Look up wheel in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Three wheels on an antique tricycle

A wheel is a circular component that is intended to rotate on an axle. The wheel is one of the main components of the wheel and axle which is one of the six simple machines. Wheels, in conjunction with axles, allow heavy objects to be moved easily facilitating movement or transportation while supporting a load, or performing labor in machines. Wheels are also used for other purposes, such as a ship's wheel, steering wheel and flywheel.

Common examples are found in transport applications. A wheel greatly reduces friction by facilitating motion by rolling together with the use of axles. In order for wheels to rotate, a moment needs to be applied to the wheel about its axis, either by way of gravity, or by the application of another external force or torque.

Etymology[link]

The English word wheel comes from the Old English word hweol, hweogol, from Proto-Germanic *hwehwlan, *hwegwlan, from Proto-Indo-European *k^wek^wlo-,^[1] an extended form of the root *k^wel- "to revolve, move around". Cognates within Indo-European include Greek κύκλος kýklos, "wheel", Sanskrit chakra, Old Church Slavonic kolo, all meaning "circle" or "wheel",^[2]

The Latin word rota is from the Proto-Indo-European *rotā-, the extended o-grade form of the root *ret- meaning "to roll, revolve".^[3]

History[link]

A depiction of an onager-drawn cart on the Sumerian "battle standard of Ur" (circa 2500 BC)

A figurine featuring the New World's independently invented wheel

Evidence of wheeled vehicles appears from the mid-4th millennium BC, near-simultaneously in Mesopotamia, the Northern Caucasus (Maykop culture) and Central Europe, so that the question of which culture originally invented the wheeled vehicle remains unresolved and under debate.

The earliest well-dated depiction of a wheeled vehicle (here a wagon—four wheels, two axles), is on the Bronocice pot, a ca. 3500–3350 BC clay pot excavated in a Funnelbeaker culture settlement in southern Poland.^[4]

The wheeled vehicle spread from the area of its first occurrence (Mesopotamia, Caucasus, Balkans, Central Europe) across Eurasia, reaching the Indus Valley by the 3rd millennium BC. During the 2nd millennium BC, the spoke-wheeled chariot spread at an increased pace, reaching both China and Scandinavia by 1200 BC. In China, the wheel was certainly present with the adoption of the chariot in ca. 1200 BC,^[5] although Barbieri-Low^[6] argues for earlier Chinese wheeled vehicles, circa 2000 BC.

Although they did not develop the wheel proper, the Olmec and certain other western hemisphere cultures seem to have approached it, as wheel-like worked stones have been found on objects identified as children's toys dating to about 1500 BC.^[7] It is thought that the primary obstacle to large-scale development of the wheel in the Western hemisphere was the absence of domesticated large animals which could be used to pull wheeled carriages. The closest relative of cattle present in Americas in pre-Columbian times, the American Bison, is difficult to domesticate and was never domesticated by Native Americans; several horse species existed until about 12,000 years ago, but ultimately went extinct.^[8] The only large animal that was domesticated in the Western hemisphere, the llama, did not spread far beyond the Andes by the time of the arrival of Columbus.

Early antiquity Nubians used wheels for spinning pottery and as water wheels.^[9][10] It is thought that Nubian waterwheels may have been ox-driven^[11] It is also known that Nubians used horse-driven chariots imported from Egypt.^[12]

The invention of the wheel thus falls in the late Neolithic, and may be seen in conjunction with other technological advances that gave rise to the early Bronze Age. Note that this implies the passage of several wheel-less millennia even after the invention of agriculture and of pottery:

• 9500–6500 BC: Aceramic Neolithic
• 6500–4500 BC: Ceramic Neolithic (Halafian)
• ca. 4500 BC: invention of the potter's wheel, beginning of the Chalcolithic (Ubaid period)
• 4500–3300 BC: Chalcolithic, earliest wheeled vehicles, domestication of the horse
• 3300–2200 BC: Early Bronze Age
• 2200–1550 BC: Middle Bronze Age, invention of the spoked wheel and the chariot

Wide usage of the wheel was probably delayed because smooth roads were needed for wheels to be effective. Carrying goods on the back would have been the preferred method of transportation over surfaces that contained many obstacles. The lack of developed roads prevented wide adoption of the wheel for transportation until well into the 20th century in less developed areas.

