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| Carl Sagan's COSMOS is one of the most influential science programs ever made.
Q. Does the moon have a dark side?
A. The moon does have a far side which is impossible to see from the earth, but it doesn't mean that it's always dark. Each side of the moon is dark for no longer than 15 days at a time.
Q. Where does sound come from?
A. The air is always filled with sound waves. All things give off vibrations, but some have a low frequency which most cannot hear. The reason: it may take 3 minutes to make a single vibration. They may be caused by earthquakes and storms.
Did You Know?
The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.
Coke-a-Cola was originally green.
Rubberbands last longer when refrigerated.
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Alpher, Ralph Asher: 1921-
by Jeanette Cain
Physics professor at Union College, Eagle Scout, mathematician and provider of the model for the Big Bang theory.
Ralph Asher Alpher authored his Ph.D. dissertation on the Big Bang theory in 1948. His mathematical formula brought into being the scientific theory of the origin of the universe. His
paper said the universe occurred 14 billion years ago with a superhot explosion and later, in 1948, Alpher showed proof. No one accepted these ridiculous ideas until 1964 when two radio
astronomers showed Alpher's theory was correct. Unfortunately, they received the Nobel Prize, not Ralph Alpher.
When Alpher was 11 and attending a Hebrew school, he began argumentative debates with the rabbi. Alpher's books told a different story from the ones his rabbi expressed. Alpher's books contained
the thoughts and works of Sir James Jeans, Paul de Kruif, and Sir Arthur Eddington. The rabbi explained that the books of the Torah were written by the finger of G-D. Alpher remembers the heated
debates with each showing references and spouting quotations. With the time for his bar mitzvah closing in, the rabbi said that Alpher needed to honor his father by following through with the bar
mitzvah. The rabbi added that once Alpher did his duty with bar mitzvah, "I don't care what the hell you do." (D'Agnese, 63)
Alpher was a hearty defender and staunch enforcer of the Boy Scout code of honor as a young boy, which he carries into his life today. He began working at 12 years of age earning 50 cents an
hour, sometimes making more than his father. Alpher's roots come from the Jewish faith. His name is based on these roots and signifies "beginnings", just as "genesis" is the way of the world's
origins.
At the age of 16, Alpher received an invitation from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) informing him of the chance to attend MIT on a full scholarship. The small print stated that
Alpher could not work while attending full-time. Alpher's father had immigrated to the United States and was a home builder in Washington, D.C. Since this was the time of the Great Depression and
people were unable to purchase the homes his father built, Alpher would not have the money necessary to purchase a train ticket to travel to Boston. Without part-time work, Alpher would have been
unable to buy food and books. Alpher spent hours in a meeting with an alumnus hoping that they could reach some type of solution. Alpher says the conversation kept returning to the subject of
religion and finally Alpher told the alumnus that he was Jewish. MIT withdrew its scholarship agreement with no explanation.
Alpher's disappointment was great. The Jewish people suffered many hardships before World War II and were denied resident and entrance within many societies and countries. Regardless that Alpher
had earned his scholarship and earned the right to glow and be noticed for his Big Bang theory he was now denied a chance to pursue his interest. Scientists consider credit for their works as
everything, the ultimate gold medal. Alpher told Joseph D'Agnese in his interview for Discover Magazine, "There are two reasons you do science. One is the altruistic feeling that maybe you
can contribute to mankind's store of knowledge about the world. The other and more personal thing is you want the approbation of your peers. Pure and simple." (p62) This scenario has happened
many times to other scientists whose discoveries have been ignored and who have remained unknown.
For Alpher, duty is uppermost. When his mother died from stomach cancer in 1938 (he was 17) he and his brother went to the Hebrew Home for the Aged at morning and evening services for eleven
months. It is here that men are assured the minyan. Not having a like for alcohol Alpher would drink Four Roses whiskey with the morning meal of small eggs, biscuits and kuchen. Alpher was
attending night school and working as a full-time secretary to pay for his tuition. Upon leaving the Hebrew Home for the Aged, Alpher would go to work with alcohol on his breath.
