A Curious Case: The GRace of the PRice

Consider “change” as the external force in Newton’s First Law, something that disrupts inertia. It can be unpredictable, sudden, empirical, or random. This force is synonymous with change, although its source is often unknown. However, progress is not guaranteed by change. When a thought process is presented using terms that are used interchangeably, the mixture can distort the intention behind them. Our lived experience of change is not always positive.

Words like development, betterment, advancement, and progression carry weight, and each holds a different kind of change within it. Subsets are not the same as sets. The idea behind development is gradualism as the enhancement of a prior condition. In a nutshell, it is defined as the phase of premeditated change. But because it seems so close to the idea of change itself, we often use these terms interchangeably. And when we do, we weaken our ability to distinguish between causes and outcomes. Systems and generations proceed with that confusion.

Progress is gradual, an ideal state we attempt to move toward. Still, there is always a starting point. But how do we know which direction to choose? Whom do we trust to tell us? Whether something counts as “progress” depends on whom you ask and what they value.

Curious about the world within and beyond our sight? Come on in. Nikola Tesla’s work on polyphase alternating current helped form the basis of modern electric power distribution. In My Inventions, Tesla described a design process based on mental visualization. He could picture machines in his mind without first using models, drawings, or experiments. This ability to imagine rotating machinery and electrical systems influenced how he developed and refined many of his inventions. Similarly, Pierre and Marie Curie made discoveries that later helped cancer treatment, specifically through radiotherapy and the study of radioactivity. They worked before the dangers of radiation were fully understood, and Marie Curie’s death from aplastic anemia in 1934 is commonly associated with her prolonged exposure.

By redefining concepts of motion, space, time, and the physical world, Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein revolutionized science. Calculus, developed independently by Newton and Leibniz, became essential to modern physics. Although special relativity used ideas such as Lorentz transformations, general relativity used further mathematical techniques such as differential geometry and tensor calculus. Calculus directly supports advanced study in economics, architecture, engineering, physics, and other fields. These scientific advances contributed to human progress, but progress also requires ethical judgment and awareness of effects on living beings and nature. For example, critics such as Liz White of Animal Alliance of Canada have raised concerns about severe animal experiments involving invasive surgeries, toxic exposure, burns, trauma, and unanesthetized animals.

Einstein’s 1916 to 1917 work on radiation considered atoms or molecules in thermal equilibrium with a surrounding radiation field. Using Bohr’s idea of discrete energy levels, he treated three processes, i.e. absorption, spontaneous emission, and induced emission, now called stimulated emission. Absorption moves an atom from a lower to a higher energy state. Spontaneous emission occurs when an excited atom drops to a lower state and emits radiation. Einstein found that just these processes were not sufficient to reproduce Planck’s blackbody radiation law. So, he introduced stimulated emission, a process in which existing radiation increases the likelihood that an excited atom will emit another quantum of the same frequency.

The role of imagination is prominent when it comes to understanding quantum physics, which remains one of the most progressive fields in natural science precisely because there is no final, ideal state. Being driven by observation, imagination, reasoning, and intuition, science is more than what meets the eye, sculpted by nature itself.

Quantum physics raises deep questions about causality, locality, and realism. In 1964, John Stewart Bell showed that no local hidden-variable theory can reproduce all the predictions of quantum mechanics. This was eventually supported by Bell-test experiments. Today, quantum effects are used in practical technologies, including atomic clocks. NIST’s aluminum quantum-logic clock was reported in 2010 to lose or gain only about one second in 3.7 billion years. JILA/NIST strontium clock was reported in 2014 to reach about one second in 5 billion years.

Atomic clocks support technologies such as GPS, telecommunications, synchronization, and surveying. They keep time by measuring the radiation frequency associated with transitions between atomic energy levels. Large numbers of atoms increase stability in many clocks by lowering random measurement noise, but there are still practical limitations. To increase measurement accuracy, researchers are also investigating entanglement, which occurs when atoms behave more like a coordinated system than distinct particles. Larger clock networks are still an active research objective, however entangled optical clocks have already been shown on tiny networks.

