h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I just joined yesterday I wish I could've watched this thing from the beginning

Well to get technical, there is a ratio used to describe what the fate of the universe is. Scientists have cooked up Omega, If Omega1 we die a heat death, and the really interesting one is if Omega=1 we do neither, the universe reaches it's boundries and stays there, forever. This ratio is defined by the number of electrons to protons or someosuch nonsense I can never remember. Rest assured it's some kind of particle to some other kind of particle.

Anyway it's entirely likely they've determined which way it'll go, With our newer satellittes (sp?) we can see and infer the edges of the universe (the oldest information from immediately after the big bang) soon we'll be able to even see the Cosmic Background radiation that permeates our universe. Some theorize when we decode it we'll here a sound. If anyones interested I'll elaborate in a different posting. Anyway I hope I was helpful.

As a final puzzle, figure out what the trick is to this

a=b
a*a = a*b
a^2 = ab
a^2 - b^2 = ab - b^2
(a+b)(a-b) = b(a-b)
(a+b)(a-b) / (a-b) = b(a-b)/(a-b)
a+b=b
2=1

Here's another "impossible proof"

a+b=c
4a+4b=4c
5c=5a+5b
4a+4b+5c=5a+5b+4c
4a+4b-4c=5a+5b-5c
4(a+b-c)=5(a+b-c)
4(a+b-c)/(a+b-c)=5(a+b-c)/(a+b-c)
4=5

Ive figured out the Theory.

It's the bistromathic drive theory + Improbility drive theory / the sum of the chances of Arthur Dent Getting a good cup of tea.

There.

122119

In that case, the constant alpha, which can be defined as the sum of all of the plausible GUTs divided by the product of the impossible algebra problems suggested is _obviously_ an ironic-comedy-antithetical-non-recursive-numerogram. ie it is equal to any number other than 42. Perhaps there is some meaning in this? If you discover one, please tell me.

Of course, the probability of Arthur Dent getting a nice cup of tea is about the same as us actually discovering the meaning of the universe between us .

btw I'm glad you liked my Creation theory. It is very suggestive isn't it?

And what is "122119" supposed to mean?

In that case, the constant alpha, which can be defined as the sum of all of the plausible GUTs divided by the product of the impossible algebra problems suggested is _obviously_ an ironic-comedy-antithetical-non-recursive-numerogram. ie it is equal to any number other than 42. Perhaps there is some meaning in this? If you discover one, please tell me.

Of course, the probability of Arthur Dent getting a nice cup of tea is about the same as us actually discovering the meaning of the universe between us .

btw I'm glad you liked my Creation theory. It is very suggestive isn't it?

So is it true you can only know where an electron isn't?

What you've all failed to mention is the theory that if you enter a black hole at the speed of light, your acceleration due to gravity will attemp to break the light speed barrier ,which is impossible, and so you inherit a brand new set of physical laws.The fact that you are travelling at the speed of light, and terminal velocity in a black hole can't exceed the speed of light, means that you would theoretically emerge on the other side.But if black holes do indeed suck time in, and time slows down as you approach the quantum singularity, then when you emerge from the other side time travels in a different direction.

what i'm trying to say is, what if the reason life doesn't make sense is that we're travelling through it in a nonsensical direction.

Well the answer to all questions of this magnitude could only be 42.

I think the fact missing from the theory above is that, as the mass of a black hole distorts time around it, the speed of light is different in proximity to a black hole. This has been proved by observation, where two copies of the same star can be seen in the proximity of a black hole, one image having been distorted by the gravitational "lens" and appearing as a mirage next to the other, direct image.

In theory, the speed of light would slow down approaching zero at the centre, explaining why it can never escape.

All we know for sure about black holes because they can never be observed directly because light cannot escape is that the event horizon of a black hole is the surface in space surrounding the black hole at which something must be traveling at least light speed to escape. Beyond this point however we cannot know for sure. It seems reasonable to assume however that within the event horizon space, other than the normal warping effects due to mass, is regular. Light speed in that case would remain the same, but the high mass causes even objects moving at that speed to spiral in towards it with no chance of escape. Time does not change within the event horizon as it does not change with mass, Time dialates with relation to speed. therefore time is normal within the event horizon but begins to slow down as the mass of the black hole accelerates the object in a spiral. Theoretically the object would eventually reach speeds so close to the speed of light, (were talking within 1/* of light speed) that matter fundamentally breaks down, and transfers to energy, which then spouts from the black hole in jets at the poles.

