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Two other theoretical Physics researchers active in the early years of quantum mechanics were Louis de Broglie and Paul A. M. Dirac. (These two men also made additional contributions in other areas of Physics throughout their long lives.)
I have included a rather short Appendix at the end of this Post concerning these three great scientists, so I won't go into any additional details in the main body of this Post.
I wanted to make signature/avatar sets for de Broglie and Dirac that would be totally compatible (i.e., more or less in the same "style") with my Max Planck avatar, which was very simple to construct. The results are shown in the picture links in the "Images" section at the end of this Post.
The signatures consist of two Photoshop layers, the top "template layer" (which is identical for each signature) and the bottom layer (which changes in color for each and every signature).
The template layer, which is 277x73 pixels in size, is composed of:
a 1px black border inside the 277x73px;
a picture of Dirac on the left side, facing to the right;
a picture of de Broglie on the right side, facing to the left; and
quotations by both men in the middle of the picture (white "aliased" lettering was used, so that the words would be easily readable at the small size).
(It took quite a bit of research to find quotations from both men that were as "well balanced" as those shown in the image links.)
The bottom background layer, which is also 277x73 pixels in size, has a different color for each signature.a picture of Dirac on the left side, facing to the right;
a picture of de Broglie on the right side, facing to the left; and
quotations by both men in the middle of the picture (white "aliased" lettering was used, so that the words would be easily readable at the small size).
(It took quite a bit of research to find quotations from both men that were as "well balanced" as those shown in the image links.)
Some care had to be used in choosing the background colors. They couldn't be extremely dark, because then the dark outside parts of the de Broglie and Dirac images would not show up well. And they could not be extremely light, because then the white quotation lettering would not show up well. So, in effect, something of a "mid value" had to be used. Also, the background couldn't be too busy, as shown, for example in the image for the Higgs boson
http://images.inquis...e-not-found.jpg
because the lettering, which is rather busy in itself, would get totally lost against a background such as this.
http://images.inquis...e-not-found.jpg
because the lettering, which is rather busy in itself, would get totally lost against a background such as this.
The avatars, like the signatures, consist of two Photoshop layers, the top "template layer" (which is identical for each signature) and the bottom layer (which changes in color for each and every signature).
The template layer, which is 91x59 pixels in size is composed of:
a 1px black border inside the 91x59px; and
the text, THE MYSTERY OF MATTER AND ENERGY, on three lines, in all-capital white aliased letters (the same height as the capital letters in the signatures).
The bottom background layer, which is also 91x59 pixels in size, has a different color for each signature. the text, THE MYSTERY OF MATTER AND ENERGY, on three lines, in all-capital white aliased letters (the same height as the capital letters in the signatures).
The color for each avatar was determined by "sampling" the color of its corresponding signature. That way, the signature/avatar sets would be totally compatible. This compatibility can easily be seen when the image links are viewed.
So, there is no doubt that this "setup" is very simple, but I feel that *very effective* signature/avatar sets can be generated by varying the background color(s).
In effect, then, this Post examines the relationship between the characteristics of the background "color fields" (color distribution, lightness/darkness variations, color "flow", etc.) and the elements of the topmost template layer (the border, the picture images, and the white text quotations).
P.S.
I noticed that there is a relatively new MSFN member, whose member name is DiracDeBroglie. He is more than welcome to use -- (without any restrictions whatsoever) -- any of these avatars and/or signatures on MSFN or on any other of his forums.
Images:
Images 01 through 04 have solid-color backgrounds. These images are totally acceptable, but since they are not quite as "exciting" (IMO) as images 05 through 17 -- (which have color variations in the background) -- I'm putting them at the bottom of the list. Since my favorite signature/avatar pair is 08, I'm putting it first on the list. The background here was made using a simple blue-maroon linear fade.
