architect of river planning for India during the early 1950s and prepared the original plan for the Damodar Valley Project. The valley had a history of seasonal flooding and was in a seismic zone, so Meghnad prposed the building of a series of dams instead of a single one. The Damodar Valley Project continues to function, and is a testimony to Saha’s engineering acumen. This great and versatile scientist died suddenly of a heart attack on 16 February, 1956, the lasting memorial to him the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics. Dr Kothari recalls of him;

He was extremely simple, almost austere, in his habits and personal needs. Outwardly, he sometimes gave an impression of being remote, matter of fact, and even harsh, but once the outer shell was broken, one invariably found in him a person of extreme warmth, deep humanity, sympathy and understanding; and though almost altogether unmindful of his own personal comforts, he was extremely solicitous in the case of others. It was not in his nature to placate others. He was a man of undaunted spirit, resolute determination, untiring energy and dedication.







Matt

Your Guide Entry has just been picked from Peer Review by one of our Scouts, and is now heading off into the Editorial Process, which ends with publication in the Edited Guide. We've therefore moved this Review Conversation out of Peer Review and to the entry itself.

If you'd like to know what happens now, check out the page on 'What Happens after your Entry has been Recommended?' at EditedGuide-Process. We hope this explains everything.

Thanks for contributing to the Edited Guide!

A24055607

Matt? Great job. I'm done. I pasted your text into the entry and have done a few nips and tucks. If you'll let me know what you think, I can finish this off and send it in.... do you think we need any more links? I feel they need to be very relevant, and can't find any that I want to add but am willing to stand corrected.

W

"went to Dhaka" could link to A14311199...