An Atomic Horse

Stork

30th Anniversary medal for the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute (MEPhI).

Stork

Aaargghhh...



My post keeps getting eaten. Not sure what is the problem, but the dreaded 113 error keeps popping up. Trying to give some background on this thing.



edited to add (and will leave this here in case it helps someone) it appears as if the software does not approve of using dashes as punctuation. Grumble. Okay, original comments posted in next post.

Stork

30th Anniversary medal for the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute (MEPhI).



The design (horse) caught my eye, and is quite fascinating in a Cold War sort of way. I bought it on eBay, the location was listed as St. Petersburg, but the return address was Estonia. AND paid in Canadian dollars for delivery to my US address. Very global!



Founded in 1942 as the Moscow Mechanical Institute of Munitions, the institute was soon renamed the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute. Google-fu shows it’s original mission was to train personnel for (Soviet) military and atomic programs.



In 2009 it was re-designated as the National Research Nuclear University/MEPhI and created as a university for advanced degrees and education.



Currently the main departments include Experimental and Theoretical Physics (hello Big Bang Theory, poor Sheldon would be horrified these two are lumped), Physics and Technology, Cybernetics and Information Security, Automatics and Electronics, and High Technology Management and Economics.



Interestingly, it’s status was somewhat masked during the Cold War as the professors were officially on staff at other institutes and the student's work credited elsewhere for publications. At least that's what my cursory research so far seems to indicate.

harasha

Your work will not be finished until you interpret the theorems located on the bottom of ther obverse.

lordmarcovan

Wow, that's a neat one, in a stark, modernist way. Feels very stern and Communistic. But I like it.



I can't offer advice (only sympathy and empathy) for your woes with the wretched forum software.



However, I do have one piece of general advice that might come in handy.



If you ever happen to see a horse with nuclear atoms swirling around his eyes, do NOT punch him in the chin.



That would be bad.



Very bad.



And could have very dangerous repercussions for you and everyone else within a 50- to 100-mile radius.

lordmarcovan

PS- what are the dimensions?

lordmarcovan

PPS- I do not recommend punching ANY horses in the chin.



But ESPECIALLY not atomic Russian ones.

lordmarcovan

PPPS- while I'm at it, I do not recommend punching any living creature at all in the chin.



Except maybe the software designers for this latest CU forum incarnation.

Stork

Originally posted by: harasha

Your work will not be finished until you interpret the theorems located on the bottom of ther obverse.

Then I will be living a long time



And, LordM, I agree, no punching horses or other critters or most people.



I thought it looked like the hand on the halter of the horse/atomic energy.



It's about 103x103x7 mm. It's a bit irregular. Not sure of the metal, it's too light for bronze.

dadams

As to the equations, no way to write here without 113 code.



what I found so far for the second, third, and fourth at left:





c(equals sign)2.9979 x1010 cm(forward slash)sec (light velocity)



2H (plus sign) 3H (forward arrow sign) 4He (plus sign) n (plus sign) energy (Nuclear Fusion - think BOMB)



E(equals sign)hv Planck's Constant



Edited to add:



at right:

lambda(equals sign)h(divided by)mv (De Broglie Wavelength equation)



Delta p Delta q (I think relates to Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle)

element159

The top left is Schrodinger's equation for the probability distribution of e.g. an electron.



Cool piece!

Swampboy

Not sure of the metal, it's too light for bronze.

Now that you've weighed and measured the piece it's time to try out your Android/iPhone Geiger counter app Cathy.









A very interesting piece that is.

I like it!

lordmarcovan

Originally posted by: Stork



And, LordM, I agree, no punching horses or other critters or most people.



I thought it looked like the hand on the halter of the horse/atomic energy.

Yes, I saw the halter there. But the hand was so fistlike... so... Communist.



(Or... not. Actually, I could see the Israelis or Belgians creating a design like this, too.)



The horse looks a tad surprised, too, which tended to reinforce the initial impression that he was being punched.

lordmarcovan

Originally posted by: dadams

As to the equations, no way to write here without 113 code.



what I found so far for the second, third, and fourth at left:





c(equals sign)2.9979 x1010 cm(forward slash)sec (light velocity)



2H (plus sign) 3H (forward arrow sign) 4He (plus sign) n (plus sign) energy (Nuclear Fusion - think BOMB)



E(equals sign)hv Planck's Constant



Edited to add:



at right:

lambda(equals sign)h(divided by)mv (De Broglie Wavelength equation)



Delta p Delta q (I think relates to Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle)

After reading that, I think the tiny walnut in my skull (aka "LordM's brain") just melted and dissolved into a goo resembling boysenberry jam.



No- not true.



I didn't read all that.



My brain dissolved even before the first sentence (if you can call that a "sentence".)



(Kindly note: yours truly failed freshman Chemistry in high school and once made a 12 on his Algebra final exam. That's right. A twelve. Out of a hundred. Got an "A" in Geometry, though. Go figure. I could visualize that. But math that includes letters and Greek letters? Fuhgeddaboutit.)

asheland

Now that's an interesting piece!

brg5658

That's not a medal, that's a weapon. Put that thing in a sock, and you have a bedside theft deterrent.



In all seriousness, that's cool! I like the minimalist design!

Weiss

Powerful imagery. Conveys without language that they've taken (but perhaps not tamed), the wild horse of atomic power by the reins.

dadams

Originally posted by: lordmarcovan

PPS- I do not recommend punching ANY horses in the chin.



But ESPECIALLY not atomic Russian ones.

Nuclear Physics and Atomic Bombs were the unbridled wild horses of the day back in 1942 . . . in 1972 that wild hose had been pretty well tamed.



“Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.” James 3:3



-d

dadams

Originally posted by: Weiss

Powerful imagery. Conveys without language that they've taken (but perhaps not tamed), the wild horse of atomic power by the reins.

almost a JINX !!

OldEastside

Cool behind the iron curtain stuff

Steve

pruebas

I just happened to see this thread. What a cool medal!

Zohar

smart folks on this forum.