OrangeWhoopass.com Forums

General Discussion => Beer and Queso => Topic started by: Lurch on September 22, 2011, 04:14:42 pm

Title: So, about that speed of light thing...
Post by: Lurch on September 22, 2011, 04:14:42 pm
Woah (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44630293)
Title: Re: So, about that speed of light thing...
Post by: MusicMan on September 22, 2011, 04:18:19 pm
Well done, Scotty.
Title: Re: So, about that speed of light thing...
Post by: Bench on September 22, 2011, 04:24:51 pm
Those god damn neutrinos.  The bane of my existence.   
Title: Re: So, about that speed of light thing...
Post by: jbm on September 22, 2011, 04:29:14 pm
Never understood any of the post Newtonian stuff.  It's mildly understandable when philosophers or science fiction writers translate it into only slightly difficult concepts, but the actual science seems so fucking out there that it must take years and years of study to become conversant.
Title: Re: So, about that speed of light thing...
Post by: subnuclear on September 22, 2011, 04:29:50 pm
This article (http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/09/neutrinos-faster-than-light/) expresses the correct level of skepticism.

Quote
The big question is whether OPERA researchers have discovered particles going faster than light, or whether they have been misled by an unidentified “systematic error” in their experiment that’s making the time look artificially short. Chang Kee Jung, a neutrino physicist at Stony Brook University in New York, says he’d wager that the result is the product of a systematic error. “I wouldn’t bet my wife and kids because they’d get mad,” he says. “But I’d bet my house.”

Even if its true, its very interesting, but probably isn't very useful. Einstein's theories work extremely well for ordinary matter.
Title: Re: So, about that speed of light thing...
Post by: Lurch on September 22, 2011, 04:37:27 pm
This article (http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/09/neutrinos-faster-than-light/) expresses the correct level of skepticism.

Even if its true, its very interesting, but probably isn't very useful. Einstein's theories work extremely well for ordinary matter.

Killjoy.  I'm going to assume its not true, because if it was you would have used this to time travel, go back to 4:29:49 and hit delete rather than Post.
Title: Re: So, about that speed of light thing...
Post by: subnuclear on September 22, 2011, 04:55:42 pm
Never understood any of the post Newtonian stuff.  It's mildly understandable when philosophers or science fiction writers translate it into only slightly difficult concepts, but the actual science seems so fucking out there that it must take years and years of study to become conversant.

Its hard to find good physics writing that doesn't have a huge agenda attached to it. However, special relativity is pretty easy to become conversant in it as long as you had some trigonometry.  I read this book (http://www.amazon.com/MC-Picture-Book-Relativity/dp/0830601805/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1316728251&sr=1-1) in high school, but there are likely more modern ones around.
Title: Re: So, about that speed of light thing...
Post by: Lurch on September 22, 2011, 05:01:05 pm
Its hard to find good physics writing that doesn't have a huge agenda attached to it. However, special relativity is pretty easy to become conversant in it as long as you had some trigonometry.  I read this book (http://www.amazon.com/MC-Picture-Book-Relativity/dp/0830601805/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1316728251&sr=1-1) in high school, but there are likely more modern ones around.

Picked up a copy, thanks!
Title: Re: So, about that speed of light thing...
Post by: JimR on September 22, 2011, 05:33:30 pm
Its hard to find good physics writing that doesn't have a huge agenda attached to it. However, special relativity is pretty easy to become conversant in it as long as you had some trigonometry.  I read this book (http://www.amazon.com/MC-Picture-Book-Relativity/dp/0830601805/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1316728251&sr=1-1) in high school, but there are likely more modern ones around.

in Austin, we speak of little else.
Title: Re: So, about that speed of light thing...
Post by: subnuclear on September 22, 2011, 06:17:16 pm
in Austin, we speak of little else.

That was certainly my experience when I lived there.
Title: Re: So, about that speed of light thing...
Post by: Limey on September 23, 2011, 09:19:20 am
Woah (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44630293)


Neutrinos faster than light?  I never saw that coming.
Title: Re: So, about that speed of light thing...
Post by: HudsonHawk on September 24, 2011, 08:52:10 pm
186,000 miles/second:  It's not just a good idea, it's the law.