View the Earth from outta space :)

[Dominus-UK]

I really should read up on these things (at least before talking about them), half a clue is worse than no clue..

But anyway, chances are that everything we call fact is probably wrong. It's only the human interpretation of it, so it's going to be as limited and flawed as we are.. (In my opinion of course, and going by that I'm probably wrong aswell

).

 

[Robbo]

Originally posted by AndyDane
Isn't a photon a totally theoretical particle though since light behaves like a stream of particles under some tests and waves under another?

and yeah, you can equate the kinetic energy of an object to mass using the theory of relativity if you really want. But that might involve going to look through some of my physics notes and then I'd look like a geek.

I don't have to look anywhere but in my head which at times, times like now, resembles that quantum world of confusion I mentioned earlier

 

[KitsuneAndy]

Originally posted by Robbo
I don't have to look anywhere but in my head which at times, times like now, resembles that quantum world of confusion I mentioned earlier

I often regret not doing Physics at university. Did my A level then never did any more. I am very tempted to see if open university do anything on it.

 

[Duncster]

woohoo! Sad geeky subject - I'll bite...

I didn't think a photon could have any mass, as the mass of an object becomes infinite at the speed of light, doesn't it? (at least I thought that was the basic reason that nothing could be propelled faster than the speed of light with particle-based propulsion... hence sci-fi's invention of "sub space" and "warp drive")

And since the gravitational influence of an object on another object is proportional to the product of the mass of both objects (or something like that...), wouldn't that mean (if photons had mass) that there are effectively squillions of black holes flying around the place ripping the universe apart all the time??

I love this ****... don't understand it, but cool anyway...

Dunc.

 

[LV 4 26]

Geeks

Since we are on the subject then, how many black holes are there in the universe. Bearing in mind that Hawking has found 3 of them.

Answers please..........

 

[davejeff66]

Thousands of billions.



Plus the one in my wallet.

 

[Duncster]

dunno... have we decided if the universe is infinite yet? If it is, then there must be an infinite number of everything, including black holes... But then I doubt the universe is infinite...

D.

 

[Robbo]

I think if you subscribe to the idea of there being a 'big bang' (which I think is now generally uncontested) then I'm afraid it predetermines the universe to being finite doesn't it?

 

[Mario]

Originally posted by Robbo
the universe to being finite doesn't it?

Isn't that widely contested? that there is more than one universe? Or am i in way over my head?

 

[Robbo]

Originally posted by Mario
Isn't that widely contested? that there is more than one universe? Or am i in way over my head?

The one sure thing is this, nobody knows for sure as to whether we are an oscillating universe or forever expanding, hence the search for dark matter.
If they find enough then we can assume we expand (post big bang) and then gravitational forces will being us back together in a big crunch.

Traditional thinking as I understood it was, as the front edges of the expanding universe move away from the point of origin (the big bang) then it creates both time and space as it progresses and thus, in that model, it is not an infinite universe.

As to what is on the other side of that expansion horizon is perhaps another debate and one that will perhaps have more philosophers involved than astro-physicists.