Ask a physicist anything. (7)

[Wiccan_Child]

What is the overall fuel/energy/resources still left on this Earth?

With current technology? Not a lot.
If we're smart about it and fund feasible tech? Theoretically unlimited - the only limit is the energy output of the Sun, and when that dies, it's gonna take the Earth with us.

Can we make it another 50 years and have 10 billion people here?

I hope not!

Is there a chance for 500 additional years or perhaps even a thousand more?

I am confident that the human race will endure, though the nitty gritty of its politics will undoubtedly change.

Excluding such things as earthquake burps and nuclear plant shut downs that go mental, if the planet stayed somewhat normal, about how long could we sustain ourselves without a terrifying loss of life?

If we're smart, a fairly long time. If we can get nuclear fusion up and running, much longer.

 

[Wiccan_Child]

Oh, and we're gonna hit the seven billion people population mark in two weeks

EDIT: That would be October 31st. There must be something spooky in store for the seven billionth child born on All Hallows Eve...

 

[Zippy the Wonderslug]

^ Yeah.

I think the approximate date is October 28th for this.

The same stupid day the Mayans were too lazy in adding more calendar days for us.

 

[Zippy the Wonderslug]

Also, going back to my previous question you responded on...

What would be the first thing that breaks down where there's nothing really left anymore...

Fuel, energy, or resources (food and stuff)?

 

[Wiccan_Child]

Also, going back to my previous question you responded on...

What would be the first thing that breaks down where there's nothing really left anymore...

Fuel, energy, or resources (food and stuff)?

If humans vanished overnight, food and other consumables would very quickly degrade. Next would go our infrastructure. Processed fuels like uranium ore and fossil fuels would persist for as long as they already have - millions of years.

 

[Zippy the Wonderslug]

I honestly wasn't expecting such an answer.

I thought food would have been the last thing to go here on Earth.

So starvation will most likely be the first thing that kills most of us?

I really didn't see that one coming.

Thank you for your posts WC.

 

[Wiccan_Child]

I honestly wasn't expecting such an answer.

I thought food would have been the last thing to go here on Earth.

So starvation will most likely be the first thing that kills most of us.

I really didn't see that one coming.

Thank you for your posts WC.

Well, I was working on the hypothetical that humans simply vanished, and detailing the order in which things would degrade - biological things like bread and meat would decay quicker than steel-and-concrete buildings.

Are you asking which of our resources will run out, as things stand today, without anything major happening?

 

[Zippy the Wonderslug]

^ Yes please.

Sorry if I posted my question in a way that confused you.

 

[Wiccan_Child]

^ Yes please.

Sorry if I posted my question in a way that confused you.

Ah, I see, my mistake. In that case, food is effectively unlimited - so long as the Sun provides us with energy, we'll have plants and animals to feast upon. The obvious limits are things which don't renew and are in short supply: nuclear fissionable materials like enriched uranium, fossil fuels like coal and gas, etc. If we keep using them, they'll likely run out first. But, like I said, once we get nuclear fusion up and going, we'll have effectively unlimited energy at our disposal.

So fuels like uranium and coal will go first, while food and water will be with us till the end of time.

 

[cupid dave]

Also, going back to my previous question you responded on...

What would be the first thing that breaks down where there's nothing really left anymore...

Fuel, energy, or resources (food and stuff)?

H2O

 

[cupid dave]

I honestly wasn't expecting such an answer.

I thought food would have been the last thing to go here on Earth.

So starvation will most likely be the first thing that kills most of us?

I really didn't see that one coming.

Thank you for your posts WC.

Oh...
I thought you were referring to the 7 billion people,...

 

[Zippy the Wonderslug]

For some weird reason, I think at some moment in time, we all will lose the grid.

No more internet, no more heat to keep us warm, no more cellular texting, no more TV and junk, and no more blow dryer (this spooks me the most).

It just seems like this is the most honest way for us to reconnect with God before the end of time.

