Unscience

[XFool]

Not sure where this fits...

Did anyone hear 'David Baddiel Tries to Understand', 8.45pm R4 this evening?

It's a series where David Baddiel gets explanations of various things that he doesn't understand. Tonight it was Wi Fi.

Now I assume David is not a technical minded man and he was provided with some sort of alleged experts(?) in the technology to help him try to understand it all. It wasn't his fault that he ended up 'understanding' that "So the molecules of the air are jiggled about as the waves travel from the modem".

He asked the perfectly reasonable question: "Does that mean they can't travel through a vacuum?" and was told "Yes".

WOT?

One can only hope that in future, to help David understand, they get some better 'experts'!

[XFool]

Simplification for a general audience is OK, if done well. But just plain wrong, isn't!

If I remember correctly I believe the 'expert' was somebody who was responsible for "installing Wi Fi for Virgin Media". I was amazed that somebody so involved could have so little appreciation of the basic workings of radio. It wasn't helped at the start of the programme when somebody, I don't know who, asked David Baddiel about Wi Fi saying: "It must be very powerful it goes through bricks and steel(!). Is it X-Rays or Gamma rays or something like that?"

I think I'll try to find it as a podcast and listen again to see if I imagined all this...

[XFool]

I just listened to the podcast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0000sxr

It's much worse than I thought!

When David Baddiel started asking fundamental questions of the Virgin Media guys one of them said: "I think that might be one for your boffin". So they got one: an assistant professor of wireless communication at King's College, London. Obviously she would know about it. Obviously.

But it was the assistant professor who, when BD asked: "What do radio waves actually wave, what is waving?" said: "It's a power that moves the air. Air is your carrier basically" and when DB asked "So it is the air molecules that are vibrating?" her reply (in the background) was: "Exactly".

What?????!!!!!!

[kiloran]

I just listened to the podcast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0000sxr

But it was the assistant professor who, when BD asked: "What do radio waves actually wave, what is waving?" said: "It's a power that moves the air. Air is your carrier basically" and when DB asked "So it is the air molecules that are vibrating?" her reply (in the background) was: "Exactly".

What?????!!!!!!

Well, what do you expect from an assistant professor? They should have a got a real professor.

If that is the standard of education, this country is doomed

--kiloran

[Watis]

I just listened to the podcast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0000sxr

It's much worse than I thought!

When David Baddiel started asking fundamental questions of the Virgin Media guys one of them said: "I think that might be one for your boffin". So they got one: an assistant professor of wireless communication at King's College, London. Obviously she would know about it. Obviously.

But it was the assistant professor who, when BD asked: "What do radio waves actually wave, what is waving?" said: "It's a power that moves the air. Air is your carrier basically" and when DB asked "So it is the air molecules that are vibrating?" her reply (in the background) was: "Exactly".

What?????!!!!!!

Hmmnn - that doesn't sound right . . .

Watis

I'll get me coat.

[colin]

At least she didn't say it's the Ether that's vibrating

[Stonge]

I expect she looked nice though.

[stewamax]

somebody, I don't know who, asked David Baddiel about Wi Fi saying: "It must be very powerful it goes through bricks and steel(!). Is it X-Rays or Gamma rays or something like that?"

Not far from the truth! 2.4GHz or 5.8GHz WiFi are EM radiation, as are X-Rays and Gamma rays

[XFool]

somebody, I don't know who, asked David Baddiel about Wi Fi saying: "It must be very powerful it goes through bricks and steel(!). Is it X-Rays or Gamma rays or something like that?"

Not far from the truth! 2.4GHz or 5.8GHz WiFi are EM radiation, as are X-Rays and Gamma rays

Not far? But far enough. They are simply high frequency radio waves (why not jus say that?), they aren't X-Rays or Gamma rays which, while EM waves are of much higher frequency and energy. Both after all comprise dangerous and damaging ionising radiation.

BTW Wi-Fi, being radio waves, can't "go() through... steel" - a conductor. Not sure that X-Rays can for that matter, though likely depends on thickness of steel. Gamma rays are very high frequency indeed and so very high energy. They could penetrate some way through steel.