Tom Murphy (physicist)

Last updated

Tom Murphy (born January 9, 1970 [1] ) is a professor of physics at the University of California, San Diego. He is the project investigator for the Apache Point Observatory Lunar Laser-ranging Operation Project. Professor Murphy completed his Ph.D. in astrophysics at the California Institute of Technology after which he completed a postdoc at the University of Washington - Seattle before becoming a professor at the University of California, San Diego. In 2010 his group was responsible for locating the former Soviet Union's Lunokhod 1 rover. [2]

Contents

Blog "Do The Math"

Murphy is also known for his blog "Do The Math" which examines societal issues related to energy production, climate change, and economic growth from an astrophysicist's perspective. [3]

In 2011, Murphy calculated the usefulness of Gravity battery concepts, like stacking blocks of concrete, and came to the conclusion that gravitational storage is incredibly weak compared to chemical, compressed air, or flywheel techniques. [4]

In 2021 Dr. Murphy published Energy and Human Ambitions on a Finite Planet textbook, a physics open educational resource (OER) that includes a version optimized for printing. [5]

References

  1. ↑ "You Call this Progress? | Do the Math". 16 September 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  2. ↑ T. W. Murphy Jr; E. G. Adelberger; J. B. R. Battat; C. D. Hoyle; N. H. Johnson; R. J. McMillan; E. L. Michelsen; C. W. Stubbs; H. E. Swanson (2011). "Laser Ranging to the Lost Lunokhod~1 Reflector". Icarus. 211 (2): 1103–1108. arXiv: 1009.5720 . Bibcode:2011Icar..211.1103M. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2010.11.010. S2CID   11247676.
  3. ↑ "Do the Math | Using physics and estimation to assess energy, growth, options—by Tom Murphy".
  4. ↑ Tom Murphy: It is called a potential energy because it is possible to put the invested energy on a shelf—literally, in fact—to be accessed later. ... The main problem with gravitational storage is that it is incredibly weak compared to chemical, compressed air, or flywheel techniques (see the post on home energy storage options). For example, to get the amount of energy stored in a single AA battery, we would have to lift 100 kg (220 lb) 10 m (33 ft) to match it. - Pump Up the Storage Posted on 2011-11-15 https://dothemath.ucsd.edu/2011/11/pump-up-the-storage/
  5. ↑ "A Textbook Case for Heeding Planetary Limits". ucsdnews.ucsd.edu. Retrieved 2022-04-18.


    Flag of the United States.svg Scientist.svg Stylised atom with three Bohr model orbits and stylised nucleus.svg

    This article about an American physicist is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

    This page is based on this Wikipedia article
    Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
    Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.