Early wheels were simple wooden disks with a hole for the axle. Because of the structure of wood, a horizontal slice of a tree trunk is not suitable, as it does not have the structural strength to support weight without collapsing; rounded pieces of longitudinal boards are required. The oldest known example of a wooden wheel and its axle were found in 2003 in the Ljubljana Marshes some 20 km south of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. According to the radiocarbon dating, it is between 5,100 and 5,350 years old.^[13] It has a diameter of 72 centimetres (28 in) and has been made of ash wood, whereas its axle has been made of oak.^[14]

The spoked wheel was invented more recently, and allowed the construction of lighter and swifter vehicles. In the Harappan civilization of the Indus Valley and Northwestern India, we find toy-cart wheels made of clay with spokes painted or in relief,^[15] and the symbol of the spoked wheel in the script of the seals,^[16] already in the second half of the 3rd millennium BC. The earliest known examples of wooden spoked wheels are in the context of the Andronovo culture, dating to ca 2000 BC. Soon after this, horse cultures of the Caucasus region used horse-drawn spoked-wheel war chariots for the greater part of three centuries. They moved deep into the Greek peninsula where they joined with the existing Mediterranean peoples to give rise, eventually, to classical Greece after the breaking of Minoan dominance and consolidations led by pre-classical Sparta and Athens. Celtic chariots introduced an iron rim around the wheel in the 1st millennium BC. The spoked wheel was in continued use without major modification until the 1870s, when wire wheels and pneumatic tires were invented.^[17]

The invention of the wheel has also been important for technology in general, important applications including the water wheel, the cogwheel (see also antikythera mechanism), the spinning wheel, and the astrolabe or torquetum. More modern descendants of the wheel include the propeller, the jet engine, the flywheel (gyroscope) and the turbine.

Timeline[link]

• 

  Bronze Age disk wheel as depicted on the Standard of Ur (ca. 2500 BC)

• 

  Classical Greek four-spoked chariot-wheel (as a Linear B glyph), in use from the 15th century BC. Hittite and Egyptian chariots tended to have six spokes, Iron Age Assyrian ones eight.

• 

  Bronze Age "wheel pendants" of the Urnfield culture (ca. 1200 BC), found in Zürich (Swiss National Museum)

• 

  An Early Iron Age spoked wheel from Choqa Zanbil (ca. 1000 BC, National Museum of Iran)

• 

  Wheel of the Etruscan chariot (ca. 530 BC)

• 

  The classic spoked wheel with hub and iron rim, in use from about 500 BC (Iron Age Europe) until the 20th century AD

• 

  Penny-farthing bicycle (1882)

• 

  Modern motorcycle alloy wheel with inflatable tire and disc brake

• 

  Michelin's "Tweel" airless tyre (2005)

Mechanics and function[link]

The wheel is a device that enables efficient movement of an object across a surface where there is a force pressing the object to the surface. Common examples are a cart pulled by a horse, and the rollers on an aircraft flap mechanism.

Wheels are used in conjunction with axles, either the wheel turns on the axle, or the axle turns in the object body. The mechanics are the same in either case.

The low resistance to motion (compared to dragging) is explained as follows (refer to friction):

• the normal force at the sliding interface is the same.
• the sliding distance is reduced for a given distance of travel.
• the coefficient of friction at the interface is usually lower.

Bearings are used to help reduce friction at the interface. In the simplest and oldest case the bearing is just a round hole through which the axle passes (a "plain bearing").

Example:

• If a 100 kg object is dragged for 10 m along a surface with the coefficient of friction μ = 0.5, the normal force is 981 N and the work done (required energy) is (work=force x distance) 981 × 0.5 × 10 = 4905 joules.
• Now give the object 4 wheels. The normal force between the 4 wheels and axles is the same (in total) 981 N. Assume, for wood, μ = 0.25, and say the wheel diameter is 1000 mm and axle diameter is 50 mm. So while the object still moves 10 m the sliding frictional surfaces only slide over each other a distance of 0.5 m. The work done is 981 × 0.25 × 0.5 = 123 joules; the friction is reduced to 1/40 of that of dragging.

Additional energy is lost from the wheel-to-road interface. This is termed rolling resistance which is predominantly a deformation loss.

A wheel can also offer advantages in traversing irregular surfaces if the wheel radius is sufficiently large compared to the irregularities.

The wheel alone is not a machine, but when attached to an axle in conjunction with bearing, it forms the wheel and axle, one of the simple machines. A driven wheel is an example of a wheel and axle. Note that wheels pre-date driven wheels by about 6000 years.

Stability[link]

For unarticulated wheels, climbing obstacles will cause the body of the vehicle to rotate. If the rotation angle is too high, the vehicle will become statically unstable and tip over. At high speeds, a vehicle can become dynamically unstable, able to be tipped over by an obstacle smaller than its static stability limit. Without articulation, this can be an impossible position from which to recover.

For front-to-back stability, the maximum height of an obstacle which an unarticulated wheeled vehicle can climb is a function of the wheelbase and the horizontal and vertical position of the center of mass (CM).