Like our final chance with Him.

It doesn't make sense though, because the end times will be filled with our own destruction.

This can't happen if we are off the grid.

Sorry. I'm rambling and being stupid.

I'm just trying to make sense of it all.

 

[Wiccan_Child]

For some weird reason, I think at some moment in time, we all will lose the grid.

No more internet, no more heat to keep us warm, no more cellular texting, no more TV and junk, and no more blow dryer (this spooks me the most).

It just seems like this is the most honest way for us to reconnect with God before the end of time.

Like our final chance with Him.

It doesn't make sense though, because the end times will be filled with our own destruction.

This can't happen if we are off the grid.

Sorry. I'm rambling and being stupid.

I'm just trying to make sense of it all.

Presumably, if the world was coming to an end as described by Revelations, that would encourage more people to convert. If Jesus himself came down, even more would convert. That would surely make people more likely to convert, wouldn't it?

Which makes one wonder what God's waiting for.

 

[Wiccan_Child]

H2O

I doubt we're going to run out of water any time soon

 

[mzungu]

Also, going back to my previous question you responded on...

What would be the first thing that breaks down where there's nothing really left anymore...

Fuel, energy, or resources (food and stuff)?

Soon the poor will have nothing left to eat but the rich!

 

[cupid dave]

I doubt we're going to run out of water any time soon

No,... LOL.

I thought his point was concerning what would become in demand immediately if society falls apart into social choas.

 

[cupid dave]

Presumably, if the world was coming to an end as described by Revelations, that would encourage more people to convert.

If Jesus himself came down, even more would convert. That would surely make people more likely to convert, wouldn't it?

Which makes one wonder what God's waiting for.

The Bible writers choose their audience among the religious community because that would assure the writings reached us today.

They well knew that the attention, care, custody, and control of the writings in the hands of the religious authorities would remain in tack and be copied ad infinitum until we could evaluate them today.

I presume that their "prophecies" were merely sociological forecasts using some art and hard science still unknown to us now.

In fact, these predictions amount to a Grand Empirical Sociological Experiment.

this is exactly the scientific Method used in hard science today,
Apparently they geld a number of theories that could foe tell the consequences of certain fixed social behaviors.
But, theories must be developed and then implemented in order to see that the concepts are verified.

in sociology, that would require predictions, then, which History would later confirm now.

 

[Huram Abi]

You presume an awful lot.

 

[Wiccan_Child]

The Bible writers choose their audience among the religious community because that would assure the writings reached us today.

They well knew that the attention, care, custody, and control of the writings in the hands of the religious authorities would remain in tack and be copied ad infinitum until we could evaluate them today.

I presume that their "prophecies" were merely sociological forecasts using some art and hard science still unknown to us now.

In fact, these predictions amount to a Grand Empirical Sociological Experiment.

this is exactly the scientific Method used in hard science today,
Apparently they geld a number of theories that could foe tell the consequences of certain fixed social behaviors.
But, theories must be developed and then implemented in order to see that the concepts are verified.

in sociology, that would require predictions, then, which History would later confirm now.

Or, they told their stories to their kids. Those stories which were particularily memorable or for whatever reason engendered their kids to retell those stories to their kids, would be more likely to be passed down than those which were boring or unmemorable or what have you. It's almost certain that they weren't creating a sort of 'time capsule', carefully selecting their audience and language and tone and words to ensure the survival of their stories. More likely is that there were many stories, only some of which survived to the present day for whatever reason.

If nothing else, the spread of Christianity may well never have happened were it not for Constantine declaring it the state religion, thus giving it a kick-start that otherwise could have doomed the fledgling faith. And since the authors would have had no way to predict that...

 

[Tuddrussell]

No,... LOL.

I thought his point was concerning what would become in demand immediately if society falls apart into social choas.

"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely" — Liam Neeson

Liam Neeson, blessed is he, promised such a thing would never happen... And He wouldn't lie to me!