Bazza Posted March 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2011 Re: The Last Word Do a physics problem right' date=' and the answer is correct for all time. Taxation mutates continuously at the behest of the uber-rich.[/quote'] Do a physics problem right...and the answer is relative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cancer Posted March 3, 2011 Report Share Posted March 3, 2011 Re: The Last Word Well, yes ... but the answer, when properly transformed is still valid in all inertial frames. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza Posted March 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2011 Re: The Last Word If I understood, I could respond. My dinky point is that as physics accumulates knowledge and evolves the former correct maths is now 'wrong' due to the new knowledge. As progress marches on the old equations lose relevance, thus their 'correctness' is relative. Example, Newton's calculations of orbits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cancer Posted March 4, 2011 Report Share Posted March 4, 2011 Re: The Last Word The way it should be taught is that advances in physics (in particular, relativity) lead you to the conclusion that the stuff you have done before should be a special case of a more general rule. Newtonian mechanics works just fine as long as you stay at low velocities, low masses, etc. Michaelson's genius was to invent something (his interferometer) with mid-19th Century tech that for the first time unambiguously demonstrated that ordinary Galilean relativity completely failed to describe a particular measurement. Until you had that instrument (or something better) then Newtonian physics was adequate to describe the phenomena you usually observed. Einsteinian relativity naturally results in Newtonian mechanics as long as you stay at velocities well below c and accelerations and gravity in the weak limit. If you know where and how to look, you can find things that Newtonian mechanics doesn't get right, but it's a challenge to unambiguously detect those with pre-1960s technology. Even the quantum physics at the small scale gives you Newtonian results when you look at macroscopic objects. The limitations of easy physics tend to be incompleteness rather than incorrectness. Use them in the regime in which they were formulated and it'll do quite well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza Posted March 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2011 Re: The Last Word For the most part I understand that. Maybe I used a poor example. Oh well, live and learn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted March 5, 2011 Report Share Posted March 5, 2011 Re: The Last Word ... Like "Are toes supposed to be that color?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cancer Posted March 5, 2011 Report Share Posted March 5, 2011 Re: The Last Word ... Like "Are toes supposed to be that color?" Only after you braise them in port wine and rosemary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted March 5, 2011 Report Share Posted March 5, 2011 Re: The Last Word Not "bruise". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cancer Posted March 5, 2011 Report Share Posted March 5, 2011 Re: The Last Word Well, yes. That's the color you get when you braise them in port wine and dates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted March 5, 2011 Report Share Posted March 5, 2011 Re: The Last Word Dates who? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cancer Posted March 5, 2011 Report Share Posted March 5, 2011 Re: The Last Word Depends on what color you want your toes to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza Posted March 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2011 Re: The Last Word i'll take pink. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted March 5, 2011 Report Share Posted March 5, 2011 Re: The Last Word Nail polish or the toes themselves? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza Posted March 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2011 Re: The Last Word maybe...depending on my mood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted March 5, 2011 Report Share Posted March 5, 2011 Re: The Last Word Ah, the Mix'N'Match approach! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cancer Posted March 6, 2011 Report Share Posted March 6, 2011 Re: The Last Word I don't recommend green. Unless you're a tree frog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted March 6, 2011 Report Share Posted March 6, 2011 Re: The Last Word Ribbit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza Posted March 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2011 Re: The Last Word pink and green. what an interesting colour combination Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted March 6, 2011 Report Share Posted March 6, 2011 Re: The Last Word ... Saw a mantis with pink eyes once. I told him about topical creams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza Posted March 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2011 Re: The Last Word did he like that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted March 6, 2011 Report Share Posted March 6, 2011 Re: The Last Word I doubt he listened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza Posted March 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2011 Re: The Last Word well time to get ready for work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted March 6, 2011 Report Share Posted March 6, 2011 Re: The Last Word Knock 'em down, Tiger! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza Posted March 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2011 Re: The Last Word *chuckle* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cancer Posted March 7, 2011 Report Share Posted March 7, 2011 Re: The Last Word Survived my one-day weekend. I didn't get anything done yesterday (other than hearing from my mom) besides making dinner, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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