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General Science => General Science => Topic started by: Emilio Romero on 09/03/2009 15:25:06

Title: What would happen if suddenly math and physics ceased to be exact?
Post by: Emilio Romero on 09/03/2009 15:25:06


Just for the fun of the exercise and analysis... What would happen if all of the sudden –say tomorrow at 6:59 am— math and physics ceased to be exact?

emilio

Title: What would happen if suddenly math and physics ceased to be exact?
Post by: tony6789 on 09/03/2009 15:29:21
hmmm not totally understand wat ya mean like nothing works any more?

ummm im pretty sure hell wud come down i mean everything wud just go to chaos
Title: What would happen if suddenly math and physics ceased to be exact?
Post by: Don_1 on 09/03/2009 15:36:07
I'd get £20.00 change from a £10.00 note!
Title: What would happen if suddenly math and physics ceased to be exact?
Post by: tony6789 on 09/03/2009 15:47:54
haha lol
Title: What would happen if suddenly math and physics ceased to be exact?
Post by: tony6789 on 09/03/2009 15:48:34
but then that £20.00 would mean pretty much nothing =P
Title: What would happen if suddenly math and physics ceased to be exact?
Post by: Emilio Romero on 09/03/2009 16:06:56
but then that £20.00 would mean pretty much nothing =P
it depends on how much or how many of something you're buying ;-)
Title: What would happen if suddenly math and physics ceased to be exact?
Post by: Don_1 on 09/03/2009 16:14:26
but then that £20.00 would mean pretty much nothing =P
it depends on how much or how many of something you're buying ;-)

Ah yes, but without maths, it could be buy 2 get 1 free, or buy free get one too!!!???
Title: What would happen if suddenly math and physics ceased to be exact?
Post by: Emilio Romero on 09/03/2009 16:22:44
 [:D] [:D] [:D]
LOL

niiice!!!
and I guess ∑∩∫↑κ  will mean MUSIC.....
Title: What would happen if suddenly math and physics ceased to be exact?
Post by: lyner on 09/03/2009 17:57:37
Maths is based on axioms (those are the 'rules') you'd have to change them for Maths to change. A DIFFERENT Maths could be inexact but not the one we know and love, because it is consistent in itself. That's not to say that you couldn't get one apple and another apple and end up with three apples - or at least something like that could happen with wierd particles. But that's not maths. It's reality - or a possible version of a reality.

Physics is NOT exact, in any case. There are two fundamental reasons -

Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle says that you can't know a body's speed and position accurately at the same time.

Every measurement is perturbed by the background 'noise' in the measuring equipment, which it there because of thermal vibrations and what is happening at the atomic level in your measuring device.

Then there is Chaos, which was discovered fairly recently and which tells us that, in certain systems with what is called non-linearity,  even vanishingly small differences in starting conditions can produce wildly different results. The popular image of a butterfly beating its wings in South America causing - or not causing - a hurricane a thousand miles away, is an example of chaotic systems.

Three reasons why Physics cannot be exact without any fantasy scenario being involved. The Victorians believed that Physics was more or less sewn up but then these three ideas came up.
Title: What would happen if suddenly math and physics ceased to be exact?
Post by: Emilio Romero on 09/03/2009 18:55:28
Maths is based on axioms (those are the 'rules') you'd have to change them for Maths to change. A DIFFERENT Maths could be inexact but not the one we know and love, because it is consistent in itself. That's not to say that you couldn't get one apple and another apple and end up with three apples - or at least something like that could happen with wierd particles. But that's not maths. It's reality - or a possible version of a reality.

Physics is NOT exact, in any case. There are two fundamental reasons -

Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle says that you can't know a body's speed and position accurately at the same time.

Every measurement is perturbed by the background 'noise' in the measuring equipment, which it there because of thermal vibrations and what is happening at the atomic level in your measuring device.

Then there is Chaos, which was discovered fairly recently and which tells us that, in certain systems with what is called non-linearity,  even vanishingly small differences in starting conditions can produce wildly different results. The popular image of a butterfly beating its wings in South America causing - or not causing - a hurricane a thousand miles away, is an example of chaotic systems.

Three reasons why Physics cannot be exact without any fantasy scenario being involved. The Victorians believed that Physics was more or less sewn up but then these three ideas came up.

Understood, thanks, I stand corrected.
And I know math is exact.  But, for a sci-fi scenario (and we’ve seen monetary implications so far -LOL-), how chaotic would everything be if suddenly those axioms are not anymore.

Title: What would happen if suddenly math and physics ceased to be exact?
Post by: lyner on 09/03/2009 19:14:49
Just invent some  different ones then. The alternative system need not be too rigorous for a Sci Fi story. If the story is good enough, people won't worry too much about the holes. After all, Azimov is full of total bollocks and we still love it.
Title: What would happen if suddenly math and physics ceased to be exact?
Post by: menzoic on 10/03/2009 01:23:33
How about this for your idea?

