There are quite a few physicists & cosmologists these days who are
confronting at least the possibility that physical constants may not always
be constant. There's a lot of discussion of this sort of thing on physicist
Sean Carroll's blog Cosmic Variance.
jd
On Fri, Jul 4, 2008 at 7:22 AM, David Bircumshaw <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
> Here you then, me ducks, this isn't Wiki:
>
> "In the second place our result shows that, according to the general
> theory of relativity, the law of the constancy of the velocity of
> light in vacuo, which constitutes one of the two fundamental
> assumptions in the special theory of relativity and to which we have
> already frequently referred, cannot claim +any unlimited validity+. A
> curvature of rays of light can only take place when the velocity of
> propagation of light varies with position. Now we might think that as
> a consequence of this, the special theory of relativity and with it
> the whole theory of relativity would be laid in the dust. But in
> reality this is not the case. We can only conclude that the special
> theory of relativity cannot claim an unlimited domain of validity ;
> its results hold only so long as we are able to disregard the
> influences of gravitational fields on the phenomena (e.g. of light)."
> - Albert Einstein (1879-1955) - The General Theory of Relativity:
> Chapter 22 - A Few Inferences from the General Principle of
> Relativity-
>
> 2008/7/4 Roger Day <[log in to unmask]>:
> > Take care with the Wiki, you never know what you might catch.
> >
> > On 7/4/08, David Bircumshaw <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> >> What makes you think I like Frank Sinatra? It's not a matter of my
> >> way, there's loads of stuff on this, for instance:
> >>
> >> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variable_speed_of_light
> >>
> >> that's just a starter.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> 2008/7/4 Roger Day <[log in to unmask]>:
> >> > have it your own way Dav me old son.
> >> >
> >> > Roger
> >> >
> >> > On Thu, Jul 3, 2008 at 9:25 PM, David Bircumshaw
> >> > <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> >> >> To reverse a certain conundrum: no answer is not an answer.
> >> >>
> >> >> Therein the case resteth.
> >> >>
> >> >> 2008/7/3 Roger Day <[log in to unmask]>:
> >> >>> There's a big "etc" at the end of the name of this list. If you find
> >> >>> my emails not to your pleasure, please, use the delete key. I for
> one
> >> >>> won't miss your "replies". Enjoy your tunnel vision, sir.
> >> >>>
> >> >>> Roger
> >> >>>
> >> >>> On Thu, Jul 3, 2008 at 7:39 PM, David Bircumshaw
> >> >>> <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> >> >>>> I always find it richly ironic that people who profess an interest
> in
> >> >>>> poetry will cling to anything else but poetry for support.
> >> >>>>
> >> >>>> I must admit, the Muse can be a right bitch, but we all have our
> bad hair days.
> >> >>>>
> >> >>>> 2008/7/3 Roger Day <[log in to unmask]>:
> >> >>>>> I always find it richly ironic that people who profess distrust of
> >> >>>>> Science and/or Maths often do so using the fruits of those
> >> >>>>> disciplines. Enjoy your series of tubes.
> >> >>>>>
> >> >>>>> Roger
> >> >>>>>
> >> >>>>> On Thu, Jul 3, 2008 at 3:38 PM, David Bircumshaw
> >> >>>>> <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> >> >>>>>> Perhaps it would be more nicer to let somebody else claim it.
> >> >>>>>>
> >> >>>>>>
> >> >>>>>> Me, I'm happy with a meal at Starlight, and the night skies,
> rising so
> >> >>>>>> beautiful at full above us. Their long in lonely call. Too
> clammy at
> >> >>>>>> the equator though, I must say, phew.
> >> >>>>>>
> >> >>>>>> Take care with those equations, you never know what you might
> catch.
> >> >>>>>>
> >> >>>>>> 2008/7/2 Roger Day <[log in to unmask]>:
> >> >>>>>>> Then maybe you should claim the million dollar prize.
> >> >>>>>>>
> >> >>>>>>> Roger
> >> >>>>>>>
> >> >>>>>>> On Wed, Jul 2, 2008 at 10:27 PM, David Bircumshaw
> >> >>>>>>> <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> >> >>>>>>>> Old hat to me, mate. The problem lies in that import from
> Hinduism,
> >> >>>>>>>> i.e. zero equals infinity. That's what you get when you intake
> an
> >> >>>>>>>> numero-ideology from a caste-system.
> >> >>>>>>>>
> >> >>>>>>>> Yawn.
> >> >>>>>>>>
> >> >>>>>>>> Mr Particular.
