Just Finished!!!!

[renormalised]

Just finished my literature review for my subject for this semester, which was the review. It's worth 70% of my marks for this semester. I hope I've done alright!!!:shrug::question::)

10000 word limit for the review. We had to do a review on quasars, talking about the variability of quasars at whatever wavelength we chose to do it on. I did it on the optical (visual and just either side...UV and NIR) wavelengths.

I wrote 9702 words in the main body of the review....10067 if you count the references section etc.

Glad it's finished!!!:)

[supernova1965]

Contrats though I am glad it was you and not me sounds like a hard job to someone like me who isnt known for stringing too many words together without it sounding like gibberish. You will have to celebrate tonight:thumbsup:

[erick]

Well done, Carl! Not sure I can even spell "kwayzar"?

[Octane]

Congratulations, Carl.

That's pretty inspiring! I would love to go back to university one day and do an astronomy degree.

H

[Robh]

Well done Carl and obviously a relief to be finished the 10000 word review.
My interest in astronomy and science keep me quite busy but I pick and choose my subject matter at whim and delve into whatever degree I wish. More entertainment than hard work.

Good luck to you!

Regards, Rob

[Jeffkop]

Hers hoping for C's or D's Carl .. you can breath now !

[jjjnettie]

I know I should know what you're talking about Carl so I'll just sit here nod my head knowingly. ;)
But I do know that congratulations are in order. Well done.:) You'll will let us know how you went won't you?? Please.

[renormalised]

Thanks guys:)

Relief....that's for sure!!!. The amount of reading I had to do!!!!. It's very easy to get caught up in doing the work and then realise that it's early the next morning when you finally think it's time to go to bed!!!. Done that all too often in the last 5-6 weeks.

[renormalised]

You can have a read of my lit review if you like:):P

Seriously what my topic was on, was the different models that have been proposed to try and explain the variability in the light coming from quasars. Why some have these long term variations, others short term and what is the driving mechanism that creates the variability and the high luminosity of the quasars. They still haven't figured out what the mechanism is behind the variability, but they have a few ideas at what it might be. They think it might be one or more out of 4 ideas they have...


Accretion disk instabilities
Supernova cascades
Starburst episodes
Gravitational microlensing

So, you can take your pick from them. Some favour one or more over the others...just depends on what the researchers are looking for, and at, at the time.

Simple stuff:):P

[renormalised]

Why don't you:)

You can do them externally these days...there's a number of unis both here in Oz and overseas that offer courses in astronomy.

[renormalised]

That's probably how they should've spelt the damn word in the first place!!!.

Looks "native" when you spell it like that!!!:):P

Just thought..."kwayzar"...great name for a nightclub!!!!:):P

[renormalised]

That would be nice but I'll be just as happy with a pass:)

[Octane]

Carl,

I've got far too much on my plate at the moment!

Perhaps in the future.

H

[renormalised]

Don't gorge yourself, it's not good for you:):P

Plenty of time, hey:)


...any cream donuts, by chance??:):P

[AstralTraveller]

Congratulations. You won't know what to do with yourself for a while. All that free time will feel strange.

I know that 10,000 words sounds a lot but if you know your stuff - which I'm sure you do - the biggest problem is likely to have been keeping it down to the word limit. You'll need at least 1000 to state the topic and provide background. Then another 1000 or so to wrap up. That leaves only about 2000 for each hypothesis, and 2000 is about a first year undergrad essay. By third year I was regularly writing 3500 words. Honours was supposed to be 20,000 and my first draft was 30,000 without the final chapter.

So, when will it be available on line??? :)

[multiweb]

Good stuff! So when do you get the results?

[spacezebra]

Good stuff Carl! Well done.

Cheers Petra d.

[renormalised]

Probably not for a month or two.

[renormalised]

Thanks, Petra:)

[renormalised]

That was the problem, keeping it within the limit. I probably could've written half as much again, or more. The big problem is having to leave stuff out and trying not to sound too flowery. I hope I've managed to cover the topic adequately and have passed. I think my intro was 350 words, then I talked about variability in quasars as a general topic relating to optical variability, then it was the hypotheses and then a conclusion which was about 500 or so words, maybe more, but your estimate for around 2000 per hypothesis is about correct....probably give or take 500 words each, depending on how tired I was at the time:):)

[sjastro]

Another Dr Carl (Karl) in the making?:)

Best of luck

Steven

[renormalised]

:rofl::D:D:D:P:lol::D:D:D:rofl:

Thanks:)

[renormalised]

The way my hair looks at present, probably more like Julius Sumner-Miller!!!:P:)

Or, call me Al...Albert Einstuffed:):P

[sjastro]

Two Dr Carls (Karls) in the same country? Oh no.
Sounds like a case for the Pauli exclusion principle.

Steven

[renormalised]

I don't know how much he weighs but if this is a case of a matter-antimatter reaction, there's going to be some pretty spectacular fireworks!!!:):P

Could also be Heisenberg's...find me and he'll be off somewhere, we don't really know. Find Dr Karl, and I'll be doing something and no one knows!!!:):P



Yeah, Pauli, get lost!!!!:):P:P

[Nesti]

Well done Carl...sound's like you're well and truly focused on the job at hand.

