[jeffreyH (OP)]

When Santa 🎅 delivers all those Prezzies it appears to me that he must violate the principlals of general relativity.

What do YOU think?

[jeffreyH (OP)]

Let's have a look at the science.
https://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/santa/physics.asp

[chiralSPO]

Obviously Santa's Christmas feat is an example of quantum commuting!

By constructing a superposition of gifts, and carefully deconvoluting of the entangled goodies, Santa is able to effectively materialize presents across the globe in a simultaneous manner. The naughty vs nice lists help determine which Eigen states to project onto (locations of naughty children usually end up as nodes in the gift wave function)

[jeffreyH (OP)]

How much uncertainty is there in the distribution? If you open the box is the toy with batteries included or without batteries? Or is it the Schrodinger toy? Both active and inactive at the same time. Can you tell how fast the toy travels as well as where it is at all times? Or are we just using science to destroy the dreams of small children?

[Colin2B]

locations of naughty children usually end up as nodes in the gift wave function

So is there a finite probability that a naughty child might tunnel to the other side of the present barrier?

[jeffreyH (OP)]

locations of naughty children usually end up as nodes in the gift wave function

So is there a finite probability that a naughty child might tunnel to the other side of the present barrier?

That's your Bell's inequality that is. There how are you going to explain that then?

[jeffreyH (OP)]

I think Chiral's getting Bertlmann's socks for Christmas.

[Colin2B]

That's your Bell's inequality that is. There how are you going to explain that then?

How about the hidden present theory.
Or you could just say “it fell off the back of a sleigh”   

[jeffreyH (OP)]

I think we are all missing the point here. There have only been discussions about the quantum nature of Santa 🎅. However, the thread is meant to be about general relativity. I hope someone is going to reconcile the two viewpoints otherwise it is entirely off topic. And what does Santa do to naughty moderators who stray off topic?

[alancalverd]

The Snopes article borrows heavily from Roger Highfield's "Physics of Christmas" but I claim to have presented the calculation of Santa's cruising speed and its relativistic consequences at least two years before that publication, in a Round Table festive debate. Subsequent articles seem to have quoted me almost verbatim but most have ignored the serious consequences that I pointed out in the original script.

Santa is always portrayed as overweight and myopic. Carrying cargo on a scheduled route, he should have a Class 1 medical certificate, which seems doubtful. Whilst he admittedly flies about 20 hours in any calendar year, more than the minimum 12 hours required to maintain his licence privileges, he cannot claim to be actually current (the expectation is no more than 90 days between flights) nor to meet normal rest requirements during his duty shift, nor is there any record of annual proficiency checks. In his annual sortie he is presumed to consume considerable quantities of sherry or whisky and cannot conceivably meet even the "8 hour rule".

Fortunately there is very little other air traffic  in his delivery slot (0100 - 0500 local time - children are awake at all other times), with one significant exception. The tooth fairy covers the same track, but cruises at a significantly lower speed as she makes fewer delivery calls.  Now whilst Santa's sleigh is brightly lit (though Rudolph's nose should be on the port beam, not ahead), the tooth fairy necessarily rides a stealth vehicle. She is admittedly current and sober, but the rules require the faster vehicle to give way when overtaking. This is extremely difficult to achieve if the overtaking pilot is unfit and travelling at relativistic speed, and in the absence of other traffic there will be no ground radar cover.

As both Santa and the tooth fairy begin their journeys at the Date Line, with Tango Foxtrot leading Sierra Charlie by at least 4 hours, we can estimate the probable point and time of collision as around 52°N, 0°W, on the nortrhern boundary of Stansted Airport, around 0300Z.

Definitely worth staying up for.

[jeffreyH (OP)]

Bravo. We have an original author. May I ask when you will be suing for plagiarism? They cannot be allowed to get away with it!