The critical angle is the angle at which the center of mass of the vehicle begins to pass outside of the contact points of the wheels. Past the critical angle, the reaction forces at the wheels can no longer counteract the moment created by the vehicle's weight, and the vehicle will tip over. At the critical angle, the vehicle is marginally stable. The critical angle Failed to parse (Missing texvc executable; please see math/README to configure.): \theta_{crit}

can be found by solving the equation:

Failed to parse (Missing texvc executable; please see math/README to configure.): \theta_{crit} = \tan^{-1} \left ( \frac {x_{cm}} {y_{cm}} \right )

where

Failed to parse (Missing texvc executable; please see math/README to configure.): x_{cm}

is the horizontal distance (on level terrain) of the center of mass from the lower axle; and

Failed to parse (Missing texvc executable; please see math/README to configure.): y_{cm}

is the vertical distance (on level terrain) of the center of mass from lower axle.

The maximum height Failed to parse (Missing texvc executable; please see math/README to configure.): h

of an obstacle can thus be found by the equation:

Failed to parse (Missing texvc executable; please see math/README to configure.): \ h = w \sin \theta_{crit} = w \tan^{-1} \left ( \frac {x_{cm}} {y_{cm}} \right )

where Failed to parse (Missing texvc executable; please see math/README to configure.): w

is the wheelbase.

In the Unicode computer standard, the Dharmacakra is called the "Wheel of Dharma" and found in the eight-spoked form. It is represented as U+2638 (☸)

Construction[link]

Rim[link]

An aluminum alloy wheel

The rim is the "outer edge of a wheel, holding the tire."^[18] It makes up the outer circular design of the wheel on which the inside edge of the tire is mounted on vehicles such as automobiles.^[19] For example, on a bicycle wheel the rim is a large hoop attached to the outer ends of the spokes of the wheel that holds the tire and tube.

In the 1st millennium BC an iron rim was introduced around the wooden wheels of chariots.

Hub[link]

The hub is the center of the wheel, and typically houses a bearing, and is where the spokes meet.

A hubless wheel (also known as a rim-rider or centerless wheel) is a type of wheel with no center hub. More specifically, the hub is actually almost as big as the wheel itself. The axle is hollow, following the wheel at very close tolerances.

Spokes[link]

Rod[link]

A spoke is one of some number of rods radiating from the center of a wheel (the hub where the axle connects), connecting the hub with the round traction surface.

A spoked wheel on display at The National Museum of Iran, in Tehran. The wheel is dated to the late 2nd millennium BC and was excavated at Choqa Zanbil.

The remains of a pair of cartwheels with metal axle assembly.

An Ox-wagon in Aliwal North, South Africa. Note the three missing spokes and the metal tyre.

Metal spoke wheel from a bicycle.

The term originally referred to portions of a log which had been split lengthwise into four or six sections. The radial members of a wagon wheel were made by carving a spoke (from a log) into their finished shape. A spokeshave is a tool originally developed for this purpose. Eventually, the term spoke was more commonly applied to the finished product of the wheelwright's work, than to the materials he used.

Wire[link]

The rims of wire wheels (or "wire spoked wheels") are connected to their hubs by wire spokes. Although these wires are generally stiffer than a typical wire rope, they function mechanically the same as tensioned flexible wires, keeping the rim true while supporting applied loads.

Wire wheels are used on most bicycles and still used on many motorcycles. They were invented by aeronautical engineer George Cayley and first used in bicycles by James Starley. A process of assembling wire wheels is described as wheelbuilding.

A 1957 MGA Automobile with wire wheels

Tire[link]

Stacked and standing car tires

A tire (in American English and Canadian English) or tyre (in some Commonwealth Nations such as UK, and Australia) is a ring-shaped covering that fits around a wheel rim to protect it and enable better vehicle performance by providing a flexible cushion that absorbs shock while keeping the wheel in close contact with the ground. The word itself may be derived from the word "tie," which refers to the outer steel ring part of a wooden cart wheel that ties the wood segments together (see Etymology below).

The fundamental materials of modern tires are synthetic rubber, natural rubber, fabric and wire, along with other compound chemicals. They consist of a tread and a body. The tread provides traction while the body ensures support. Before rubber was invented, the first versions of tires were simply bands of metal that fitted around wooden wheels to prevent wear and tear. Today, the vast majority of tires are pneumatic inflatable structures, comprising a doughnut-shaped body of cords and wires encased in rubber and generally filled with compressed air to form an inflatable cushion. Pneumatic tires are used on many types of vehicles, such as cars, bicycles, motorcycles, trucks, earthmovers, and aircraft.