Watch-out Ed Witten; Carl's comin-through! :thumbsup:

[astroron]

Well done Carl:D, I hope all your hard work is well rewarded:thumbsup:

[that_guy]

Hopefully, I'm gonna go to ANU and study physics and computer science... :/ Seems like hard work looking at Carl's work (which i think he would do great [Congrats!!])... What course are you doing Carl? Astrophysics or Astronomy?

Thanks,
Tony

[renormalised]

Masters degree in astronomy...includes a lot of astrophysics. Next semester is when the real fun starts. That's when I have my project and dissertation/thesis to do. LOTS of reading, LOTS of research, LOTS of typing, LOTS of sleepless nights and sore eyes:):P

[renormalised]

Not quite that smart, Mark:)

Wish I was, though:P

[renormalised]

Thanks, Ron:)

So do I.

[erick]

It's yours! You'll make more money out of that than out of a Masters :P

[renormalised]

Go ya partners:):P

Mind you, we'd probably see more trouble out of it as well:P

Start it up somewhere like....Hamilton Is, Airlie Beach?? Sounds about right to me:):)

[Ric]

Congrats on completing your review Carl.

I haven't done anything like that for 25+ years but I still remember them.

I think my brain would explode if I tried that now. :lol:

[Liz]

Well done Carl!! Alas, sounds like you still have a HUGE year ahead, but one hurdle crossed for the time. Hopefully you can relax for awhile before starting the next .... round of fun. ;)

[renormalised]

Been 20+ years since I wrote anything of that size for an uni course as well:)

My brain did explode...I'm trying to put the pieces back together but the glue I'm using isn't the best:):P

[renormalised]

Thanks:):). Tell me about it!!! I'll try to relax as best as I can till the next round of torture:P:P

[Nesti]

Mate, Minkowski called Einstein (his math student at the Polytechnic) a "lazy dog". But Minkowski didn't come up with SR or GR did he? Yet EVERYONE, including all the math and physics brainiacs around the world, had all the information they needed right in front of them, and with the exception of Ricci and Hilbert (GR only), nobody was even remotely close to coming up with either theory.

[marki]

Onya Carl, lit reviews are always a pain but each one you put behind you is one step closer to your final goal.

Mark

[Suzy]

Well done Carl! :thumbsup: Now it all makes sense (from your posts), you are really smart aren't ya Carl?!:lol: I would love to do a course in Astronomy, I could easily waffle many thousands of words to dance around a topic, but alas, I'm afraid, maths and I are enemies :(. Also need a few gazillion more brain cells to help me remember.:lol: You are so fortunate in that you get to study something that will earn you money as well as bring you much pleasure at leisure time.
You deserve a fabulous night out at a top restaurant. Good food is always the answer, I think:D.

[AstralTraveller]

Astronomy -> money??? What sort of alternate reality are you in??:D

[renormalised]

You don't go into astronomy for the money...it doesn't pay all that well, unless you're a tenured professor at a top US university and a celebrity...like Carl Sagan, Brian Greene or Michio Kaku (hmmm...looks like I'll have to write a book!!!...or 16!!!). You go into it because you love the subject, you love the beauty of the stars. Even if the maths stumps you most of the time:):P

You don't have to do a full degree course to do a course in astronomy (or even some of the other sciences). Many universities offer certificate and diploma courses in astronomy...and other areas of science. And the maths is not like full on "Einstein" level all the time, unless you want to do that. Yes, there is s fair bit of maths but if you can count to 10 and X/+-, then you're halfway there:).

You don't need brain cells...just keep good notes:) And, know where you keep them:)

Love to dine out....can't afford to, though:(

Smart...me??...nah...average:)

[renormalised]

The one where we can all walk out in our backyards and pull $100 notes off of trees:):)

None of the sciences are terribly well paying, unless you're a chief geologist for a multinational mining company and/or work in the Middle East. Or a senior geologist with at least 15 years experience (otherwise one rung below a chief geo' anyway).

[duncan]

Hey Carl,
Just hope you have done really well and Pass over and above mate.
Good luck.
All the best ,
Duncan:thumbsup:

[renormalised]

Well, then, I might just surprise myself (and everyone else) one day:):)

If a "lazy dog" can come up with GR and SR, surely I can do better than that:):P

Woof woof:):P:P

[renormalised]

Thanks, Duncan:)

Next semester is the crunch one, though.

[duncan]

Hey Carl Go gettum! mate.
All the best.
Duncan:thumbsup:

[renormalised]

I intend to:)

Can only do my best:)

[Nesti]

Oh, I forgot to mention; because Einstein was a "Lazy Dog" in the math department, once he saw what was needed to construct GR, many believed he had a nervous break-down or two...so you've got that to look forward to...and the accompanying hair and bad dress sense. :rofl:

[renormalised]

Been there, done that:):P

[Astro78]

What a relief to get that behind you Carl, congrats :thumbsup:

I just lost the past 5 days and nights producing 2800 words for a geophysics unit (would be much more fun with data from Mars). Will never learn not to leave 'til the last min!

Why do you believe there's such a stark difference in variability?

[Iceaxe]

:thumbsup:
Contrats though I am glad it was you and not me.
I bet your :D:D:D

[renormalised]

What was the topic of your essay?? Geophys'...yep, been there, dome that:)

There's most likely more than one mechanism in the generation of variability in quasars, but the dominant mechanism for the most part is probably the accretion mechanism, via the central supermassive black hole.

[renormalised]

Happy, yes:)