Opinion Pieces

I have written this article to instill an interest in the world of physics and the beyond-earthly expanse in my generation. I hope this little insight into the world of what governs the universe will ignite a spark of interest in your mind and invoke a certain degree of enthusiasm.

There are vast amounts of occurrences and phenomena to be observed within the world we live in, but the one that appears to cause the most confusion, misunderstanding and awe appears to be the expansion of the universe. To comprehend the notion of an expanding universe, we must first understand what causes this expansion and its mechanics. Firstly, conventional matter constitutes a pathetic 4.9 percent of the universe’s mass, about 4 percent of which is interstellar gas clouds and the last less-than-percent represents the total mass of all genuine bodies, such as stars and planets. The rest, 95.1 percent, is dark “matter” and dark “energy” combined, about 68.3 percent of which is dark “energy” with the rest 26.8 being dark “matter”. The so-called dark “energy” is the constituent that accounts for this expansion. We have no clue of how exactly this mysterious whatnot affects the expansion of the universe, but we do know that it does. The result is the Hubble space constant, which states how fast spacetime expands per megaparsec of space and the value of which to date with the 16th of July of 2019 appears to be 69.8 plus minus 1.9 kilometers per second per megaparsec- a seemingly insignificant value, but upon taking the radius of the universe into account, we derive an expansion rate of approximately 997,850 kilometers per second- a value more than three times that of the speed of light. Now arises the question of how does light reach us, if spacetime at the edge of the universe expands faster than light?

The answer to this question lies in Hubble’s law: the universe expands at a certain speed equally at every point in spacetime, meaning that there is not a center, even though there is a certain location to where the universe began. This also means that dark energy (unlike dark matter) is equally distributed across the universe. Therefore, nothing except for the universe itself is expanding or moving at the speed of light- it is the change of the geometry (size) of spacetime. The observable universe is also not a fixed medium of space: it is essentially a gigantic bubble that moves with you as you move through spacetime.

Step a meter to the right- you see one meter more of the universe in that direction. The observable portion of the universe is also constantly increasing in size, since electromagnetic radiation from further and further points of space eventually reaches us. A somewhat acceptable description is a spring: imagine that both ends of the spring are being pulled apart with an equal force, while you are in the medium of the spring. Both ends are moving away from you at an equal speed, but if you move closer to either end- the speed of expansion of the opposite end of the spring seems to have increased, while it seems to have decreased in the direction where you have moved. This example, on the other hand, also has a significant flaw: the object has a shape. We simply do not know what the geometric entirety of the universe represents, so we cannot assume a form.

Conversely, there will also be an “end” to the universe. A multitude of proposals has been made, all of which are theoretically possible. The defining factor on what exactly will happen first is ,exclusively, time. The two most widely accepted theories are the the Big Chill and the Big Rip. First, we must consider a critical parameter the knowledge of which is fundamental to the understanding of the end of the universe: The critical density of the universe. This is the average value of the density of conventional matter per cubic meter of space at which the universe will stop expanding. With that being said, we can now discuss the theories.

The first and most commonly accepted theory is the theory of the big chill, which states that the universe will never reach the critical density and will always stay lower than its value due to its infinitely accelerating expansion and according to the second law of thermodynamics will eventually turn into a uniform substance, maximizing its entropy and preventing work from being done. The universe will become infinitesimally dense as it expands for an infinite amount of time. This means that gas clouds will no longer be able to congregate into stars, nucleosynthesize elements and repeat the cycle. All existing matter will be consumed by a hypermassive black hole merged from congregating black holes from all across the universe, which will, in turn, emit the entirety of their mass via hawking radiation, eventually turning the universe into an infinitely sized “soup” of extremely low wavelength electromagnetic radiation.

The theory of the Big Rip proposes a moderately different cascade of events. The Big Rip states that, due to the increase of the scale factor (as a consequence of the expansion of the geometry of spacetime), the four fundamental forces of the universe will, at some point, no longer be able to maintain their effectiveness. Electromagnetic radiation will gradually not be able to reach anything due to the extreme rate of expansion and the universe will turn completely dark. Thus, the cosmological density in this theory is also always lower than the critical density of the universe. As the observable region of the universe becomes smaller than any potential structure, the forces in the universe begin losing control over matter. Everything gradually disintegrates into subatomic particles and the universe turns into a soup of elementary particles and diluted electromagnetic radiation as it proceeds in eternal expansion.