Alternatives[link]

While wheels are very widely used for ground transport, there are alternatives, some of which are suitable for terrain where wheels are ineffective. Alternative methods for ground transport without wheels (wheel-less transport) include:

• Being raised by electromagnetic energy (maglev train and other vehicles)
• Dragging with runners (sled) or without (travois)
• Being raised by air pressure (hovercraft)
• Riding an animal such as a horse
• Human powered:
  • Walking on one's own legs
  • Being carried (litter/sedan chair or stretcher)
• A walking machine
• Caterpillar tracks (although it is still operated by wheels)
• Pedrail wheels, using aspects of both wheel and caterpillar track
• Spheres, as used by Dyson vacuum cleaners and hamster balls

In semiotics[link]

The flag of India

The Romani flag

The flag of Mahl Kshatriyas

The wheel has also become a strong cultural and spiritual metaphor for a cycle or regular repetition (see chakra, reincarnation, Yin and Yang among others). As such and because of the difficult terrain, wheeled vehicles were forbidden in old Tibet.

The winged wheel is a symbol of progress, seen in many contexts including the coat of arms of Panama and the logo of the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

The introduction of spoked (chariot) wheels in the Middle Bronze Age appear to have carried somewhat of a prestige. The sun cross appears to have a significance in Bronze Age religion, replacing the earlier concept of a Solar barge with the more "modern" and technologically advanced solar chariot.

The wheel is also the prominent figure on the flag of India. The wheel in this case represents law (dharma). It also appears in the flag of the Romani people, hinting to their nomadic history and their Indian origins.

Gallery[link]

See also[link]

References[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Wheels

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Automobile wheels

External links[link]

• The Oldest Wooden Wheel. Virtual exhibition. City Museum of Ljubljana. Accessed 31 January 2012.

Darius Rucker
Darius Rucker in 2004 at Yokota Air Base, Japan
Background information
Born	(1966-05-13) May 13, 1966 (age 46)
Origin	Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.
Genres	Rock, R&B, country
Occupations	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, rhythm guitar
Years active	1986–present
Labels	Atlantic, Hidden Beach, Capitol Nashville
Associated acts	Hootie & the Blowfish, Frank Rogers, Lionel Richie

Darius "Hootie" Rucker (born May 13, 1966) is an American musician. He first gained fame as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Hootie & the Blowfish, which he founded in 1986 at the University of South Carolina along with Mark Bryan, Jim "Soni" Sonefeld and Dean Felber. The band has released five studio albums with him as a member, and charted six top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. Rucker co-wrote the majority of the band's songs with the other three members.

He released a solo R&B album, Back to Then, in 2002 on Hidden Beach Recordings but did not chart any singles from it. Six years later, Rucker signed to Capitol Records Nashville as a country music artist, releasing the album Learn to Live that year. Its first single, "Don't Think I Don't Think About It", made him the first African American to chart a number one on the Hot Country Songs charts since Charley Pride in 1983. It was followed by two more number-one singles, "It Won't Be Like This for Long" and "Alright" and the number three "History in the Making". In 2009, he became the first African American to win the New Artist Award from the Country Music Association, and only the second African American to win any award from the association. A second Capitol album, Charleston, SC 1966, was released on October 12, 2010. The album includes the number-one singles "Come Back Song" and "This".

Early life[link]

Darius Rucker was born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina, where his family history goes back generations.^[1] His single mother, Carolyn, who was a nurse, raised him with his five siblings: three sisters and two brothers.^[2] According to Rucker, his father was "never around," and Rucker only saw him before church on Sundays.^[3] His father was in a gospel band called The Rolling Stones.^[3] Rucker has said that he had a "typical Southern, African-American upbringing."^[1] His family attended church every Sunday and was economically poor, and at one point, his mother, her two sisters, his grandmother and 14 children were all living in a three-bedroom home.^[1] Even so, he says that he looks back on his childhood "with very fond memories."^[1] His sister, L'Corine, recalled that singing "was always his dream.^[1]

Hootie & the Blowfish[link]

Rucker has been the lead singer of Hootie & the Blowfish since its formation in 1986. He met fellow band members, Mark Bryan, Jim "Soni" Sonefeld, and Dean Felber, while attending the University of South Carolina. Bryan heard Rucker singing in the shower, and the two became a duo, playing R.E.M. covers at a local venue.^[4] They later recruited Felber and finally Sonefeld joined in 1989.^[4] As a member of Hootie & the Blowfish, Rucker has recorded five studio albums: Cracked Rear View, Fairweather Johnson, Musical Chairs, Hootie & the Blowfish and Looking for Lucky, also charting within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 six times.^[5] All six albums feature songs that Rucker, Bryan and Felber wrote. As the frontman, Rucker began to be called simply "Hootie" in the media, though the band title combines the nicknames of his college friends.^[2][6]