> >> >>>>>>>>
> >> >>>>>>>> 2008/7/2 Roger Day <[log in to unmask]>:
> >> >>>>>>>>> The proof
> >> >>>>>>>>> http://arxiv.org/abs/0807.0090v2
> >> >>>>>>>>>
> >> >>>>>>>>> the hypothesis
> >> >>>>>>>>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riemann_hypothesis
> >> >>>>>>>>>
> >> >>>>>>>>> and a poem:
> >> >>>>>>>>> http://xkcd.com/113/
> >> >>>>>>>>>
> >> >>>>>>>>> now don't go wild in the aisles.
> >> >>>>>>>>>
> >> >>>>>>>>> Roger
> >> >>>>>>>>>
> >> >>>>>>>>> --
> >> >>>>>>>>> My Stuff: http://www.badstep.net/
> >> >>>>>>>>> "I began to warm and chill
> >> >>>>>>>>> to objects and their fields"
> >> >>>>>>>>> Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
> >> >>>>>>>>>
> >> >>>>>>>>
> >> >>>>>>>>
> >> >>>>>>>>
> >> >>>>>>>> --
> >> >>>>>>>> David Bircumshaw
> >> >>>>>>>> Website and A Chide's Alphabet
> http://homepage.ntlworld.com/david.bircumshaw/
> >> >>>>>>>> The Animal Subsides
> http://www.arrowheadpress.co.uk/books/animal.html
> >> >>>>>>>> Leicester Poetry Society: http://www.poetryleicester.co.uk
> >> >>>>>>>>
> >> >>>>>>>
> >> >>>>>>>
> >> >>>>>>>
> >> >>>>>>> --
> >> >>>>>>> My Stuff: http://www.badstep.net/
> >> >>>>>>> "I began to warm and chill
> >> >>>>>>> to objects and their fields"
> >> >>>>>>> Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
> >> >>>>>>>
> >> >>>>>>
> >> >>>>>>
> >> >>>>>>
> >> >>>>>> --
> >> >>>>>> David Bircumshaw
> >> >>>>>> Website and A Chide's Alphabet
> http://homepage.ntlworld.com/david.bircumshaw/
> >> >>>>>> The Animal Subsides
> http://www.arrowheadpress.co.uk/books/animal.html
> >> >>>>>> Leicester Poetry Society: http://www.poetryleicester.co.uk
> >> >>>>>>
> >> >>>>>
> >> >>>>>
> >> >>>>>
> >> >>>>> --
> >> >>>>> My Stuff: http://www.badstep.net/
> >> >>>>> "I began to warm and chill
> >> >>>>> to objects and their fields"
> >> >>>>> Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
> >> >>>>>
> >> >>>>
> >> >>>>
> >> >>>>
> >> >>>> --
> >> >>>> David Bircumshaw
> >> >>>> Website and A Chide's Alphabet
> http://homepage.ntlworld.com/david.bircumshaw/
> >> >>>> The Animal Subsides
> http://www.arrowheadpress.co.uk/books/animal.html
> >> >>>> Leicester Poetry Society: http://www.poetryleicester.co.uk
> >> >>>>
> >> >>>
> >> >>>
> >> >>>
> >> >>> --
> >> >>> My Stuff: http://www.badstep.net/
> >> >>> "I began to warm and chill
> >> >>> to objects and their fields"
> >> >>> Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
> >> >>>
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> --
> >> >> David Bircumshaw
> >> >> Website and A Chide's Alphabet
> http://homepage.ntlworld.com/david.bircumshaw/
> >> >> The Animal Subsides
> http://www.arrowheadpress.co.uk/books/animal.html
> >> >> Leicester Poetry Society: http://www.poetryleicester.co.uk
> >> >>
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > --
> >> > My Stuff: http://www.badstep.net/
> >> > "I began to warm and chill
> >> > to objects and their fields"
> >> > Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
> >> >
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> --
> >> David Bircumshaw
> >> Website and A Chide's Alphabet
> http://homepage.ntlworld.com/david.bircumshaw/
> >> The Animal Subsides http://www.arrowheadpress.co.uk/books/animal.html
> >> Leicester Poetry Society: http://www.poetryleicester.co.uk
> >>
> >
> >
> > --
> > My Stuff: http://www.badstep.net/
> > "I began to warm and chill
> > to objects and their fields"
> > Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
> >
>
>
>
> --
> David Bircumshaw
> Website and A Chide's Alphabet
> http://homepage.ntlworld.com/david.bircumshaw/
> The Animal Subsides http://www.arrowheadpress.co.uk/books/animal.html
> Leicester Poetry Society: http://www.poetryleicester.co.uk
>
--
Joseph Duemer
Professor of Humanities
Clarkson University
Weblog: sharpsand.net
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