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[Dillinger4]

excellent! consider it done!

Why are you bruised?

Its not quantum mechanics bruising your brain is it?

 

[Vintage Paw]

See my post about prodding my arm to try to understand why I'm mainly made of space.


Mr Paw explained it. And using his fine example, I have deduced that the way to avoid a nuclear holocaust is for us all to be an apple.


*is proud*

 

[SpookyFrank]

Ok, that's pretty cool. But if it's the case that so much of what we are made of isn't really there, then why can't I push my finger through my arm?

To use a simple but probably inappropriate analogy, in terms of volume a football is mostly air but you can still kick it. All the nothingness in an atom is surrounded by a tiny little bit of somethingness which interacts with other atoms and allows them to team up and form solid things.

 

[Dillinger4]

See my post about prodding my arm to try to understand why I'm mainly made of space.


Mr Paw explained it. And using his fine example, I have deduced that the way to avoid a nuclear holocaust is for us all to be an apple.


*is proud*

It is strange to think that we are, after all, just shadows and dust. Humbling.

 

[Vintage Paw]

See my post about prodding my arm to try to understand why I'm mainly made of space.


Mr Paw explained it. And using his fine example, I have deduced that the way to avoid a nuclear holocaust is for us all to be an apple.


*is proud*

Maybe if we all just painted ourselves green we'd be ok too.

Or red. Can't forget the red apples.


But only if it was lead paint.


And then we'd die of lead poisoning instead.


Oh, it's no use - we're all going to die

 

[SpookyFrank]

Mr Paw explained it. And using his fine example, I have deduced that the way to avoid a nuclear holocaust is for us all to be an apple.

Alas if the human race was squished down to the size of an apple it would probably cause a nuclear blast big enough to obliterate this entire planet and any others that happened to be nearby. Either that or the apple would suck in the whole rest of the world and turn into a neutron star. Something bad would happen anyway

 

[Vintage Paw]

Alas if the human race was squished down to the size of an apple it would probably cause a nuclear blast big enough to obliterate this entire planet and any others that happened to be nearby. Either that or the apple would suck in the whole rest of the world and turn into a neutron star. Something bad would happen anyway

Then I'll stick to my plan with the paint

 

[goldenecitrone]

Innit. Same goes for worshipping the sky pixies and other nonsense. The real world is infinitely more interesting and complex and beautiful then anything we're capable of imagining...

But surely we are capable of imagining some of it. That's the point of theoretical physics. And if we can't imagine it, how do you know it's not pretty dull and banal?

 

[goldenecitrone]

Balls. Episode 2 is on at 11.30pm, but I'm a lot knackered after the weekend.

 

[kyser_soze]

I gots it on avi DVD if you wannit...plus I need to give your (now read 3 times) Russell book back...

Re: imagination...well, most of the QM physicists have said that they had no idea where their ideas would lead to, so even tho they had the idea, the true scale, sophisication etc of what they eventually found was beyond anything they'd thought possible.

Same as the guys who worked out the age of the earth (great little bit of Kaku's 'Time' - the gardener bloke saying 'Well, I don't know HOW old the Earth is, but it's not 6000 years, and it's probably more than I can imagine').

 

[Augie March]

Did anybody else watch the Michio Kaku one?

That was amazing. It prompted me to spend a whole summer reading as much as I could about theoretical physics etc etc.

Was that the series where he profiles the future? There was an episode of that on BBC4 last night (after the Parallel Lives doc with Mark Everitt, which was also brilliant) about the future of A.I. and artifical implants in humans. Interesting stuff.

 

[WouldBe]

The big bang theory still doesn't make sense.

For astronomers to pick up 'background' microwave radiation from the big bang it must be reflecting off something.

 

[goldenecitrone]

I gots it on avi DVD if you wannit...plus I need to give your (now read 3 times) Russell book back...

Re: imagination...well, most of the QM physicists have said that they had no idea where their ideas would lead to, so even tho they had the idea, the true scale, sophisication etc of what they eventually found was beyond anything they'd thought possible.

Same as the guys who worked out the age of the earth (great little bit of Kaku's 'Time' - the gardener bloke saying 'Well, I don't know HOW old the Earth is, but it's not 6000 years, and it's probably more than I can imagine').

That would be good. I fell asleep during the "Marie Curie radium face cream for a nice healthy glow" bit last night. Will PM you soon to arrange a night out.

 

[rollinder]

but what about the musical?

ouch *sound of brain repeatedly (re)explouding at attempt to
understand rest of last nights programme*

 

[rollinder]

It is strange to think that we are, after all, just shadows and dust. Humbling.

we're either stardust or nuclear waste

 

[keithy]

I watched this last night, was really good but I was drunk and still understood it then started pondering why I am doing an art degree instead of science because I always loved science bollocks.

When's the next episode on?

 

[rollinder]

Next Monday should be

 

[xenon]

Been trying to download the series. Can't find any torrents. Saw episode 2 last night. excelent. Gave me a better layman's idea of atomic jiggery pokery and not a mention of left hand Leptons and incomprehensible equasions.

 

[xenon]

Next Monday should be

Yep. 1120 BBC 2, Monday night.

 

[rollinder]

I think my brain's just melted

How can they know that atoms only apear in a fixed position if they're being observed if they can't see them moving?


I iz in yr box being quantam experiments
(eta - please tell me I wasn't the only person who thought that when he shut the lid on the kitteh - called Dawkins too )

 

[Augie March]

Brilliant stuff!

I love the idea that quantum mechanics bring into question the very nature of our reality. It seems a shame though, that there's physicists who seem to follow the: "Shut up and calculate" ethos. Surely, I would've thought, that from studying such things, there'd be a philosphical desire to understand the possible implications that it has for the nature of the universe?

 

[Dillinger4]

Brilliant stuff!

I love the idea that quantum mechanics bring into question the very nature of our reality. It seems a shame though, that there's physicists who seem to follow the: "Shut up and calculate" ethos. Surely, I would've thought, that from studying such things, there'd be a philosphical desire to understand the possible implications that it has for the nature of the universe?

I think that is where Philosophy of Science should come in, to fill in the gaps.

 

[gnoriac]

It seems a shame though, that there's physicists who seem to follow the: "Shut up and calculate" ethos.

I suspect there's not many.

Must admit I lost track of who was the greatest - Dirac was the greatest physicist since Newton but then later in the programme Feynmann was the greatest since Einstein. Buggered if I can work out the rankings from that.

 

[Dillinger4]

I suspect there's not many.

Must admit I lost track of who was the greatest - Dirac was the greatest physicist since Newton but then later in the programme Feynmann was the greatest since Einstein. Buggered if I can work out the rankings from that.

I feel that Dirac and Feynmann are (were?) different types of Scientist.

 

[SpookyFrank]

Bugger, I missed this last night as I was gaining an understanding of the nature of reality by watching the matrix for the umpteenth time; is it on iplayer/are there any torrents anywhere?

 

[kyser_soze]

h t tp://torrents.thepiratebay.org/3825211/BBC_Atom.3825211.TPB.torrent

Should do ya

 

[SpookyFrank]

Much obliged

 

[N_igma]

I understood it all. Even that Dirac equation, piss easy.

 

[King Biscuit Time]

Did anybody else watch the Michio Kaku one?

That was amazing. It prompted me to spend a whole summer reading as much as I could about theoretical physics etc etc.

I can't find a torrent of the whole series anywhere

 

[kyser_soze]

I found it on Karagarga, but unfortunately have no invites (not only that but it completely fucked my ratios)

PM me and we'll try and sort something out...