Rucker's signature contribution to the band is his baritone voice which Rolling Stone has called "ingratiating,"^[7] TIME has called "low, gruff, [and] charismatic,"^[3] and Entertainment Weekly has characterized as a "barrelhouse growl."^[8] He has brought additional attention as the sole African-American member of a major rock band with otherwise white members. Rucker said they "flipped" the formula of the all black band with a white frontman, like Frank Sinatra performing with Count Basie.^[6] Musically, he has sometimes been criticized or spoofed for not being "black enough".^[4] Saturday Night Live ran a sketch of Tim Meadows playing Rucker leading beer-drinking, white fraternity members in a counter-march to Louis Farrakhan's Million Man March.^[3][9] He also received death threats for singing the Hootie song "Drowning," a protest song against the flying of the Confederate flag above the South Carolina statehouse.^[3] The other band members were protective of Rucker in regards to the issue, and had a policy of generally ignoring racist comments.^[4]

Shortly after gaining a measure of fame, Felber and Rucker (who consider themselves best friends) moved into an apartment in Columbia, South Carolina.^[4] With Rucker's recognition as the frontman of a successful band came increased opportunities. In October 1995, Rucker was asked to sing the national anthem at the World Series.^[9] Frank Sinatra invited Rucker to sing at his 80th birthday party; Rucker sang "The Lady Is a Tramp."^[10] That same week, he made a voice cameo in an episode of the sitcom Friends.^[9] He also joined Nanci Griffith on the song "Gulf Coast Highway" from her 1997 album Blue Roses from the Moons,^[11] and sang backing vocals on Radney Foster's 1999 album See What You Want to See.^[12] Rucker encouraged Atlantic Records to agree to a deal with Edwin McCain, and made a guest appearance on McCain's debut album, Honor Among Thieves.^[13]

In regards to the future of Hootie & the Blowfish, Rucker was quoted by CBSnews as stating in late 2011 that "I don't think we'll ever break up totally. We're Hootie & the Blowfish ... We'll make another record and do another tour someday. I don't know when, but it will happen. There's one more in us."^[14]

Solo career[link]

In 2001, he made his solo R&B debut album, The Return of Mongo Slade, for Atlantic Records. Because of contractual changes, it was never released by the label.^[15] Hidden Beach Recordings, an independent label, acquired the masters from Atlantic and released the album as Back to Then in July 2002.^[15] The album included work from the production team of Jill Scott and she made an appearance on the track "Hold On."^[16]

Rucker appeared on a pop-star edition of the quiz show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in July 2001.^[17] He also portrayed a singing cowboy in a television commercial for the fast food chain Burger King, promoting their TenderCrisp Bacon Cheddar Ranch sandwich in 2005. In the commercial, he sang a jingle set to the tune of "Big Rock Candy Mountain."^[18]

Country music[link]

[edit] 2008-2009: Learn to Live (Debut Album)

In early 2008, Rucker signed to Capitol Records Nashville as the beginning of a career in country music. His first solo single, "Don't Think I Don't Think About It" (which he co-wrote with Clay Mills) debuted at number 51 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts for the week of May 3, 2008. It is the first single from his second album, Learn to Live. For this album, Rucker worked with Frank Rogers, a record producer who has also produced for Brad Paisley and Trace Adkins.^[19] Rucker also made his Grand Ole Opry debut in July 2008.^[20] "Don't Think I Don't Think About It" became the first top 20 hit for an African American on the country music charts since Charley Pride's last Top 20 hit, which came in 1988.^[21] The single reached number one in September,^[22] making Rucker the first solo, African-American artist to chart a number one country hit since Pride's "Night Games" in 1983.^[23]

Rucker sings to a crowd during an Operation Pacific Greetings tour concert.

Learn to Live was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on February 6, 2009, and received a platinum certification on August 7, 2009.^[24] The album's second single, "It Won't Be Like This for Long", spent three weeks at the top of the country charts in mid-2009. Its follow-up, "Alright", became Rucker's third straight number one hit, making him the first country music singer to have his first three singles reach number one since Wynonna achieved that feat in 1992.^[25] The album's fourth single, "History in the Making" was released in September and peaked at number three on the country charts.^[26] The singles from the album also crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100, respectively peaking at numbers 35, 36, 30 and 61.^[27]

Rucker's entry into the country world was met with some intrigue, largely because of his history as a rock musician and because he is African-American. Billboard magazine said that "there's a sense of purpose that makes Rucker feel like a member of the country family, rather than calculating interloper."^[29] Rucker made visits to various country stations around the US, explaining that he was aware that he was the "new kid on the block."^[30] Mike Culotta, the program director of the Tampa, Florida radio station WQYK-FM expected that Rucker would be "somebody who would have entitlement," but instead said that "Darius engaged everybody."^[31] When Rucker found that "Don't Think I Don't Think About It" went to number one, he cried.^[32] On November 11, 2009, Rucker won the Country Music Association New Artist of the Year award (formerly known as the Horizon Award), making him the first African American to do so since the award was introduced in 1981.^[33] Only one other African American has won at the CMAs: Charley Pride, who won entertainer of the year in 1971 and male vocalist in 1971 and 1972.^[34]