By Michael Anisimov

Most children like video games, but their parents, who think that they can only make people stupid, don’t. But is it true? If not, what benefits, firstly educational, can they bring to your children?

Here are some skills that video games can improve.

Teamwork and coordination:

While most video games are singleplayer, so only one person can play in them at the same time, there are also a lot of multiplayer games which can’t be played without other people at al l- or they can be, but with great or even unreal difficulty. By playing with other people, you can use each of your strengths and work better, and it is a very helpful skill in life.

Attentiveness:

A lot of games make you concentrate on what is happening. Someone falls on the left, a shot far on the right and lights going on around you. You are trying to find a pen in the room with twenty desks and five cupboards in 3 minutes. After finishing ten levels, your concentration and attentiveness will grow, but only if you do it regularly and the difficulty of levels increases all the time in order not to make you rest so that your skill decreases.

Memory:

In some games you need to remember things to solve levels, which improves your memory and makes you remember more things faster.

Reactions:

Very similar to the attentiveness section, but not at how good you can find something, but how fast you react to something. You hear a shot on the left and you wouldn’t go there because it can be quite dangerous and not profitable at all. In the middle of the battle you need high speed of reactions and attentiveness to fight successfully and not be beaten in the first three minutes of the battle.

Maths:

It sounds strange, but it is. In most games you must remember certain amounts of health, damage, speed and durability of different things. In some games there is the market (where for in-game currency you can buy or sell different things). So for some simple (or not) mathematics will be usable and will not degrade, as much as they could, or can even be improved. Also, some games are based on maths and would also improve your maths skills.

It sounds very good and it is so! Unless you try to play games during the school day or instead of doing homework. In this case, you will need to spend more time than your classmates on catching up because you were just not concentrated on the lesson.

So yes, it is good, but only at the right time and amounts.

By Leon Filippov

Most private schools in the the U.K. have fixed uniforms that students have to wear. These uniforms are mostly a set made of: a shirt, tie and a blazer. But why exactly is it that many private schools around the world choose to use uniforms as their dress code?

In England uniforms are worn in 90 percent of schools and only 10 percent have no dress code to worry about. Should you choose a uniform or non-uniform school? Let's go over the positive and negatives of both and make a conclusion to what we like more.

A study has shown that uniforms in 2015 cost on average £213, and of course are required to be purchased, which can be difficult for some families. Schools also tend to be very strict with their uniform policy. They keep one supplier and that is the only one you can purchase from, which means they can set a high price that you will have to pay if you wish that your child will join the school. Taking the route of going to a clothing store and buying a similarly looking piece of clothing, sadly, won't work because, if the school finds out, you don't wear the exact uniform as from their store, you will be forced to buy it.

We went over the negatives, now it is time to talk about the positive aspects of wearing a tidy outfit and, trust, me there are more good things than bad things. Uniforms make a school look like a serious environment with the intent to make their pupils succeed, making uniform free schools look of lesser quality . It makes its students look like they are a part of an organization. Some people believe that uniforms sharpen focus and increase academic level. Possibly the most important thing is that students don't have to worry about pressure when it comes to their clothes. When everyone is dressed the same there, worrying about how you look isn't that important. There is no competition about what expensive brand you have or don't have. Yes, uniforms can be pricey, but it is much cheaper than buying a whole wardrobe of clothes, and you need to buy it once a year maybe even less if you don't grow out of it.

In my opinion, a uniform is a good thing, I would also like to wear everyday casual clothes but there is a time and place for that. School is like work, you need to look appropriate and not to violate the policy.

By Alexei Gretchman

In recent decades, a rapid development of different social networks has affected our everyday social life. Nowadays, people spend most of their free time using mobile phones and a variety of the most popular social networks rather than communicate in person. Some people, especially teenagers and children, seem to be addicted to that kind of social media.