He attended George Washington University at night and worked during the day. He planned to study chemistry, but others told him that, for Jews, there would be no employment available in the
field of chemistry. Hence, he turned to physics. Alpher concentrated on the protection of ships from magnetic mines when at the Naval Ordnance Laboratory. Thanks to George Gamow, Alpher's thesis
adviser, he began to work on his dissertation on the origin of the elements. Gamow advised Alpher to forget worrying over the exact time factor and to concentrate on everyday physics. The two
focused on the area of the cooling of the universe to the state of matter and radiation. Alpher's final draft gave the mechanics for the ylem, from Greek meaning the primordial elements
of life. It began as decayed radioactivity formed protons, electrons, and neutrinos into the building blocks of matter. When the universe began to cool, the left-over neutrons, protons, and
electrons formed the elements from their combining.
From further study, it was recognized that elements having an atomic number of 5 or higher was the stopping place for this process. However, it did show how the universe had been created. Alpher
explained this division of elements from the basis of science. As he was putting the finishing touches to the paper, he became ill from the mumps. As Adler sat in bed with his swollen jaws, his
wife, Louise, typed the pages as soon as Alpher handed them to her.
Alpher met his wife Louise when attending George Washington University in 1940. Both were at a bridge game. Louise was majoring in psychology at night school and working as a day secretary with
the State Department. A month after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Alpher and Louise were married, but Alpher's family did not attend. Louise has witnessed Alpher's struggle with six years of night
school to earn a bachelor's degree, two years earning his master's, and three years earning his doctorate.
Upon handng his dissertation over to Gamow, Alpher discovered Gamow wanted to put the name of Hans Bethe as the paper's author. After some debate, Alpher agreed, and the paper was mailed. The
Smithsonian wanted the bottle from which Gamow, Alpher, and Roger Herman drank Cointreau, the one used to celebrate the finishing of the paper. In April of 1948, the Physical Review,
published Alpher's paper. To receive his Ph.D., Alpher had to convince the staff faculty of his dissertation. There were 300 hundred people waiting to see the person claiming to know and
understand the beginnings of the universe. He received much criticism and prayers from people trying to save his soul. Alpher continued his work and wrote 18 more papers after the first.
In 1955 Alpher, with a growing family to feed, left Johns Hopkins and went to work for General Electric in Schenectady. His job was to work on energy conversions, gas dynamics, and color
television. He also wrote almost 100 papers for General Electric.
In 1965 Alpher was shocked to find that two radio astronomers, at Bell Labs in New Jersey, were to be credited with discovery of the leftover radiation from the primordial explosion. Alpher and
Herman were not mentioned. He attempted over and over to receive recognition and have this error corrected, but without success. One month after Penzias and Wilson won the Nobel Prize, Alpher
suffered a heart attack. He has decided to leave the past in the past. One happy event was in November 1989. NASA launched its COBE, Cosmic Background Explorer, with the papers by Alpher and
Herman. COBE found the cosmic background radiation at 2.7 degrees K. (See our sister site SpaceHike.com for articles on COBE.)
Alpher has difficulties remembering his mother's (Rose) voice, or words of encouragement from his father (Samuel). Years after his mother's death,
Alpher's father remarried. His step-mother threw away his guidebooks, his uniform and his Eagle Scout merit badges. Although Alpher had a wife and children of his own, he has not forgiven his
step-mother for this action.
Alpher is currently working on a cosmology book. He has also been a tutor for kids, local public TV station board member, and he continues his love and devotion of the Boy Scouts by being a
mentor.
Source:
D'Agnese, Joseph. Discover: "The Last Big Bang Man Left Standing." Discover Magazine: NY. July 1999 issue. 61-67.
Further Study:
Ralph Alpher's Home Page
Home page on campus of Union College, Department of Physics.
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