How can modern electronics be the cause of bacterial contamination?
Surgical teams go to extraordinary lengths to avoid bacterial infection of a patient during surgery. Masks are donned, hands are meticulously cleaned and then gloved, and instruments are sanitized at high temperature and in alcohol baths. Recently a subtle source of bacteria was discovered in operating rooms, one that had been overlooked for years. It can be seen in this photograph.
The answer is in this chapter.
21-1 What Is Physics?
You are surrounded by devices that depend on the physics of electromagnetism, which is the combination of electric and magnetic phenomena. This physics is at the root of computers, television, radio, telecommunications, household lighting, and even the ability of food wrap to cling to a container. This physics is also the basis of the natural world. Not only does it hold together all the atoms and molecules in the world, it also produces lightning, auroras, and rainbows.
The physics of electromagnetism was first studied by the early Greek philosophers, who discovered that if a piece of amber is rubbed and then brought near bits of straw, the straw will jump to the amber. We now know that the attraction between amber and straw is due to an electric force. The Greek philosophers also ...
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