In my opinion, some teenagers use social networks too much. At first it doesn’t seem to be a harmful activity, but after zooming in on the problem, we could notice that this kind of addiction can affect your health and lifestyle in a negative way. Some teenage girls can’t imagine their lives without having and constantly uploading their Instagram and Tik Tok profiles. Researchers at Chicago University concluded that social media addiction can be stronger than addiction to cigarettes. Recently, for the reason that nearly every person keeps a profile in at least one social networking site, it is hard to tell when a habit crosses the line into a damaging addiction and becomes a dependency, the one which prevents you from doing different activities and living a full life.

However, from another point of view, sometimes social networks can be the most convenient form of communication. For example, in recent days, all people have to stay at their houses until the quarantine is over. These events are the cause why people need to use social networks: they are the only solution to that problem.

To conclude, I'd like to say that social networks can cause addiction and it is important to take account of time you spend using them. Of course, in some cases they are useful and even irreplaceable, but there is no need to post every moment of your life.

By Anna Masalova

In recent times, technological changes are happening and engineering is progressing. As such changes are happening, cities are getting full of cars, plains, and other enrapturing kinds of technology. Now people aren’t intending to stop building new cities and making new fascinating inventions. However, any coin has two sides…

Nowadays many big cities with developed infrastructure are suffering from countless problems related to air pollution. Let's think about the biggest and worldwide famous cities in the USA : Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Seattle. Or the biggest cities in the most populated countries: Beijing and Tokyo. From pictures on the internet and on magazine covers they look like illustrations for utopia books. However, we can look at them from a different perspective and notice many horrible things. The majority of the most crowded cities are covered with smog, which is caused by the collection of dust and different types of toxic gases caused by the combustion of different fuels. In some cities, the inhabitants have to wear facemasks just in order to stay healthy in such conditions.

Peoples’ and animals’ well-being is affected by air pollution. Birds are escaping from polluted areas, wildlife is out of the question in such conditions too. Air pollution can also affect wildlife indirectly. Atmospheric ozone can stop growth of a various plant species, which are sources of food for some animals. To see how air pollution really affects nature, let's look at how nature cleared up during the quarantine; animals are returning back to places which were their habitats a long time ago, less smog is forming.

So I think that we have to look after the environment. Every person can do something good for our world and it would not affect his life and budget in a negative way. It is not hard to do something helpful, for example; you can just do regular car check-up, buy energy-efficient vehicles, or turn the light off when you aren’t home. Doing this is even less costly, but beneficial for you.

To conclude I’d like to sum up aforementioned arguments and ask you a question:
If you know that you can rectify the situation, why don't you do it? Together, we can make a difference.

By Anna Masalova

Most of us who have ever attended any kind of election remember this fear of making a tough choice. Some of us might’ve made their choice because they were influenced by their parents/friends or by political agitation, commonly seen in the modern world, some of us might’ve picked a random point in the ballot. How many people actually made a wise decision with a prior research of each candidate’s political agenda? Not many.

Various governmental statistics show how neglected is the problem of political education among the youth. For example, statistics from the 2014 US House of Representatives elections show a 19% turnout among people from 18 to 29 years of age. The main reason for this is because they either know nothing about their country's politics, or don’t care as nobody explained to them why their vote actually matters. This is exactly why we should implement unbiased political enlightenment in our schools.

Why political enlightenment? Because it’s helpful. In the UK, more than 21% of younger Brits don’t know who they will vote for. With political enlightenment, our kids will know more about our own country’s internal and external politics and will be eligible for making better, more balanced choices not only during elections, but during every time they need to make a tough decision.

It can also be said that our children are already studying a bunch of subjects and adding one more will be a tremendously irresponsible action. However, everyone will agree that the school should prepare you for nothing but life. Hence, without a clear understanding of your country's internal mechanics you will never ever be able to make a valuable choice when your country needs it most. In a scenario like this, our nation will never break out of the prison of political bewilderment.

Don’t want to see our nation falling down to the depth of ignorance? Good news for you, you can fix it! Cast your vote for our educational initiative, save us from political degradation!

By Tim Zhevlakov