Ask a physicist anything. (6)

[oriel36]

The gentleman may read the first chapter of Well's 1898 science fiction novel 'The Time Machine' and wonder how come the idea of a 4th dimension ended up as a formal belief or better still,conclude that he will be condescended to by being told how difficult the early 20th century relativity concepts are.

 

[Chalnoth]

The gentleman may read the first chapter of Well's 1898 science fiction novel 'The Time Machine' and wonder how come the idea of a 4th dimension ended up as a formal belief or better still,conclude that he will be condescended to by being told how difficult the early 20th century relativity concepts are.

1. You could actually, I don't know, try to learn what relativity is about. Special Relativity, at least, isn't that hard. It's weird, but not hard.
2. Relativity probably doesn't allow time travel, except in the sense that we all experience it: moving forward at one second per second.

 

[oriel36]

The word "continuum" is usually not used in the context of space-time, except in Star Trek. Continuum is more used in the context of understanding the behavior of fluids (air, water) and in understanding the effects of stresses and strains on solid objects. Continuum mechanics ignores the fact that matter is made of atoms, and assumes it is just smooth, continuous stuff (hence the word continuum).

You don't know what you are talking about,not even in respect to the history of the space/time junk.You can go to Bartleby and find the quote of 'continuum'.

"THE NON-MATHEMATICIAN is seized by a mysterious shuddering when he hears of “four-dimensional” things, by a feeling not unlike that awakened by thoughts of the occult. And yet there is no more common-place statement than that the world in which we live is a four-dimensional space-time continuum" Einstein 1920

The reader has to go back in history to discover how a race of people got to believe something which originated in a science fiction novel.

 

[mzungu]

You don't know what you are talking about,not even in respect to the history of the space/time junk.You can go to Bartleby and find the quote of 'continuum'.

"THE NON-MATHEMATICIAN is seized by a mysterious shuddering when he hears of “four-dimensional” things, by a feeling not unlike that awakened by thoughts of the occult. And yet there is no more common-place statement than that the world in which we live is a four-dimensional space-time continuum" Einstein 1920

The reader has to go back in history to discover how a race of people got to believe something which originated in a science fiction novel.

murder by death - YouTube

 

[Chalnoth]

The reader has to go back in history to discover how a race of people got to believe something which originated in a science fiction novel.

It didn't: Spacetime - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

H.G. Wells was pretty late to the game, actually.

 

[mzungu]

It didn't: Spacetime - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

H.G. Wells was pretty late to the game, actually.

IMHO, I think this poster is baiting us! I admire your patience in trying to explain but I hardly think ORIEL36 is here to debate!

 

[oriel36]

H.G. Wells was pretty late to the game, actually.

I am looking for people who get the point immediately,if the reader did then fine and he can then inquire further but I wouldn't go chasing after unfortunate creatures who follow precepts that originated in a late 19th century science fiction novel.

"There are really four dimensions, three which we call the three planes of Space, and a fourth, Time. There is, however, a tendency to draw an unreal distinction between the former three dimensions and the latter.." Time Machine 1898

Empiricists can and do believe anything they like and I have no problem with that,it is Christians who manage to follow the same junk that I take into consideration.

 

[Wiccan_Child]

Explain the Time/Space Continuum theory (I don't understand it myself).

Just as up/down and left/right are ultimately two axes in space, so too is time a fourth axis. The spacetime 'continuum' is a bit of a misnomer, as Chalnoth said; rather, Einstein's theory of General Relativity simply posits that time and space are both different 'directions' in the same big, four-dimensional object called spacetime. Thus, anything that warps space also warps time.

 

[Wiccan_Child]

It is junk,the idea that space and time are combined could be found in any fiction section of a bookstore in the late 19th century but how science fiction turned into the monstrosity it became in the early 20th century takes quite an effort to untangle .

Not really. The reason relativity took off is quite simple: overwhelming empirical evidence.

The existence of so much empirical junk is merely a symptom of Christianity abandoning its astronomical heritage or not having a spokesman good enough to deal with the issues.

What on Earth does relativity have to do with Christianity?

 

[oriel36]

Just as up/down and left/right are ultimately two axes in space, so too is time a fourth axis. The spacetime 'continuum' is a bit of a misnomer, as Chalnoth said; rather, Einstein's theory of General Relativity simply posits that time and space are both different 'directions' in the same big, four-dimensional object called spacetime. Thus, anything that warps space also warps time.

Warp indeed !,the only thing that is warped is the empirical mind and specifically the toxic strain of empiricism that follows Newton's agenda.

I can ask an empiricist what causes the day to turn to night and he can't give the correct answer so what else they know is not worth talking about when it comes to time or space.Few would believe that the situation is that grave but until Christians return to look at the astronomical roots of their heritage can they hope to bypass empirical junk passing itself off as astronomy and science.

 

[mzungu]

I am looking for people who get the point immediately,if the reader did then fine and he can then inquire further but I wouldn't go chasing after unfortunate creatures who follow precepts that originated in a late 19th century science fiction novel.

"There are really four dimensions, three which we call the three planes of Space, and a fourth, Time. There is, however, a tendency to draw an unreal distinction between the former three dimensions and the latter.." Time Machine 1898

Empiricists can and do believe anything they like and I have no problem with that,it is Christians who manage to follow the same junk that I take into consideration.​

Yes Dear Some Tea Perhaps?

​

 

[oriel36]

Yes Dear Some Tea Perhaps?]

