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A thought experiment...

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  • 22-11-2001 4:37pm
    #1
    bonkey
    Registered Users Posts: 15,443 ✭✭✭✭


    Lads....

    given the recent-ish postings about things like time-travel and so on...many of which got shot down by Occy for being "non-science", I have a suggestion for a thread, or a series of threads...

    Its a thought-experiment called "What if".

    Basically, look at your knowledge of science. Take some area you know reaonably well and say "what if X was Y" - in other words, what if we could change one and only one "fact", what would be the impact.

    Now, I dont mean that you post a thread which is "what if time travel were possible" and let everyone throw in their 2 cents. Its a bit tougher than that.

    come up with the idea. Think it through, and write a short/medium/long discussion on it yourself. A treatise, if you will.
    Replies to said post should only take the form of pointing out errors in the logic, clarifying issues which the original may not have done so well, or adding additional implications.

    If Occy is up to allow this (I wont start without our tyranical, errr, I mean beloved mods approval!) I will do up an example tomorrow or over the weekend and post no later than Monday. Of course, if there's no interest, or Oc has a problem with the idea, then we ditch it :)

    Let me know what you think.....

    jc


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    #2
    Bob the Unlucky Octopus
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,136 ✭✭✭Bob the Unlucky Octopus


    Interesting idea jc- will have to think about what I'd change :)

    When I figure it out, I'll post it up on this thread.

    I honestly don't have a problem with people discussing the concept of "time travel" jc, what I *do* object to is people talking about wormholes, warp drive, hyperspace and Delorians and other sci-fi ideas as if they were a fact of everyday life. They certainly aren't, even the concept of a singularity is poorly understood, and difficult to prove. Discussing the human impact of a different universe is also rather unnecessary- but discussing the ramifications of a single change to a scientific concept is very interesting.

    It's the sort of thinking that brought us relativity, vaccination and other giant leaps forward in science. Where would we be if Einstein *hadn't* thought to himself what he might see if he rode on a beam of light? So long as it's discussed intelligently and people don't get facetious in every post, it'd be a most interesting discussion.

    Occy

    PS- Ok, I am a little tyrannical, but it's all CT's fault, he taught me everything I know :D


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    #3
    [FdE]Who yo' daddy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 37 ✭[FdE]Who yo' daddy


    What if microsoft never were established???

    Would there be such a wide-spread use of pc's?

    Would the Internet have turned into such a huge social tool?

    How would buisnesses all over the world cope?

    There are a bloodly lot of possibilities!

    The idea of this post was pretty cool but i couldnt be arsed to explore such a possibility! 'tis too bloody HOOJ (huge :) )

    :D


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    #4
    ][cEMAN**
    Registered Users Posts: 3,126 ✭✭✭][cEMAN**


    What if........the tree Sir Isaac Newton sat by had been hit by lightning......

    Or......what if he'd seen someone out flying a kite in a storm? hehehe


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    #5
    nesf
    Registered Users Posts: 27,645 ✭✭✭✭nesf


    This is exactly what I'm giving a lecture in IMSA about, I'm talking about the Physics of Discworld, and what would happen with 2 forms of light etc, it's alot of fun, but sometimes the consequences of light-speed being lower are very complex.

    Like a simple equation like the relationship of the permitivitty, and permeability of free-splace and the speed of light can cause some seriously messed up results like having a relative permativitty in the region of 10^4!!!


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    #6
    bonkey
    Registered Users Posts: 15,443 ✭✭✭✭bonkey


    Originally posted by nesf
    This is exactly what I'm giving a lecture in IMSA about,

    Arrrggghh. A real science-type. Run away, run away!

    Seriously though, sorry about the delay in me posting my idea on this....I'm still sorting through the implications :) Of course, I am not a scientist, so thinking through these implications can be slow.

    jc


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    #7
    nesf
    Registered Users Posts: 27,645 ✭✭✭✭nesf


    I'm no scientist! I'm just a math student in contact with the real world.... (i.e. a physicist! :D)

    Seriously tho, I'll post up a transcript of the lecture when I'm finished, it's a light read, compared to the other stuff being lectured on up there at least...


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    #8
    bonkey
    Registered Users Posts: 15,443 ✭✭✭✭bonkey


    Originally posted by nesf
    I'm no scientist! I'm just a math student in contact with the real world.... (i.e. a physicist! :D)

    Great stuff. Mathematicians of any type are good in my book (given that I studied App Maths in UL before going into IT as a career).

    Seriously tho, I'll post up a transcript of the lecture when I'm finished, it's a light read, compared to the other stuff being lectured on up there at least...
    Woohoo - even better.

    jc


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