08: blue-maroon fade background
signature, http://postimage.org/image/mcc849o0z/
avatar, http://postimage.org/image/i7wxcfprr/
These images are my favorite. I think the blue/maroon combination, dynamically speaking, works very well. The contrast of the hot (maroon) and cold (blue) is very effective. This look is somewhat unique on MSFN.
05: (light purple)-(darker purple) fade background
signature, http://postimage.org/image/br7ijm0on/
avatar, http://postimage.org/image/6ixmcy5g5/
06: brown and gold background
signature, http://postimage.org/image/6317spwch/
avatar, http://postimage.org/image/ol5kcye47/
07: dark to light blue-green fade background
signature, http://postimage.org/image/rc3275mwb/
avatar, http://postimage.org/image/k0i0bwfm3/
09: brown and black background
signature, http://postimage.org/image/audb7yvfp/
avatar, http://postimage.org/image/d2040qdb7/
10: teal, blue, and black background
signature, http://postimage.org/image/3x0xycoo3/
avatar, http://postimage.org/image/jviufyxor/
11: purple, magenta, and black background
signature, http://postimage.org/image/qzrgxiq5f/
avatar, http://postimage.org/image/9cotqnz7b/
12: purple background
signature, http://postimage.org/image/xxlxslslx/
avatar, http://postimage.org/image/67pcro3rp/
13: multicolored background
signature, http://postimage.org/image/yrcs9tjoj/
avatar, http://postimage.org/image/rt9l6mjgh/
I don't like these two images at all. To me, the mixture of colors is rather "repulsive".
14: brown background
signature, http://postimage.org/image/v9ybnqval/
avatar, http://postimage.org/image/ym9y2wa9t/
15: black and blue-gray background
signature, http://postimage.org/image/orvnz5cln/
avatar, http://postimage.org/image/lnbtavh0j/
I think these background colors are very compatible with the shades of gray in the images.
16: pink and blue background
signature, http://postimage.org/image/qxwecw16f/
avatar, http://postimage.org/image/53jn54f0h/
17: blue and teal background
signature, http://postimage.org/image/c708suia3/
avatar, http://postimage.org/image/us22j9os9/
As I mentioned above, the next four images have solid-color backgrounds.
01: solid blue background
signature, http://postimage.org/image/m64i11j3h/
avatar, http://postimage.org/image/bwx51d9yd/
The blue works well with the white letters and images to give a feeling of "crispness". But, as a negative comment, I feel the blue is too "intense". (It kind of hurts my eyes to look at it.)
02: solid reddish-brown background
signature, http://postimage.org/image/vggm4ktt9/
avatar, http://postimage.org/image/3ztjtaq6t/
I like this image very much, in the way everything works well together. This image illustrates the fact that *simplicity* can be very effective (IMO). The reddish brown color is somewhat unique on MSFN.
03: solid turquoise background
signature, http://postimage.org/image/f3j4yrfnl/
avatar, http://postimage.org/image/3np1939kn/
I feel that this turquoise needs to be a little darker to have the most effective images.
04: solid blue-gray background
signature, http://postimage.org/image/oo1uiw737/
avatar, http://postimage.org/image/w2r6b9syr/
I used this background color when I reworked the avatar of jds (Joe). The blue component in the background makes the Dirac/de Broglie images (which are done totally in shades of gray) "pop out" a little more. As in 02, I feel that this image illustrates the fact that *simplicity* can be very effective.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Anyone not shocked by quantum mechanics has not yet understood it."
Neils Bohr
and
"If your model contradicts quantum mechanics, abandon it!"
Richard Feynman
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Appendix
Quantum theory was developed as a new branch of theoretical physics during the first few decades of the 20th century in an attempt to understand the fundamental properties of matter.
In contrast to Einstein's relativity, which is about the largest things in the universe, quantum theory deals with the tiniest things, the particles that atoms are made of (i.e., "subatomic" particles).
Max Planck (1858-1947), a German physicist, is recognized as the founder (in 1900) of quantum theory. He received the Nobel Prize in Physics for this work in 1918.
