Reply to: It's light Jim, but not as we know it...

[PAH]

I seem to remember that this idea was postulated sometime ago and that it was thought that Einstein wasn't wrong provided that the particle never went below the speed of light.

Or something.

I think you're right. Something about it taking an infinite amount of energy to accelerate to faster than light, and an infinite amount of energy to slow something to below the speed of light.

Not sure how that fits with the theory that dark energy is pushing galaxies apart at an increasing rate and one day they'll go faster than light.

[cojak]

I seem to remember that this idea was postulated sometime ago and that it was thought that Einstein wasn't wrong provided that the particle never went below the speed of light.

Or something.

[TimberWolf]

Science in (rapid) progress. Check all these Arxiv-preprints that have appeared in relation to the OPERA anomaly already:
arXiv.org Search

[Doggy Styles]

For all their (scientists) deriding of religion they too require a certain faith from their followers.

This!

[PAH]

Indeed. As much of the theory stuff is unconfirmable using current maths and technology, the theories themselves are pretty useless except as a marker for future investigation.

Yet all the grants they get mean they may as well try to solve the mysteries now.

Maybe the required evidence is no longer available in the universe, or at least obtainable to humans or their machines, so they'll just have to make stuff up to fit in the blanks.

For all their deriding of religion they too require a certain faith from their followers.

[gingerjedi]

"The gist of it is that most of the weight of the universe is 'hidden' in dark energy and dark matter, and it's this that is causing galaxies to move apart at an increasing rate. Some galaxies may already be moving faster than light or will in the future."

Unfortunately....

Dwarf galaxies suggest dark matter theory may be wrong

If you were a geek who enjoyed pissing around with experiments all day rather than doing a proper job you'd make loads of baffling stuff up to keep your research grants coming in wouldn't you.

[Doggy Styles]

"The gist of it is that most of the weight of the universe is 'hidden' in dark energy and dark matter, and it's this that is causing galaxies to move apart at an increasing rate. Some galaxies may already be moving faster than light or will in the future."

Unfortunately....

Dwarf galaxies suggest dark matter theory may be wrong

[PAH]

Watched an interesting YouTube vid over the weekend that may help clear up some of the confusion about stuff going faster than light speed:

'A Universe From Nothing' by Lawrence Krauss, AAI 2009 - YouTube


The gist of it is that most of the weight of the universe is 'hidden' in dark energy and dark matter, and it's this that is causing galaxies to move apart at an increasing rate. Some galaxies may already be moving faster than light or will in the future.

So maybe all this hidden energy causes neutrinos to travel at such speed much the same way that it is pushing whole galaxies at an ever increasing speed?

The bits I found more interesting (from the video) are:

1. it's possible for the universe to be created from nothing (watch vid for proper explanation)

2. the structure of the universe guarantees conditions will exist at some part of the universe's lifespan for life as we know it to exist. Therefore we are not alone in the universe, or even remarkable or unique.


So now I'm wondering if a new religion will form from science, where promises of rebirth will be based on the universe being able to recreate the exact state that gives each of us individual consciousness, and therefore life after death, either later in this universe's lifespan or in the next universe that forms after this one ends.

[TimberWolf]

To get to the other side. Why did the neutrinos cross the road? Twitter

lol

[TimberWolf]

I'm with Prof Jim Al Khalil on this one.

If it's true I'll eat my boxer shorts live on national TV. Also, if it is true, we would have already read about it in next Wednesday's papers.

Moorfield, BSc ARCS Theoretical Physics, Imperial College. So there.

Don't worry, I have already investigated edible underwear just in case.
23 Sep

I suppose I'd like it to be true, even if it means rewriting my whole university relativity course.. and eating my shorts.

Excitement of overturning whole of modern physics would be so exciting that well worth humiliation of eating boxers (if allowed ketchup)
23 Sep

Twitter

[TimberWolf]

I'm with Prof Jim Al Khalil on this one.

If it's true I'll eat my boxer shorts live on national TV. Also, if it is true, we would have already read about it in next Wednesday's papers.

Moorfield, BSc ARCS Theoretical Physics, Imperial College. So there.

BBC News - Newsnight - Physicist vows to 'eat shorts' over light speed claims

Hang on a second, there's something dodgy about those shorts, how did he whip them off without giving himself a wedgie?

We'll put him down as a sceptic, as I expect most are, but it's exciting having the very foundations of physics rocked anyway.

[adubya]

I though they've had the brightest minds working on this over the last three year trying to find the "glitch" with the results. And they can't find it. Perhaps the spoonfed physicists need to wake up

[moorfield]

I'm with Prof Jim Al Khalil on this one.

If it's true I'll eat my boxer shorts live on national TV. Also, if it is true, we would have already read about it in next Wednesday's papers.

Moorfield, BSc ARCS Theoretical Physics, Imperial College. So there.

[TimberWolf]

They really need to drill a tunnel and send a laser, and see what happens.

The most sensible suggestion I've seen so far relates to a question on whether they could use a neutrino detector much closer to the source, i.e. at CERN, and see if the anomaly still exists. I thought this was what the guy who was hosting the seminar asked at the end at question time, but I may have misheard. Anyway the guy representing the work nodded as if to say, yes we could do that. I don't know whether CERN has one though, they aren't small. I think I must have misheard, because they would have done it before publishing.

[d000hg]

They really need to drill a tunnel and send a laser, and see what happens.