Quantum ideas also change secure communication. Quantum key distribution sends key information through photons prepared in specific quantum states. The receiver measures the photons using compatible settings. If someone tries to intercept them, the act of measurement can disturb the states and create errors that the sender and receiver can detect. After checking part of the data, they keep a shared secret key, which can be used with ordinary encryption. Companies such as Toshiba and ID Quantique offer QKD systems, though direct fiber QKD is limited by distance (generally 60 to 150 km), with some systems reaching about 93 miles or more under suitable conditions.

I’ve been reflecting on a case study about Toyota. The company has made a range of investments in solid-state batteries, automotive prismatic batteries, and other EV-related technologies. It explored plant-based materials such as sugarcane-based bioplastics, and Toyota Boshoku has developed kenaf-based automotive components. Their use of bio-composites was interesting. Recent collaborations in the EV sector indicate a commitment to advancing automotive battery design and wireless charging technology. Initiatives such as Toyota and Lexus app features using WattTime data to guide lower-emissions charging times speak to a forward-looking approach. Research is underway to explore alternative chemistries, improve recycling methods, and reduce dependence on scarce resources. As industry priorities move toward diverse powertrain options, engineers are working to refine hydrogen storage techniques, improve fuel cell performance, and develop eco-friendly fuels.

Wheel assemblies depend on correct clamping force between the wheel, hub, bolts or studs, nuts, and mating surfaces. Incorrect torque, mismatched parts, corrosion, debris, poor installation, vibration, and thermal cycling can reduce preload or enable loosening. Consumers aren’t usually expected to check torque during normal use, but manufacturer-specified torque matters after wheel installation, rotation, or servicing, with some providers recommending a follow-up retorque after initial driving. Better fastener design, locking features, corrosion-resistant interfaces, and thermally stable materials can improve reliability.

From a macro perspective, batteries and EVs have become geopolitical flashpoints. Challenges include sourcing raw materials, establishing robust EV supply chains, and addressing the rate of sales. EV sales have surged, though battery manufacturing is costly, and adequate charging infrastructure is absent in many regions. The geopolitical landscape puts pressure on supply agreements for automakers, particularly as diplomatic tensions intensify in certain regions. There's a growing acknowledgment of the need for diverse powertrain options beyond just EVs, including hydrogen and synthetic fuels. The procurement of materials like lithium, cobalt, and nickel presents supply chain difficulties and challenges in material science.

Battery efficiency is paramount for EVs, especially in variable temperature environments. Cold temperatures can slow down the electrochemical reactions in batteries. This challenge deals with battery chemistry and thermal management systems. Solutions, e.g. improved thermal insulation, integrated heating elements, and phase change materials, are being explored. In situations where cold conditions compromise rapid charging, battery preconditioning and advanced thermal management systems are more relevant.

In today's fast-paced tech industry, there's a constant push for newer, better products. From a student’s perspective, a Samsung Galaxy sounds like it… contacting people, taking good pics, using Gmail, Chrome and perhaps 1-2 social media apps.

Not every frequent update or new release is a groundbreaking innovation or even a significantly more helpful device. Even with big investments in (re)construction, intuitive leaders mainly succeed by thinking laterally. Building on pre-existing knowledge, simplify what can be simplified, and practice economically feasible methods not at the expense of quality and safety. Many discoveries that genuinely benefit humanity emerge from this mindset. The tension between “old” and “new” often comes from unnecessary changes to a system.

There is a price to everything, to innovation, sustainability, irresponsibility, ethical choices, environmental care or neglect. And the accompanying grace (or destruction) is the corollary of what we choose to pay for. This is a cyclical process, something to be cynical of. Include conscience in what and how they do to benefit society is important.