Author Archives: mathscinotes

Estimating the RMS Ring Voltage at a Telephone

Posted on 11-November-2014 by mathscinotes

Introduction I just saw a customer report of phone ringing issues with an old 2500 series phone (Figure 1). While these are good phones, they can be difficult for Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) deployments because they have 1 Ringer Equivalence Number (REN) … Continue reading →

Posted in Electronics, Telephones | Comments Off on Estimating the RMS Ring Voltage at a Telephone

New Telescopes Coming Online In the Next Ten Years

Posted on 10-November-2014 by mathscinotes

I am just amazed at the new technology in telescopes today. Take a look at this article – these are the kinds of instruments that will change our view of the universe. If you have trouble getting access at PhotonicsSpectra, … Continue reading →

Posted in Astronomy | Comments Off on New Telescopes Coming Online In the Next Ten Years

A Little Queueing Math

Posted on 8-November-2014 by mathscinotes

Introduction Queues arise naturally in many circumstances and networking products are no exception. We use queues for many tasks in our networking products and this post discusses our need to store packets while we wait to be granted access to … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiber Optics, Networking | Comments Off on A Little Queueing Math

Cow Productivity

Posted on 7-November-2014 by mathscinotes

Quote of the Day The good thing about science is that it is true whether or not you believe in it. — Neil deGrasse Tyson Many of my blog posts are motivated by lunch-time conversations with our engineering staff. During … Continue reading →

Posted in General Science | Comments Off on Cow Productivity

Wood Hardness Versus Moisture Content

Posted on 5-November-2014 by mathscinotes

Introduction I have long been told that wood hardens as it ages, but I have anecdotal evidence that this is not always true. I also know that some species are far harder than others (Figure 1). I read the following … Continue reading →

Posted in Construction | Comments Off on Wood Hardness Versus Moisture Content

Spy Camera Math

Posted on 3-November-2014 by mathscinotes

Introduction I just listened to a very interesting interview of Philip Pressel, a retired Perkin-Elmer mechanical engineer and satellite surveillance camera designer. The interview was conducted by Vince Houghton of the International Spy Museum. Philip discussed how the recently declassified … Continue reading →

Posted in History of Science and Technology, optics | 3 Comments

Good Examples of Underwater Pressure

Posted on 1-November-2014 by mathscinotes

I used to work on ships that were used to test undersea equipment. When we had visitors on the ship, we would put a Styrofoam cup on some of our test gear when lowered the equipment to our test depth. … Continue reading →

Posted in Underwater | 1 Comment

Home Insulation Math

Posted on 29-October-2014 by mathscinotes

Introduction One of the engineers in my group asked if I could help him understand the tradeoffs between the different kinds of house insulation and their relative economic value. We also spent quite a bit of time talking about where … Continue reading →

Posted in Construction | 2 Comments

Rule of Thumb for Wood Shrinkage

Posted on 24-October-2014 by mathscinotes

Introduction As winter comes, I often see homes where gaps develop in the wood flooring, molding, or ceilings (Figure 1) – things are drying out. While I have never actually spent any time investigating the mechanism of wood's movement or … Continue reading →

Posted in Construction | Comments Off on Rule of Thumb for Wood Shrinkage

Frogs Love Fiber Optics -- At Least in the Winter

Posted on 24-October-2014 by mathscinotes

I was doing some installation inspections when we disturbed the following creatures in two different fiber optic enclosures. Winter is coming and everyone wants to find a nice, warm place to wait it out. plains leopard frog tree frog

Posted in Fiber Optics, Humor | Comments Off on Frogs Love Fiber Optics -- At Least in the Winter