Categories

Here are all of the blog posts organised according to categories.

A Physicist’s Life

Why? Part 1: Why do We do Physics? (3/8/2019) - "Why?" It’s a question I and others I know, have asked ourselves many times. No matter what you’re pursuing, if you find yourself asking "why did I do this?" just know that you are not alone. Keep on doing what you’re doing and you might just find the reason as to why you’re doing it.
So Why do We do Physics? Part 1: The Potential Well (4/12/2019) - So why do we do physics? Because sometimes we are tricked into doing certain stuff, almost like an object getting stuck in a potential well.
So Why do We do Physics? Part 2: The Law of Inertia (5/10/2019) - So why do we do physics? Because sometimes we allow inertia to drive our actions.
So Why do We do Physics? Part 3: Overcoming Friction (6/14/2019) - So why do we do physics? Because sometimes we want to overcome the friction (difficulty of the project).
So Why do I do Physics? Part 1: The Light Bulb Moment (7/12/2019) - So why do I do physics? Because the amazement and awe I get from understanding complicated topics is fantastic.
So Why do I do Physics? Part 2: The Ancient Greek Law of Motion (8/16/2019) - So why do I do physics? Because it might be a part of my calling.
So Why do I do Physics? Part 3: Skill Building (9/13/2019) - So why do I do physics? Because it teaches me skills which can be used outside of physics.
Why? Part 2: Why does Nature Work the Way it Does? (10/11/2019) - The second big "Why?" question is "Why does Nature work the way it does?" and we do physics because we want to know why.
The (My) Philosophy of Physics: Ask “Why?” (11/8/2019) - My philosophy to understanding physics is to ask "Why?"
What do PhD Students do? (2/7/2020) - What do PhD students do in their everyday life? List included.
Ensemble Forecasting of Predicted Recipes (4/30/2021) - The way in which I construct new recipes can be compared to ensemble forecasting.
Not Knowing? Part 1: Feeling stupid, but being fine with it. (8/6/2021) - As weird as it might sound, researchers don't always have all the answers and many times we feel stupid, but it pushes us to seek answers.
Not Knowing? Part 2: Dealing with Ignorance. (9/3/2021) - The research process and how researchers deal with ignorance seem to be misunderstood, which could lead to confusion and even mistrusting science. What is the research process really like? Does science have all the answers and is science always right? Most importantly: How do we deal with "we don't know" coming from researchers?
Life Update: I’m a Doctor now! (8/5/2023) - I've finished my PhD, can officially be called a doctor, and I'm now working as a postdoctoral researcher.

Cosmic Ray Physics

What are Cosmic Rays? (8/30/2019) - What are cosmic rays? The discovery, some characteristic, detection techniques, and acceleration of cosmic rays.
What are Anomalous Cosmic Rays? (9/27/2019) - What are anomalous cosmic rays? The discovery, some characteristic, detection techniques, and acceleration of cosmic rays.
What are Galactic Cosmic Rays? (10/25/2019) - What are galactic cosmic rays? Sources, characteristics, and interstellar propagation of cosmic rays.

Heliospheric Physics

The sun is a dynamic structure composed of plasma. It goes through periods of high and low activity. What is the Solar Cycle? (3/22/2019) - What is the solar cycle? Sunspots. The solar cycle. Quantities in which the solar cycle is observed. Solar flares and coronal mass ejections during the solar cycle. Cosmic rays and other periodicities in the solar cycle
The corona isn't static and continuously loses mass. This supersonic outflow of matter, threaded with magnetic fields, is called the solar wind. What is the Solar Wind? (4/26/2019) - What is the solar wind? The solar wind. Observations of the solar wind. Modelling the solar wind
The corona isn't static and continuously loses mass. This supersonic outflow of matter, threaded with magnetic fields, is called the solar wind. What is the Heliospheric Magnetic Field? Part 1 (5/31/2019) - What is the heliospheric magnetic field? The heliospheric magnetic field. The heliospheric current sheet. The Parker field
The corona isn't static and continuously loses mass. This supersonic outflow of matter, threaded with magnetic fields, is called the solar wind. What is the Heliospheric Magnetic Field? Part 2 (6/28/2019) - What is the heliospheric magnetic field? Modifications to the Parker field. The Fisk field
What is the Heliosphere? (7/26/2019) - What is the heliosphere? Theoretical background. The basic form of the heliosphere. The influence of neutral species. The influence of magnetic fields. The influence of the solar cycle
What are Cosmic Rays? (8/30/2019) - What are cosmic rays? The discovery, some characteristic, detection techniques, and acceleration of cosmic rays.
What are Anomalous Cosmic Rays? (9/27/2019) - What are anomalous cosmic rays? The discovery, some characteristic, detection techniques, and acceleration of cosmic rays.
What are Galactic Cosmic Rays? (10/25/2019) - What are galactic cosmic rays? Sources, characteristics, and interstellar propagation of cosmic rays.

Plasma Physics

Lightning is an everyday example of a plasma What is a Plasma? (2/22/2019) - What is a plasma? Some remarks about ionization. Some plasma phenomena. Plasma criteria. Descriptions of plasmas

Solar Physics

The sun is a dynamic structure composed of plasma. It goes through periods of high and low activity. What is the Solar Cycle? (3/22/2019) - What is the solar cycle? Sunspots. The solar cycle. Quantities in which the solar cycle is observed. Solar flares and coronal mass ejections during the solar cycle. Cosmic rays and other periodicities in the solar cycle
The corona isn't static and continuously loses mass. This supersonic outflow of matter, threaded with magnetic fields, is called the solar wind. What is the Solar Wind? (4/26/2019) - What is the solar wind? The solar wind. Observations of the solar wind. Modelling the solar wind
The corona isn't static and continuously loses mass. This supersonic outflow of matter, threaded with magnetic fields, is called the solar wind. What is the Heliospheric Magnetic Field? Part 1 (5/31/2019) - What is the heliospheric magnetic field? The heliospheric magnetic field. The heliospheric current sheet. The Parker field
The corona isn't static and continuously loses mass. This supersonic outflow of matter, threaded with magnetic fields, is called the solar wind. What is the Heliospheric Magnetic Field? Part 2 (6/28/2019) - What is the heliospheric magnetic field? Modifications to the Parker field. The Fisk field
What is the Heliosphere? (7/26/2019) - What is the heliosphere? Theoretical background. The basic form of the heliosphere. The influence of neutral species. The influence of magnetic fields. The influence of the solar cycle
What are Cosmic Rays? (8/30/2019) - What are cosmic rays? The discovery, some characteristic, detection techniques, and acceleration of cosmic rays.

Uncategorised

Hello World! (2/8/2019) - Welcome to my blog and my first post. Who am I? The aim of this blog. Who this blog is for. What Ufara means.
Modelling an Infection Outbreak like a Physicist. Part 1: The SIS Model (5/10/2020) - The SIS model for an infection outbreak and how to solve it with stochastic differential equations.
Modelling an Infection Outbreak like a Physicist. Part 2: Calculating Infection, Recovery, and Death Rates from Data (5/18/2020) - The SIS model for an infection outbreak require the infection and recovery rate. These rates, as well as the death rate, is extracted from South Africa's COVID-19 data.
Being more Childlike (2/12/2021) - Looking at why children give away artworks easily, but adults don't, might teach us something...
Modelling an Infection Outbreak like a Physicist. Part 3: Modelling South Africa’s Infections, Recoveries, and Deaths (4/3/2021) - The SIS model for an infection outbreak applied to South Africa's COVID-19 data.