There are nothing but spoiled empirical kids running amok with astronomy.

There are really dumb people out there who believe we can see the evolutionary history of the Universe directly or 'big bangers' as I call them.They actually believe that the normal continuity between past and present does not exist and you can look at the past directly as a timeline to the present.People have more a chance of seeing that than they have of seeing their own personal timeline directly but such is the dominance of empiricism or rather the lack of Christian astronomers who can expose this junk no student should suffer.

The roots of this mess are back in history and while it is truly an exciting investigative endeavor,it is difficult to find people concerned enough and reasonable enough to take that journey as they imagine abtruse mathematics.The language of astronomy is geometry,just as Galileo expressed it -

"The laws of Nature are written in the language of mathematics ... the symbols are triangles, circles and other geometrical figures, without whose help it is impossible to comprehend a single word." Galileo

 

[Wiccan_Child]

There are nothing but spoiled empirical kids running amok with astronomy.

There are really dumb people out there who believe we can see the evolutionary history of the Universe directly or 'big bangers' as I call them.They actually believe that the normal continuity between past and present does not exist and you can look at the past directly as a timeline to the present.People have more a chance of seeing that than they have of seeing their own personal timeline directly but such is the dominance of empiricism or rather the lack of Christian astronomers who can expose this junk no student should suffer.

The roots of this mess are back in history and while it is truly an exciting investigative endeavor,it is difficult to find people concerned enough and reasonable enough to take that journey as they imagine abtruse mathematics.The language of astronomy is geometry,just as Galileo expressed it -

"The laws of Nature are written in the language of mathematics ... the symbols are triangles, circles and other geometrical figures, without whose help it is impossible to comprehend a single word." Galileo

Do you have a point?

 

[Chalnoth]

IMHO, I think this poster is baiting us! I admire your patience in trying to explain but I hardly think ORIEL36 is here to debate!

Oh, obviously. That's why I'm spending as little time as possible, and hopefully constraining my statements to those that others may find interesting

 

[Chalnoth]

Just as up/down and left/right are ultimately two axes in space, so too is time a fourth axis. The spacetime 'continuum' is a bit of a misnomer, as Chalnoth said; rather, Einstein's theory of General Relativity simply posits that time and space are both different 'directions' in the same big, four-dimensional object called spacetime. Thus, anything that warps space also warps time.

Well, it's not actually a misnomer. It's just language that's not usually made use of.

A continuum is anything that is continuous, that is, not made up of distinct parts. Normal matter isn't a continuum, because it is made up of atoms. But we can learn quite a lot about the behavior of normal matter by assuming it is a continuum (as long as we only deal with phenomena that are much larger than atoms).

Gravity is similar. Our current theories of gravity are continuum theories: space-time isn't made up of discrete parts. Quantum gravity may change this, but for now our current, experimentally-tested descriptions of space-time are continuum descriptions.

 

[Chalnoth]

I can ask an empiricist what causes the day to turn to night and he can't give the correct answer so what else they know is not worth talking about when it comes to time or space.

You don't think it's because the Earth rotates? Call me a [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse], but I have to hear this...

 

[mzungu]

Well, it's not actually a misnomer. It's just language that's not usually made use of.

A continuum is anything that is continuous, that is, not made up of distinct parts. Normal matter isn't a continuum, because it is made up of atoms. But we can learn quite a lot about the behavior of normal matter by assuming it is a continuum (as long as we only deal with phenomena that are much larger than atoms).

Gravity is similar. Our current theories of gravity are continuum theories: space-time isn't made up of discrete parts. Quantum gravity may change this, but for now our current, experimentally-tested descriptions of space-time are continuum descriptions.

It all depends on what scale we are observing something. In GM one may use the term when referring to cosmology while in QM "Continuum" makes no sense as one deals with quanta at such small scales.

It is correct to state that it is a matter of language. However If I were to define our universal spacetime as a continuum then I would be restricting this continuum only to this universe or even to a smaller time/distance so long as within this scale one "sees" a continuum.

Also one may use the term when referring to time/distance when for example:

an object travelling at 0,01 KPH will take almost an infinite time to travel across the entire universe since the universe is expanding and thus one can conclude that space is a continuum when referring to the said object.

Another example may be that from the event horizon of a black hole to its centre is in fact a continuum since a falling object will never reach the centre simply due to relativity slowing time as one continues down the path to the centre.

Please correct me if I am wrong.

The beauty of science is not to be correct but to learn new things even if it means proving oneself wrong.

I do so love science!

 

[oriel36]

You don't think it's because the Earth rotates? Call me a [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse], but I have to hear this...

I already have one empiricist cheerfully give the wrong answer and imagine you wouldn't be any different so you get the courtesy of replying to how many times the Earth rotates and causes day to turn to nights from Marst 1st 2008 until Feb 29th 2012.

If the question is too difficult then I understand.

 

[mzungu]

I already have one empiricist cheerfully give the wrong answer and imagine you wouldn't be any different so you get the courtesy of replying to how many times the Earth rotates and causes day to turn to nights from Marst 1st 2008 until Feb 29th 2012.

If the question is too difficult then I understand.

So sayeth one who knows nothing about the meaning of the word "Empirical".

Please answer the following questions:
How old are you.
How tall are you.
How much do you weigh.

You are not allowed to use any empirical measurements nor empirical means to answer the question lest you be in violation of your anti empirical claims.

 

[Nostromo]

Do you think dad has a brother?