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davieG

Technology, Science and the Environment.

By davieG, in General Chat

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danny.

danny.

Posted
Posted
9 minutes ago, dsr-burnley said:

Thanks.

 

My mind doesn't do counterintuitive very well, I don't think. Science that can be observed, I can follow (mostly!) but not theories built on theories that can never be seen. Fortunately the size of the universe is something that interests me but doesn't matter to me, so it can be as big as it wants!

Kind of off topic, but a great completely counterintuitive maths problem is the Monty Hall problem - look it up on YouTube or something!

  • Like 1
leicsmac

leicsmac

Posted
Posted
15 minutes ago, dsr-burnley said:

Thanks.

 

My mind doesn't do counterintuitive very well, I don't think. Science that can be observed, I can follow (mostly!) but not theories built on theories that can never be seen. Fortunately the size of the universe is something that interests me but doesn't matter to me, so it can be as big as it wants!

When it comes to the very large and very small in terms of physics, direct empiricism through repeated observation (which is what most science relies upon) does become very difficult. 

 

That being said, enough indirect observational evidence is usually good enough to confirm a hypothesis in such areas - at least until a more refined one comes along. 

 

5 minutes ago, danny. said:

Kind of off topic, but a great completely counterintuitive maths problem is the Monty Hall problem - look it up on YouTube or something!

Ah, a classic. 

 

It's only when I saw the outcome matrix for that problem that I really understood exactly why it's best to take the offer to switch. 

The Bear

The Bear

Posted
Posted (edited)

The overall size of the universe is at best a guesstimate based on our current understanding of its expansion. Yes the edges of the obseveable universe are currently expanding faster than the speed of light, but our knowledge of the universe's expansion is tenuous at best.

 

We still don't know if it's been expanding at the same rate for its entire lifespan or if it has been slower in the past. We also don't know if it will continue to expand faster and faster forever. New research suggests it might start to slow down again, and that it has also been much slower in the past too. There's just so much we're not sure of. 

 

https://ras.ac.uk/news-and-press/research-highlights/universes-expansion-now-slowing-not-speeding

Edited by The Bear
  • Like 1
SpacedX

SpacedX

Posted
Posted
4 minutes ago, The Bear said:

The overall size of the universe is at best a guesstimate based on our current understanding of its expansion. Yes the edges of the obseveable universe are currently expanding faster than the speed of light, but our knowledge of the universe's expansion is tenuous at best.

 

We still don't know if it's been expanding at the same rate for its entire lifespan or if it has been slower in the past. We also don't know if it will continue to expand faster and faster forever. New research suggests it might start to slow down again, and that it has also been much slower in the past too. There's just so much we're not sure of. 

 

https://ras.ac.uk/news-and-press/research-highlights/universes-expansion-now-slowing-not-speeding

Significantly, although the edges of the universe are moving away from us faster than the speed of light, this doesn't contravene Einstein's cosmic speed limit because it's space itself expanding, not objects traveling through space faster than light which applies to objects moving locally within spacetime. The expansion of the universe is the stretching of spacetime itself, an intrinsic property, not motion through space. 

 

Indeed. there is growing controversy over recent evidence suggesting that dark energy might be changing in a way that challenges our current understanding of time and space. This returns to the prospect that rather than the Universe continuing to expand, galaxies could be pulled back together by gravity, and there is growing support for the 'Big Crunch' theory. The antithesis being that our ever‑accelerating Universe could first spread the stars so far apart that almost nothing would be visible in the night sky and might eventually tear even atoms themselves apart in what is known as the "Big Rip".

  • Like 2
The Bear

The Bear

Posted
Posted
46 minutes ago, SpacedX said:

Significantly, although the edges of the universe are moving away from us faster than the speed of light, this doesn't contravene Einstein's cosmic speed limit because it's space itself expanding, not objects traveling through space faster than light which applies to objects moving locally within spacetime. The expansion of the universe is the stretching of spacetime itself, an intrinsic property, not motion through space. 

