Ventura : College Students Hit On Perfect Formula

It’s etched on the side of the hill. But what in Sam Hill does it mean?

It says: M=HV/C2.

The physics equation dug into the hillside above Ventura College is used to determine the mass of a photon.

A photon is a particle that is a constituent of light, X-rays and other forms of electromagnetic radiation. All that an enterprising physics student need do to find the solution is take H (Planck’s constant), multiplied by V (frequency), divided by C2(the speed of light).

Each year, Ventura College physics students come up with a viable formula that includes the letters VC , which are permanently etched into the hillside and repainted each spring.

Eric Kirkegaard, 28, one of the students who worked on the project, said he and six other physics students came up with the equation after some searching.

“It’s relatively hard to find an equation that can use the letters V and C , Kirkegaard said.

The students began Tuesday afternoon, spending about three hours clearing brush. Wednesday night, working by the reflected light of the college below, the group began the equation at 9:30 p.m. and finished at 1 a.m.

Kirkegaard said the project seemed to be the thing to do, particularly with the incentive of getting a better grade in Colin Terry’s physics class.

“We’re all doing pretty well in the class, and Dr. Terry seemed like he was pushing for us to do something,” Kirkegaard said.

Kirkegaard, an engineering major who will enter UC Santa Barbara in the fall, tried unsuccessfully to explain the meaning of the formula to a non-physicist.

“I don’t expect anyone to understand the implications,” he said.