The physics guys will never get it right, that is the beauty of mathematics. Anything we come up with is an approximation of the real world, and is never perfectly right. As experiments become more and more accurate, we realize that our previous models were wrong and attempt to improve them with the new information. This debate has long been raging in the field of dynamical systems, take for example the dichotomy between quantum and macro scale physics... obviously the physicists don't have it right....
Engineers, on the other hand, get close enough for all practical purposes.
Wink wink, nudge nudge.
Wink wink, nudge nudge.
I don't know benb, you ever seen a building fall down? Or a train derail? Engineers can't solve everything.
Did a strawman just enter the building?I don't know benb, you ever seen a building fall down? Or a train derail? Engineers can't solve everything.
The physics guys will never get it right, that is the beauty of mathematics.
Depends on how you define "beautiful mathematics." To most physicists, it would have been very beautiful if the Higgs had been found at 148Gev, but so far that's not looking to be the case!
The speed of light is NOT constant,
Ever been out in the sun at mid-day in the summer? It's coming at you so fast, you can actually feel it. Later in the afternoon (toward dusk), you can tell it slows down. So much to the extent that it takes until the next morning to reach you.
Day after day. Not much to worry about.

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Essen and Dingle warn about the anti-rationalist trend in science.
Relativity skeptics and aether proponents
Sepp Hasslberger: Challenging Einstein's Special Relativity: Herbert Dingle - Science at the Crossroads
Relativity skeptics and aether proponents
Sepp Hasslberger: Challenging Einstein's Special Relativity: Herbert Dingle - Science at the Crossroads
I don't know benb, you ever seen a building fall down? Or a train derail? Engineers can't solve everything.
I gather from his "Wink wink, nudge nudge" that he was referring to the following joke...
A mathematician and an engineer are stood at opposite corners of a field. In the middle is a beautiful woman. They are both told they can only reach her by travelling half the remaining distance at a time.
The mathematician immediately throws his hands up and says "According to the maths I have learnt, I can never reach her!"
The engineer sets off immediately, saying "it's okay, I'll get close enough."
Anyway, I like Dave R's post about light.
Chris
Yes, that's the gist of it. The way I recall it is:
A mathematician and an engineer both approached a woman asymptotically. The mathematician never touched her, but the engineer got close enough for all practical purposes.
It's just a matter of perspective. One may observe that the glass is half empty, or that it has twice the needed capacity.
A mathematician and an engineer both approached a woman asymptotically. The mathematician never touched her, but the engineer got close enough for all practical purposes.
It's just a matter of perspective. One may observe that the glass is half empty, or that it has twice the needed capacity.
Yes, that's the gist of it. The way I recall it is:
A mathematician and an engineer both approached a woman asymptotically. The mathematician never touched her, but the engineer got close enough for all practical purposes.
It's just a matter of perspective. One may observe that the glass is half empty, or that it has twice the needed capacity.
My perspective is that the glass was once full and through thermodynamic entropy and the deterioration of the elements it has reached a state of static equilibrium, or as Goldilocks once opined: "It's just right."
I also believe that DaveR's example is right on!
Being a Mathematician as well as an Engineer, he has also reached a state of balance between theoretical possibilities and practical considerations.
😀
Best Regards,
TerryO
speed of light is really just a small matter
SDSS-III
http://www.sdss.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephan's_Quintet
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andromeda_Galaxy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quasar
the latest knowledge tells that every galaxy circles around a 'black hole'
black holes are the creator of galaxies
but would fall apart without 'dark matter'
gravity rules even in empty space
well, the latest is a complete 3 dimensional image of the entire universe
and even a detailed picture of how the early universe looked right after 'big bang'
SDSS-III
http://www.sdss.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephan's_Quintet
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andromeda_Galaxy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quasar
the latest knowledge tells that every galaxy circles around a 'black hole'
black holes are the creator of galaxies
but would fall apart without 'dark matter'
gravity rules even in empty space
well, the latest is a complete 3 dimensional image of the entire universe
and even a detailed picture of how the early universe looked right after 'big bang'
well, the latest is a complete 3 dimensional image of the entire universe
and even a detailed picture of how the early universe looked right after 'big bang'
Here's an artist's depiction, based on the most up-to-date information, of what the Universe looked like 22 nanoseconds "before" the Big Bang!

Good one! The sad thing is that peer review will probably require a longer more woffly abstract before publication.
Probably not the longest either.
What happened with the GPS based error paper? I've asked two physicists and they basicly said it would be a 5min. yes/no answer from the experimenters.
New results, those blighters are still not co-operating. 😉
BBC News - Neutrino experiment repeat at Cern finds same result
BBC News - Neutrino experiment repeat at Cern finds same result
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