 

Indeed. there is growing controversy over recent evidence suggesting that dark energy might be changing in a way that challenges our current understanding of time and space. This returns to the prospect that rather than the Universe continuing to expand, galaxies could be pulled back together by gravity, and there is growing support for the 'Big Crunch' theory. The antithesis being that our ever‑accelerating Universe could first spread the stars so far apart that almost nothing would be visible in the night sky and might eventually tear even atoms themselves apart in what is known as the "Big Rip".

Personally I favour the Big Rip and eventual heat death of the universe. Conditions which could potentially set up the infinite universe for another Big Bang. I like the idea of a cyclic model as suggested by the likes of Roger Penrose. 

 

Not that it really matters to us as it will take unimaginable multiples of trillions of years where life wouldn't even be physically possible by then. 

  • Like 1
dsr-burnley

dsr-burnley

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, danny. said:

Kind of off topic, but a great completely counterintuitive maths problem is the Monty Hall problem - look it up on YouTube or something!

Yes, I've seen that one before. I got it, once it was explained to me! (The crucial thing is that the question has to be framed exactly right. It is vital that the fact that Monty knows which door has the car, is included.)

 

My background is statistics, and I think I agree with our head of department who explained how complex numbers work. His theory is that as complex numbers revolve around the square root of minus 1, and since there is no square root of minus one, that ends that subject. I agree. :appl:

 

My nephew has a first class Cambridge degree in mathematics. What a brain. Typical boffin, he wears odd socks because it's easier than pairing them. 

  • Like 1
  • 3 weeks later...
SpacedX

SpacedX

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, leicsmac said:

Damn shame. Still, no choice. 

 

March (hopefully) then it is. 

Let's hope so. The core stage is leakier than our defence though. 

 

Mind you, it was built by Boeing. :ph34r:

Zear0

Zear0

Posted
Posted

Experience of trying to containing Helium was an utter ballache, can't imagine the faff of keeping Hydrogen where it needs to be. 

  • Like 1
Leicesterpool

Leicesterpool

Posted
Posted

Putting my video editing skills to the taste and looking to create Leicester City season review, obviously the last one to feature was in 2016 which was champions season, since then we have never released any further season review additions. My first project will be 2016-17 season most known for the champions league, could be long project. Could take me days maybe even weeks. Hopefully when finished I could be able to upload for everyone's viewing. 

SpacedX

SpacedX

Posted
Posted
On 04/02/2026 at 13:42, Zear0 said:

Experience of trying to containing Helium was an utter ballache, can't imagine the faff of keeping Hydrogen where it needs to be. 

My worry about the Artemis 2 mission is Orion's heat shield. Although this is derived from the same material as the Apollo CM, (Avcoat composed of silica fibres in an epoxy novolac resin), it is applied via tiles as opposed to the honeycomb system used by Apollo. The damage to these during Artemis 1 has meant that Artemis 2 will use a different re-entry ( I assume a steeper trajectory), which exerts more stress and G-force but involves less time, hence it isn't exposed to the high temperature plasma for so long. Artemis 3 sees a complete re-design of Orion's heat shield whilst NASA management decided against it for Artemis 2, after analysis showed the Avcoat ablative material damage from Artemis I was unexpected but manageable, and replacing it would have caused significant, costly delays. 

 

"Significant costly delays"? Have they learnt nothing from the Challenger tragedy 40 years ago practically to the date? 

Zear0

Zear0

Posted
Posted

 

 

Appreciate it's from their own media team, but nice to read they've started on D-T testing. Been fascinated by Helion's machines for a while now. 

  • Like 1
leicsmac

leicsmac

Posted
Posted
5 minutes ago, Innovindil said:

A single nasal spray vaccine could protect against all coughs, colds and flus, as well as bacterial lung infections, and may even ease allergies, say US researchers.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2g8rz7yedo

 

Sign me right up. 2 young uns started preschool/playschool and we've all been sick with some sort of cough/cold/flu for 6 weeks now. Damn thing would fly off the shelves if it works. 

Great stuff. 

 

Am rather amazed this research got past the current RFK-run Dept of Health over there, though. 

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