[edit] 2010-2011: Charleston, SC 1966

Rucker released his second country album, titled Charleston, SC 1966, on October 12, 2010. The title is inspired by Radney Foster's solo debut album, Del Rio, TX 1959.^[35] Its first single was "Come Back Song,"^[36] which Rucker wrote with Chris Stapleton and Casey Beathard.^[37] It was his fourth number one on the country charts as well as a number 37 hit on the Hot 100.^[26][27] The album's second single is "This", which was released to radio in November 2010 and also reached number one in the country charts.^[38] Rucker wrote this song with Rogers and Kara DioGuardi. "I Got Nothin'" is the album's third single.

2012-Present: Third Album[link]

On December 14, 2011, CBSnews.com reported that Rucker is currently working on a third country album with recording set to begin January 2012 followed by the release of the album early in the year. The article also states he will be touring with the country music trio Lady Antebellum in 2012.^[14]

Personal life[link]

Rucker is a Miami Dolphins fan, and has a tattoo of their logo.^[39] He also likes the film Stir Crazy, which he has seen more than 100 times.^[4]

Rucker's mother died in November 1992 of a sudden heart attack.^[2][4] His grief inspired two Hootie & the Blowfish songs: "I'm Goin' Home" and "Not Even the Trees."^[3][4] On April 21, 1995, Rucker became a father to a daughter, Carolyn Pearl Phillips. The girl's mother is Rucker's former girlfriend and the subject of "Let Her Cry", in which he flipped gender roles from those of reality.^[1] Daniella Rose—his second daughter and his first with his wife Beth—was born on May 16, 2001, in Charleston, South Carolina. Rucker and his wife Beth have a son, Jack who was born in 2005.^[40] The Hootie song "Where Were You" is about Rucker's strained relationship with his father, and was only released in Europe, where Rucker thought that his father would be unlikely to hear it.^[3] His country single "Alright" was inspired by his marriage to his wife, Beth.^[41]

Rucker is close friends with golfer Tiger Woods, whom he met in a bar when Woods was 18. Rucker sang at the golfer's wedding with Hootie & the Blowfish, and at his father's funeral.^[42]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• Back to Then (2002)
• Learn to Live (2008)
• Charleston, SC 1966 (2010)

[edit] Billboard number-one singles

• "Don't Think I Don't Think About It" (2008)
• "It Won't Be Like This for Long" (2009)
• "Alright" (2009)
• "Come Back Song" (2010)
• "This" (2011)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Darius Rucker

• Official website
• Darius Rucker on Myspace
• Darius Rucker at Allmusic
• Darius Rucker at the Internet Movie Database

Walter H.G. Lewin
A 2003 photo of Lewin
Born	(1936-01-29) January 29, 1936 (age 76) Netherlands
Residence	Netherlands, United States
Nationality	Dutch
Fields	Astrophysics
Institutions	MIT
Alma mater	Delft University of Technology
Notable awards	NASA Award for Exceptional Scientific Achievement (1978) Alexander von Humboldt Award (1984 and 1991) Guggenheim Fellowship (1984) MIT Science Council Prize for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching (1984), W. Buechner Teaching Prize (1988) Everett Moore Baker Memorial Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching (2003)

Walter H. G. Lewin (born January 29, 1936), PhD, is a Dutch American astrophysicist and professor emeritus of physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Education and career[link]

He earned his Ph.D. degree in nuclear physics in 1965 at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.

Walter Lewin went to MIT in January 1966 as a post-doctoral associate, and became an assistant professor later that year.^[1] He joined an X-ray astronomy group at MIT and conducted all-sky balloon surveys with George W. Clark. Through the late seventies, there were about twenty successful balloon flights. These balloon surveys led to the discovery of five new X-ray sources, which doubled the number known at the time. Furthermore, some of these X-ray sources were found to be varying, and some were X-ray flares. The rockets used by other researchers could not have discovered that the X-ray sources varied because they were only in the air for a few minutes, whereas the balloons could be in the air for many hours. The surveys also resulted in the discovery of GX 1+4, which was the first slowly rotating X-ray pulsar found.

Walter Lewin received the "2003 Everett Moore Baker Memorial Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching" award. Some of his lectures are available online in video format.

Lewin is also an art enthusiast and collector. He has given one lecture in art history for MIT World.^[2]

Lectures[link]

Many of the Walter Lewin Lectures on Physics at MIT have been shown for over six years on UWTV in Seattle, reaching an audience of about four million people. Lewin personally responded to hundreds of e-mail requests that he received per year from UWTV viewers. For fifteen years he was on MIT Cable TV, with programs aired 24 hours per day helping freshmen with their weekly homework assignments. Videos of Lewin's lectures on Newtonian Mechanics, Electricity and Magnetism, and Vibrations and Waves, among others, can be viewed from the MIT OpenCourseWare web site, and easily viewed as video podcasts on The Internet Archive.

