1

General Science / How much of me is original?

« on: 29/06/2022 21:14:17 »

As I approach 65 years of age I was wondering just how much of my body I was born with is still original? I know my dna remains the same but does the whole of the body continually lose and regenerate new cells? For instance, will any of the original heart I was born with remain with me now?

2

Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Cosmic inflation, before or after the big bang?

« on: 25/11/2021 09:33:58 »

Depending on the age of sources I read, cosmic inflation occurred after or before the big bang. Is it now agreed that cosmic inflation occurred before the big bang and if so does it make a big difference to our original understanding that inflation occurred after the big bang? Also is there a reliable source of information I could access regarding this point?

3

Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Is it possible to recreate a black hole?

« on: 24/11/2021 18:36:12 »

What questions have yet to be answered regarding black holes? Would it be possible to recreate a black hole or similar in order to try and answer some of these questions?

4

Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / How long does a gravitational wave last?

« on: 23/11/2021 15:17:12 »

A two black hole merger occurred in 2015 and LIGO observed waves from the event. Wouldn't the waves from such an event be observed at LIGO for quite a considerable amount of time? Or does such a massive event only produce a wave/s capable of being observed for a very short length of time?

5

Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / A particle in 2 places at once?

« on: 31/10/2021 16:37:06 »

As a non scientist I get all my information from popular science books and websites. And as such I take these as good places to get factual scientific information. I often read that particles can be in two separate locations at once. Of course particles in the plural suggests more than one particle so the fact that they can be in two separate locations at once isn't too surprising. It is when I read that 'a particle' can be in two separate locations at once I wonder if the statement is true and if it is at all helpful to describe it as such when discussing superposition? My initial reaction is to be in awe of such a possibility. But then if I think about it a bit more I ask would this be possible in spacetime? How could one particle occupy two places in spacetime?

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General Science / Science discoveries and advancements 2021?

« on: 17/10/2021 21:57:14 »

Are there any particular standout discoveries and advancements made so far this year in the world of science?

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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Methods of discovering life on mars?

« on: 09/10/2021 16:38:11 »

I've just read the latest exciting news involving the Perseverance Rover at the Jezero crater. What is not so exciting for me personally is that when the samples from Mars are brought to earth in the early 2030's I may well not be around! I'm old! I'm old enough to have seen man's first flights around and to the moon. And old enough to remember 'Martians'! So if I'm ever to finally discover whether there was or is life on Mars then it would have to come from another source. So other than the samples from Mars expected in the 30's is there another way of revealing life on Mars?

8

General Science / Do the theories of quantum and relativity have to be unified?

« on: 02/10/2021 22:01:57 »

Is it critical that the quantum world and the the world of relativity be unified? Are there real world implications for there being unification or not? Or is it just a matter of the math/numbers don't add up and at the end of the day it doesn't affect anything?

9

General Science / Super conducting magnets and bigger objects.

« on: 30/09/2021 10:01:00 »

At CERN super conducting magnets are used in the LHC to propel particles at speed. Is it possible to use this method to propel bigger objects at these speeds?

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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Do objects fall in a vacuum?

« on: 03/07/2021 19:45:33 »

Just watched TV and saw a bowling ball and feather dropped from a height and of course the ball lands first. The same experiment is repeated but in a vacuum chamber. The ball and feather land at the same time! Shouldn't the feather and ball just hang suspended side by side in a vacuum until a force acts on them to either move them of pull them to the ground?

11

Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Is space in, beyond and around the universe?

« on: 24/06/2021 20:21:49 »

Am I correct in thinking that there is space, and into this space has emerged our universe? And through this space the mass of our universe is expanding? Warping and rippling this space as it does so?

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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Inner and outer space?

« on: 07/03/2021 10:29:03 »

I read that most of an atom is 'empty space'. Is it true to say that this same empty space is the space that pervades throughout outer space and the universe?

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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Our solar system in relation to universe expansion?

« on: 04/03/2021 09:08:21 »

The universe is expanding everywhere in every direction as a consequence of the so called big bang ... what effect does this have on our solar system?  Is the space between the objects in our solar system expanding too? 

14

Just Chat! / What are the odds ?

« on: 31/01/2021 13:16:22 »

I'm hopeless at mathematics and certainly cannot work out the odds of something occurring and reoccurring so I hope someone can help. It's not a life or death question I'm just curious.

I have a digital clock next to my bed and have woken up and looked at the time to find 3:33. Twice. I have also woken up to see 5.55 and  4.44. This might be a common occurrence for some but I thought it unusual and wondered what the odds were of waking and seeing 3 digits with the same number? 

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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / How are particles monitored for position and velocity in the LHC?

« on: 27/07/2020 09:34:28 »

Am I understanding correctly that we can't measure a particles exact position and measure it's speed because the method used disturbs the particle making an accurate measurement impossible? It's not that the particle doesn't have a definite position and velocity, it's just that we can't measure or determine both simultaneously?

Now I'm assuming that my understanding above is correct when I ask how are particles monitored for position and velocity in the LHC?

Or it could be my understanding is incorrect?

16

Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Is it possible for light to double back on itself?

« on: 26/07/2020 09:50:23 »

Rather than with the obvious use of mirrors, is it possible for light to double back on itself in outer space? I see the way large mass objects warp time and space and affect the route light takes from distance stars. Is it possible that something like a black hole could act as a roundabout and send light back in the same direction it came?  Or perhaps in the case of a black hole anything like a turnaround would result in the light getting swallowed up?

17

Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Why are we not covered in starlight?

« on: 24/07/2020 20:40:02 »

The sun rises and covers half of the earth in sunlight. When I look into the night sky once the sun has set I see thousands of stars. If I look at a star the size of our sun in the night sky, what happens to the light it emits that results in it being just a pinprick by the time it reaches my eye?

18

Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Expansion of the universe - what is being measured?

« on: 17/07/2020 09:05:00 »

I was just reading about the Atacama Cosmology Telescope in Chile. Research is as active as ever in trying to determine the age of the universe and the rate at which the universe is expanding. Does this research measure the rate at which matter is travelling through the universe or measure the actual expansion of the fabric of the universe?

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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / An expanding flat universe?

« on: 11/06/2020 20:06:13 »

Can anyone help me visualise a flat universe that is expanding in every direction? It would seem to me that anything that is flat could not retain its flat shape if it were expanding in every direction.

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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Wave-particle duality theory and the observable universe.

« on: 04/04/2020 16:22:08 »

Can the outcomes of wave-particle duality experiments be reflected in the world I observe and experience around me?

If so, does the universe I know and experience only exist because at every moment in space and time I am able to observe it?

Or does wave-particle duality theory only refer to the world of quantum?