Physics becomes even more unexact and our brains can't understand the current axioms of math, only
ones that don't work, which would make math unexact.
Title: What would happen if suddenly math and physics ceased to be exact?
Post by: Chemistry4me on 10/03/2009 06:10:42
What would happen if all of the sudden say tomorrow at 6:59 am— math and physics ceased to be exact?
I would be jumping with joy!
Title: What would happen if suddenly math and physics ceased to be exact?
Post by: lyner on 10/03/2009 10:00:22
How about this for your idea?

Physics becomes even more unexact and our brains can't understand the current axioms of math, only
ones that don't work, which would make math unexact.

The majority of the population have exactly that appreciation of maths at the moment. No need for Science Fiction!
Just ask anyone what 20 divided by 1/10 is. A frightening number will say 2.
If you were to propose a scenario in which a design fault finds its way into all calculators and computers which makes the same mistake, you would have a possible scenario. Most people will believe the calculator despite what you tell em.
Title: What would happen if suddenly math and physics ceased to be exact?
Post by: Emilio Romero on 10/03/2009 13:32:17
.... If you were to propose a scenario in which a design fault finds its way into all calculators and computers which makes the same mistake, you would have a possible scenario. Most people will believe the calculator despite what you tell em....

WOW!!! that's scary... and true!!!
Title: What would happen if suddenly math and physics ceased to be exact?
Post by: tony6789 on 11/03/2009 16:21:54
What would happen if all of the sudden say tomorrow at 6:59 am— math and physics ceased to be exact?
I would be jumping with joy!

ha if no physics or math existed then there would b no laws of gravity to bring you bak down lol
Title: What would happen if suddenly math and physics ceased to be exact?
Post by: Chemistry4me on 12/03/2009 04:13:13
Hmm... didn't think of that. [:D]
Title: What would happen if suddenly math and physics ceased to be exact?
Post by: lyner on 12/03/2009 16:54:53
If you told flies about gravity would they all fall off the ceiling?
Title: What would happen if suddenly math and physics ceased to be exact?
Post by: Chemistry4me on 13/03/2009 02:52:13
If you told them about time they'll turn into:

(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.discovermagazine.com%2Fcosmicvariance%2Ffiles%2F2008%2F11%2Ftime-flies-clock-10-11-2006.gif&hash=cb9066ee81ffc1172d1f2ab79c36610c)
Title: What would happen if suddenly math and physics ceased to be exact?
Post by: lyner on 13/03/2009 12:10:04
"Time flies"
You can't ,they fly too fast.
Title: What would happen if suddenly math and physics ceased to be exact?
Post by: Chemistry4me on 13/03/2009 12:13:19
What? [???] HUH? [???]
Title: What would happen if suddenly math and physics ceased to be exact?
Post by: Emilio Romero on 13/03/2009 16:19:44
"Time flies like the wind... fruit flies like bananas...".


Title: What would happen if suddenly math and physics ceased to be exact?
Post by: lyner on 13/03/2009 17:15:35
What? [???] HUH? [???]
Time as with a stop watch over 100m???
Title: What would happen if suddenly math and physics ceased to be exact?
Post by: tangoblue on 13/03/2009 21:17:56
things would get very funky.   [O8)] like this dude.
Title: What would happen if suddenly math and physics ceased to be exact?
Post by: Chemistry4me on 14/03/2009 09:38:45
What? [???] HUH? [???]
Time as with a stop watch over 100m???
What? [???] HUH? [???]
Title: What would happen if suddenly math and physics ceased to be exact?
Post by: lyner on 14/03/2009 11:28:50
It's a PUN!

You 'Time' an athlete running round a track to see how fast she can run. So you could Time a fly.
Then there's:
"Time flies" i.e it goes very fast.

I'm wasted here, you know.
Title: What would happen if suddenly math and physics ceased to be exact?
Post by: Chemistry4me on 14/03/2009 11:36:26
Ah, a PUN.
I'm wasted too.
I think it's time....


Time for me to fly.
Title: What would happen if suddenly math and physics ceased to be exact?
Post by: lyner on 14/03/2009 20:02:25
That swat I thought.
Title: What would happen if suddenly math and physics ceased to be exact?
Post by: Chemistry4me on 14/03/2009 23:12:55
(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fbestsmileys.com%2Fclapping%2F2.gif&hash=f3ac90d0f104dd89dbe260c598e013a8)(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fbestsmileys.com%2Fclapping%2F2.gif&hash=f3ac90d0f104dd89dbe260c598e013a8)(https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fbestsmileys.com%2Fclapping%2F2.gif&hash=f3ac90d0f104dd89dbe260c598e013a8)
Title: What would happen if suddenly math and physics ceased to be exact?
Post by: tony6789 on 17/03/2009 14:19:32
there u go lol wow

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