The bending of light around a black hole, as mentioned above, is proof that extreme mass can change the speed of light long before the "event horizon" - when you talk of the "speed of light" you are referring to "the maximum speed of light in free space", which cannot be exceeded, NOT the actual speed that a given photon is travelling at on a particular instant - that would be like assuming that all cars moved at exactly 30mph in a 30mph zone!

Actually slowing light down does not break any rules - it happens all the time. It's how a lens works - the speed of light in glass is slower than the speed of light in air. Any given stream of photons passing through a lens goes through two non-parallel air->glass, glass->air transitions, which leads to the "bending" effect. If you couldn't slow light down, you couldn't do much useful with it, as the eye wouldn't work for a start!

Ahhh... Ah, but a nice cup of tea is the meaning of life. Strangely co-incidental, the combination you use in one sentence, perhaps you know more than you're letting on? I suspect a sub-plot.....

You see the joy of all of this is that none of us know for sure(unless I am communicating with omnipotence)and quite frankly, what do we know for sure, every thing we can prove may be irrelevant to attaining enlightenment, just galce at zen buddhism, It really is truly confusing- but it can be made less so by various combustible substances, the smoke of which, when inhaled, can greatly aid the philosophical thought process.FOR MOSE INFORMATION ON LEGAL MIND EXPANDING DRUGS, VISIT MY HOME (THE CAT)

True, but that doesn't make a theory untrue. After all, it *is* "only" the theory of gravitaion. And the theory of evolution. And that stuff isn't exactly in dispute (unless you're a member of the religious right, I guess)

allow me rebut here

Extreme mass does indeed change the motion of light, in fact any mass affects the path and speed of light in that area. However what is actually affecting is not the speed of the photons directly, but the speed of light at that point in space. Photons, being the particles they are would cease to exist if they travel slower than the speed of light. Since that does not happen, thy always obey the speed of light. In fact your analogy of the 30mph zone is what happens, all photons travel at the speed of light, they can do nothing else.

I never said anything about the changing of light speed, I know that occurs, Scientists have been able to bring the speed of light down to 30 mph in a certain mix of sodium, But the point is that within that space, you can't travel faster than that speed. You always must obey the fact that you can never travel, relatively speaking of course, faster than the speed of light whatever that speed may be.

As a result what I was saying is that nothing can be observed from within the realm of the event horizon because no light can escape from that area, It would require an amount of energy more than infinity. Therefore no direct observations can be made and the only thing we have are several possible theories based on mathematical models.

Rebuttal accepted, under advisement... I learned all I know about physics in the pub, and while the start of each lession is crystal clear, the findings at the end can get a little hazy

I just found an excellent layman's reference to current theories:

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/hawking/strange/html/stuff.html

I am a big fan of hawking, his book 'a breif history of time' is one of the most profound I've read on the subject.I wish I could claim to have learned physics in a pub, I'm only 15, so It wouldn't be quite the same!

Sorry I haven't posted for a few days, my connection went a bit bluey (and not bluey at the same time). From what I hear, there's been a bit of confusion over black holes.
When you enter a black hole, time on the outside seem to slow down, so that eventually you would be stretched out through (almost) infinity. Assuming you could survive the gravitational tidal forces, the difference in gravitational pull between one end of your body/ship and the other, the immense pressure, and the difference in temporal flow, it would be a good method of becoming immortal, as an instant to you would be infinity to anyone away from the event horizon.
On c, the speed of light, yes it is variable (as far as we know) and photons have actually been observed travelling at 1.7c, which should be impossible. It seems that Trek-speak tachyons are real, which is funny really, as TOS used the term 'Black Star' in an episode released two days before the first use of the term 'Black Hole' in a scientific paper or conference.

yeah well wouldn't be the first time sci-fi has had the jump on technological or theoretcal breakthroughs...and if you like stuff o physics and don't mind a little bit of maths try QED by Richard Feynman. Nice bedtime reading of physics letures ::grins sadisticaly:: and me only a lowly molecular biologist....

Be Well,

Melanie (the mental one)