Microsoft, AI and the drive for nuclear power

Posted: November 1, 2024 in physical chemistry, physics, thermodynamics
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Unit 2 in operation at Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station shortly before the meltdown accident in March 1979

It has been reported by international news agencies that tech giant Microsoft has signed a deal to purchase electricity from the currently shut-down nuclear plant at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania in order to provide non-carbon energy to fuel the expansion of its power-hungry artificial intelligence (AI) data centers.

The Three Mile Island plant has two separately owned pressurized water reactors (PWRs). Unit 1 was commissioned on Labor Day 1974 and remained operable for 45 years until decommissioned on Friday September 20, 2019. This unit is slated for reopening in 2028 after unspecified improvements.

Unit 2 was commissioned on Saturday December 30, 1978 and operated for just 88 days until a nuclear accident on Wednesday March 28, 1979 when the reactor suffered a partial meltdown due to a combination of human error, mechanical failure and design failure (ref 1). Unit 2 was irreparably damaged by the accident and is now permanently decommissioned.

Note: At the time of the accident Unit 1 was down for refuelling. It remained offline for the next six years before resuming operations in 1985. Read the rest of this entry »

Why couldn’t Google AI get this right?

Posted: January 1, 2026 in physical chemistry, thermodynamics
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The molecular formula for benzoic acid is C7H6O2, so Google AI is being asked to compile the following equation and solve for x
7x + (6 × 1) + (2 × -2) = 0
x = -2/7
Well within Google AI’s capabilities one would think. But when I put this question to Google’s Gemini chatbot on 11 October 2025, it responded in the first instance with -1/3, then corrected it to -3/7, both wrong answers. I asked again and it gave a new incorrect answer of -1/7. I asked one more time the next day and it returned to its original response of -1/3 which it then corrected to a new incorrect answer of +0.5.

I have included these responses in the appendix below so readers can see I am not inventing this and also to show the extent of the logical difficulties that Gemini got itself into. Given the level of confidence I have seen expressed in Gemini, I was quite troubled by my experience and have been pondering why this happened.

My best guess is that the version of Google’s AI chatbot accessed on 11-12 October 2025 was insufficiently equipped to handle the symbolic logic involved in the question. It clearly struggled to apply rule-driven logical reasoning at an uncomplicated level, which suggests that there is some way to go in the development of neuro-symbolic AI systems that all of us can have confidence in. Read the rest of this entry »

Tracing the origins of the Physical Chemistry textbook

Posted: November 1, 2025 in history of science, physical chemistry
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Have you ever wondered who pioneered the organizing of physical chemistry into a textbook science? Well, it will come as no surprise to the curious that it was the same people who pioneered the science itself in the late 19th century: principally Wilhelm Ostwald, J.H. van ‘t Hoff and Svante Arrhenius. This Nobel Prize-winning trio were respectively German, Dutch and Swedish, so it set me wondering how the first English language textbooks came into being. Read the rest of this entry »

Exploring Near Terrain Atmospherics

Posted: September 1, 2025 in arduino, climate, physical chemistry
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Drone with sensor payload that transmits data to a mobile phone

The drone in the photo is an ST16B. It weighs only 142 grams, has no camera, costs less than 50 dollars and is designed for kids with no drone flying experience to learn the basics. It also provides an inexpensive way to explore atmospheric parameters in the near terrain region up to around 100 feet (30 meters). Here’s a quick guide to exploring near terrain atmospherics in your hood. Read the rest of this entry »

Excel can simulate DNA transcription

Posted: August 1, 2025 in Uncategorized
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A simple Excel spreadsheet created the amino acid sequence for this protein

The computer spreadsheet evolved in the 1980s from paper-based bookkeeping and accounting worksheets and has since developed into a highly versatile tool, whether for complex business model canvases or simply recording Cindy and Bob’s widget sales.

But apps like Excel can equally well be used for scientific purposes such as simulating the DNA transcription process by which cells synthesize proteins. It might sound complicated but when you break it down into parts it’s actually quite straightforward. Here’s how to do it. Read the rest of this entry »

CarnotCycle reaches half a million visits

Posted: May 30, 2025 in thermodynamics
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Every day this blog gets visits from all over the world, and in numbers which show that thermodynamics interests many, many people. They come from lands big and small, rich and poor, happy and less-than-happy. And they are all united in their desire for knowledge.

Knowledge is power. And in the case of thermodynamics, that knowledge is especially powerful. Because its subject is energy, which in its different forms allows the wheels of the world to turn.

There are now over 100 posts and pages on this blog, covering a sizeable range of topics in thermodynamics and allied disciplines. They are written for enquiring minds, and it is truly gratifying to see so much of the CarnotCycle resource being accessed by so many.

Thank you for visiting.

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