Dark Energy/Zero-Point Energy/Tesla

[Bill3000]

The big bang is purely related to the fact that the universe is expanding, not with the beginning of the universe. (Yay, a similar fallacy to what religious peeps think of evolution) Infation theory goes a bit futhur back, but it's not a complete understanding of what actually CAUSED the big bang, or what happened before the first plank time (10^-43 sec) It simply cannot be described by our theories atm. Gogo no current theory of quantum gravity!

Just because we currently don't understand it doesn't mean we won't. Eventually you'll be stuck saying that the only gap that god can be in is in the uncertaincy principle.

Personally? I'd think we will realize eventually, that the laws of nature IS what we would have considered to be god. The beauty in what is to come in physics will show us that nature can be just as omnipotent and omniprescent as god could.


Regarding conservation of energy in GR:

http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/Relativity/GR/energy_gr.html

[pchang]

I keep telling people that gravity is not the only force that can act over cosmic scales. Most of the matter in the universe is plasma. While you cannot support electric fields due to charge imbalances over any appreciable distance, you can easily generate large currents and thus, magnetic fields over cosmic distances.

[Lefty Scaevola]

Rather than a dark energy with a repulsive force, some cosmologists theorize that their is a gravity leak, causing it to diminish slightly more than the inverse of distance squared.

[Dauphin]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker


It predicts that a particle with no definite position is at rest

No it doesn't.

[DanS]

Damn. You guys have confused me.

Now I know why I didn't do too well in high school physics.

[KrazyHorse]

ignore everybody except the dolphin, me and Ramo.

[DanS]

Gotcha.

[KrazyHorse]

If you were learning cosmology and QFT in high school physics then I'm impressed...

We were busy doing stuff like adding vectors together and you were doing Feynman Path Integrals...

[DanS]

No, I was learning cosmology and QFT only inasmuch as the vectors stuff leads eventually to cosmology and QFT.

[Az]

keep telling people that gravity is not the only force that can act over cosmic scales. Most of the matter in the universe is plasma. While you cannot support electric fields due to charge imbalances over any appreciable distance, you can easily generate large currents and thus, magnetic fields over cosmic distances.

I must admit that I actually had the same thought a couple of weeks ago....

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by DanS


Well, not Tesla energy. But an ether that is permeated with energy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic_theory_of_gravity

Please note that Tesla was sometimes pretty far out and subsequently a lot of nutballs have glommed on to him for various conspiracy theories. But he was a genius of the highest order as well, so...

Tesla was a smart dude, but I wouldn't consider him a genius of the highest order, especially not when it comes to fundamental physics.

He was more of an inventor and engineer than physicist.

[Az]

Inventive genius is still genius, KH.

[KrazyHorse]

I didn't say it wasn't, Az.

But if you read the quoted post it is implying that we should lend credence to Tesla's ether theory based on his qualifications as "a genius of the highest order". I was pointing out that:

a) I don't think that Tesla was even close to the smartest man of his time

b) even if he was, his intelligence was focused on technical matters, and this brings into question his ability to comment usefully on purely scientific matters

[KrazyHorse]

I'd never think about arguing with you seriously about biochemistry, Azazel, even though I could kick your ass six ways from sunday in mathematics or physics...

[Az]

I didn't say it wasn't, Az.

But if you read the quoted post it is implying that we should lend credence to Tesla's ether theory based on his qualifications as "a genius of the highest order". I was pointing out that:

a) I don't think that Tesla was even close to the smartest man of his time

b) even if he was, his intelligence was focused on technical matters, and this brings into question his abilities to comment usefully on purely scientific matters

Oh, I fully agree with both points! Just there is a certain tendency among all scientists to look down on engineers. I just think it's very wrong.

I'd never think about arguing with you seriously about biochemistry, Azazel even though I could kick your ass six ways from sunday in mathematics or physics...

Yeah, of course everyone knows his own disciplines, no doubt about that. However one does have to wonder: is this completely ok, or should more people be more multi-disciplinary in their approach?
Btw, I am not the biochemist, KH. Organic chemistry is what I do.