Full Prof of Astro & Maths, DCU. Star formation, plasmas, mathematical & computational modeling. Director @cfar_dcu. Board Member @irishresearch. Views my own.
Mar 10, 2022 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
Just been listening to people discussing home heating costs with the #FuelPrices . Hopefully we're heading into warmer weather for a while, but here's how your heating costs will behave. tl;dr the costs increase in proportion to the inside/outside temperature difference. /1
The rate at which your house loses heat is partly determined by the difference between the temperatures inside and outside: the higher the temperature difference the faster your house will lose heat, and so you'll use more energy to hold your house at a constant temperature. /2
Mar 8, 2022 • 6 tweets • 2 min read
For those worried about #FuelPrices for cars: if you drive significant distances then you can *easily* reduce your fuel costs by around 40%. tl;dr speed kills fuel efficiency and driving slower makes a *big* difference /1
Most cars get their best fuel efficiency between 50 km/hr and 80 km/hr. Above 80 km/hr the majority of your fuel is being used to push the air in front of your car out of the way. /2
Jan 4, 2021 • 11 tweets • 5 min read
A thread on #research policy - maybe not good New Year fare, but #COVID19 has demonstrated how important it is to have it right. Really interested in a conversation around this. International best practice is to create a broad base of international quality research activity: 1/11
A broad base ensures we are as well prepared and well educated as we can be for whatever comes along. Excellent #research happens in both the private and public sectors and both should be encouraged. Tax policy incentivises the former: the challenge lies with the latter 2/11