A video of Lewin drawing dashed lines on chalkboards during lectures has become a viral video.^[3]

Selected publications[link]

• Lewin, Walter H.G.; Jan van Paradijs, Ronald E. Taam (204-10-27). "X-ray Bursts". Space Science Reviews 62 (3-4): 223–389. Bibcode 1993SSRv...62..223L. DOI:10.1007/BF00196124. 

• D. Pooley, W.H.G. Lewin, S.F. Anderson, H. Baumgardt, A.V. Filippenko, B.M. Gaensler, L. Homer, P. Hut, V.M. Kaspi, B. Margon, S. McMillan, S. Portegies Zwart, M. van der Klis, & F. Verbunt (2003). "Dynamical Formation of Close Binary Systems in Globular Clusters". Astrophysical Journal 591 (2): L131–L134. arXiv:astro-ph/0305003. Bibcode 2003ApJ...591L.131P. DOI:10.1086/377074. 

• J. Miller, A. Fabian, R. Wijnands, R. Remillard, P. Wojdowski, N. Schulz, T. Di Matteo, H. Marshall, C. Canizares, & W. Lewin (2002). "Resolving the Composite Fe K-alpha Emission Line in the Galactic Black Hole Cygnus X-1 with Chandra". Astrophysical Journal 578: 348–356. arXiv:astro-ph/0202083. Bibcode 2002ApJ...578..348M. DOI:10.1086/342466. 

• D. Pooley, W. Lewin, L. Homer, S. Anderson, B. Gaensler, B. Margon, F. Verbunt, J. Miller, D. Fox, V. Kaspi & M. v.d. Klis (2002). "Optical Identifications of Multiple Faint X-ray Sources in the Globular Cluster NGC~6752: Evidence for Numerous Cataclysmic Variables". Astrophysical Journal 569: 405. arXiv:astro-ph/0110192. Bibcode 2002ApJ...569..405P. DOI:10.1086/339210. 

• C. Kouveliotou, J. van Paradijs, G. J. Fishman, M. S. Briggs, J. Kommers, B. A. Harmon, C. A. Meegan, W. H. G. Lewin (1996). "Discovery of a New Type of Burster from the Galactic Center Region". Nature 379 (6568): 799. Bibcode 1996Natur.379..799K. DOI:10.1038/379799a0. 

• M. v.d. Klis, J. Swank, W. Zhang, K. Jahoda, E. Morgan, W. Lewin, B. Vaughan, & J. van Paradijs (1996). "Discovery of Sub millisecond Quasi-periodic Oscillations in the X-ray Flux of Scorpius X-1". Astrophysical Journal 469: L1. arXiv:astro-ph/9607047. Bibcode 1996ApJ...469L...1V. DOI:10.1086/310251. 

• W.H.G. Lewin, G.W. Clark and W.B. Smith (1968). "Observation of an X-Ray Flare from Sco X-1". Astrophysical Journal (Letters) 152: L55. Bibcode 1968ApJ...152L..55L. DOI:10.1086/180177. 

Selected books[link]

• Lewin, Walter; Goldstein, Warren, For the Love of Physics: From the End of the Rainbow to the Edge of Time - A Journey Through the Wonders of Physics, Simon and Schuster, 2011. ISBN 978-1-4391-0827-7
• Lewin, Walter; van der Klis, Michiel (editors), Compact stellar X-ray sources, Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2006. ISBN 978-0-521-82659-4
• Lewin, Walter H.G.; van Paradijs, Jan; van den Heuvel, Edward P.J., (editors), X-ray binaries, Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 1995. ISBN 0-521-41684-1
• Truemper, J.; Lewin, W.H.G.; Brinkmann, W., (editors), The evolution of galactic X-ray binaries, Dordrecht, Holland ; Boston : D. Reidel Pub. Co.; Hingham, MA : Sold and distributed in the U.S.A. and Canada by Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1986. ISBN 90-277-2184-X

See also[link]

• Walter Lewin Lectures on Physics
• MIT Physics Department

References[link]

1. ^ Instructor Profile: Walter Lewin at MIT OpenCourseWare (archived 2009)
2. ^ "Looking at 20th Century Art through the Eyes of a Physicist - Walter Lewin (video)", MIT World, January 14, 2004
3. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l789l6np-qA&feature=related

Further reading[link]

• Clark, Kim (2008-01-10). "A New Physics Superstar". US News and World Report. http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/e-learning/2008/01/10/a-new-physics-superstar.html. Retrieved 2009-01-08. 
• Rimer, Sara (2007-12-19). "At 71, Physics Professor Is a Web Star". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/19/education/19physics.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin. Retrieved 2007-12-19. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Walter Lewin