My avatar is an "homage" to Max Planck. It shows Planck's image, the visible light portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, and Planck's well-known equation which formed the foundation of quantum mechanics. This equation expresses the energy of a light wave (i.e., electromagnetic wave), E, in terms of its wavelength, the Greek lambda. Here, h is the Planck constant and c is the speed of light (i.e., the speed of any electromagnetic wave) in a vacuum. Plank's equation is probably better known in the form E = hf, where f is the frequency of the electromagnetic wave. A substitution of f = c/lambda results in the equation shown in my avatar. I put the arrow in my avatar to show that E increases from left to right, from red to violet. (I also showed the colors in my signature in terms of increasing E.) I put the thin "fade to black" area on the left side of the avatar to show that outside the visible spectrum, everything is perceived to be black by the human eye. (There is also a thin, corresponding, "fade to black" area on the right side of the avatar -- to the right of violet -- but it is covered up by Planck's picture.) As we move to the left of red, in the direction of decreasing E, we have Infrared and Radio waves. As we move to the right of violet, in the direction of increasing E, we have Ultraviolet, X-rays, and Gamma rays.
Louis de Broglie (1892-1987) was a French physicist who discovered that electrons have a dual nature, similar to both particles and waves (i.e., particle/wave duality). He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1929.
In 1923, de Broglie generalized the Planck relation by postulating that the Planck constant represents the connection between the momentum and the quantum wavelength of not just the photon, but any particle. His work culminated in what was to be known as the de Broglie hypothesis, stated as:
With every particle of matter with mass m and velocity v, a real wave must be associated, related to the momentum by the equation:
lambda = h/p = (h/mv)(1- v2/c2)1/2
where lambda is the wavelength, h is the Planck constant, p is the momentum, m is the rest mass, v is the velocity, and c is the speed of light in a vacuum.
De Broglie's work created a new field in physics, wave mechanics, which united the physics of energy (waves) and matter (particles). For this work he won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1929.
With every particle of matter with mass m and velocity v, a real wave must be associated, related to the momentum by the equation:
lambda = h/p = (h/mv)(1- v2/c2)1/2
where lambda is the wavelength, h is the Planck constant, p is the momentum, m is the rest mass, v is the velocity, and c is the speed of light in a vacuum.
De Broglie's work created a new field in physics, wave mechanics, which united the physics of energy (waves) and matter (particles). For this work he won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1929.
Paul Dirac (1902-1984) was a British physicist, who is characterized as "the father of antimatter". He won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1933.
Dirac, in 1928, developed a wave-equation theory that combined quantum mechanics with Einstein's special relativity. Through complex mathematical calculations, Dirac managed to integrate these widely-different theories. Eventually, in 1930, he saw that his equations predicted the existence of a new form of matter -- antimatter (i.e., anti-particles) -- hitherto unsuspected and unobserved (thus, bringing something entirely new to science).
The positron -- (an anti-electron) -- has the same mass as the electron but opposite charge, and it was first detected experimentally in 1932. (This theoretical discovery of the positron allowed an explanation of matter/antimatter annihilation.) The anti-proton was first detected experimentally in 1955.
Dirac's research marked the first time something never before seen in nature was "predicted" -- that is, postulated to exist based entirely on theoretical rather than experimental evidence. (Dirac's discovery was guided solely by human imagination and mathematics.) For his achievement Dirac was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1933.
The positron -- (an anti-electron) -- has the same mass as the electron but opposite charge, and it was first detected experimentally in 1932. (This theoretical discovery of the positron allowed an explanation of matter/antimatter annihilation.) The anti-proton was first detected experimentally in 1955.
Dirac's research marked the first time something never before seen in nature was "predicted" -- that is, postulated to exist based entirely on theoretical rather than experimental evidence. (Dirac's discovery was guided solely by human imagination and mathematics.) For his achievement Dirac was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1933.
This post has been edited by larryb123456: 16 January 2012 - 09:57 PM
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