• Walter Lewin's page at MIT
• MIT Physics Department website
• Walter Lewin's Physics I Course Page with Video Lectures
• Walter Lewin's Physics II Course Page with Video Lectures
• Walter Lewin's Physics III Course Page with Video Lectures
• WalterLewin's Physics I Course on iTunes U (needs iTunes)
• WalterLewin's Physics II Course on iTunesU (needs iTunes)
• WalterLewin's Physics III Course on iTunesU (needs iTunes)
• The Elegant Universe PBS Video featuring Walter Lewin
• Walter Lewin Playlist Appearance on WMBR's Dinnertime Sampler radio show February 4, 2004

Old Crow Medicine Show
Performing at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco, October 2004.
Background information
Origin	Ithaca, New York
Genres	Alternative country, Bluegrass
Years active	1998–present
Labels	Nettwerk ATO Records
Associated acts	Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, Mumford & Sons, The Felice Brothers, Justin Townes Earle, The Hackensaw Boys
Website	Official Site
Members
Ketch Secor Critter Fuqua Kevin Hayes Morgan Jahnig Gill Landry Cory Younts
Past members
Ben Gould Matt Kinman Willie Watson

Old Crow Medicine Show is a folk band based in Nashville, Tennessee. Their music has been called bluegrass, Americana, and alt-country. Along with original songs, the band performs many pre-World War II blues and folk songs. They have been recording since 1998.

History[link]

Early[link]

Ketch Secor and Critter Fuqua first met in the seventh grade in Harrisonburg, Virginia in Rockingham County, and began playing music together. They performed open mics at the Little Grill diner which was "really the first chance that . . Critter had to play on stage." Being "a bit younger" than the "college students at James Madison University who typically hung out there" Secor "was considered a townie." As Secor says today: "They knew that we had talent, but it was raw. I mean, I was up there beating on a jaw harp when I was 13."^[1]

It was at Little Grill Ketch first saw his "contemporary" Robert St. Ours—who later went on to found The Hackensaw Boys--singing and "he was so cool with his leather jacket and side burns. I knew that's what I wanted to do." His early influences also included " . . driving up to Mt. Jackson, VA to the bluegrass Saturday night in the summer. And going up to Davis and Elkins College to participate in the Old Time Music week there, and meeting guys like Richie Stearns."^[1] Secor formed the Route 11 Boys with St. Ours and his brothers and performed often at Little Grill.

Meanwhile, Willie Watson first met Ben Gould in high school in Watkins Glen, New York in Schuyler County, and began playing music together. Both Watson and Gould dropped out of school and formed the band "The Funnest Game". They played a unique brand of electric/old time music heavily influenced by the lively old time music scene prominent in Tompkins and Schuyler County, New York. Most notably, The Horse Flies and The Highwoods Stringband. "We were like Tommy Jarrell jamming with Crazy Horse".^[2] Performing locally from Watkins Glen to Ithaca, New York the young band earned the respect of their local "old-time heroes" and gained a dedicated local fan base by performing weekly at the Rongovian Embassy with Richie Stearns and annually at the Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance in Trumansburg, New York

Upstate New York[link]

After Secor finished his schooling at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, where he learned to play the banjo, he spent a year taking short musician-hobo jaunts up to Maine and Canada from his home in Harrisonburg. "I had just read the book, Bound for Glory, and I knew that I wanted to go hobo with music. So we went out on the road . ."^[1]

After the breakup of the Route 11 Boys, Secor attended Ithaca College^[4] and brought Fuqua up to New York State, where they met Willie Watson through mutual friend Richie Stearns. Watson dissolved the Funnest Game and they assembled "a whole bunch of these players all around Ithaca, New York,^[5] They gathered in Critter's bedroom to record an album that they could sell on the road; a cassette of ten songs, called Trans:mission. In October 1998 the band left Ithaca for the "Trans:mission" Tour. Busking their way west across Canada and circling back east again where they settled in the Appalachian Mountains outside of Boone, North Carolina.

Busking break[link]

One day, while the band was busking outside a pharmacy called Boone Drug in Boone, North Carolina, the daughter of folk-country legend Doc Watson happened by and was impressed by what she heard. Doc Watson invited the band to participate in his annual MerleFest music festival in Wilkesboro, North Carolina.^[6] That break led to the act's relocation to Nashville in 2000,^[4] where they were "embraced and mentored" by Marty Stuart, the president of the Grand Ole Opry, Gillian Welch and Welch's longtime songwriting partner and guitarist, David Rawlings.^[6] Stuart helped them land some high profile gigs and Rawlings later produced their first two albums "O.C.M.S" and Big Iron World (2006).^[6]