Comments on: Special Relativity, Simply Explained

By: Anonymous37

Anonymous37 — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 01:12:41 +0000

This reminds me of a funny story: back when I was in graduate school, Joe Taylor won the Nobel Prize in physics, and journalists descended upon the department. So Taylor gave a press conference in the main auditorium, and a number of the graduate students attended as well.

Taylor explained in fairly simple terms the experimental observations, what it proved about general relativity, and so on. When he finished, one of the reporters asked, “Can you explain that again in laymen’s terms?” Taylor replied, “I thought I just did.”

The graduate students and professors laughed. The reporters, on the other hand, did not think that was funny at all. Which, of course, made it that much more hilarious.

By: Soto

Soto — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 22:36:20 +0000

Sadly, this kind of twisting of a scientific explanation, one that specifically uses a hypothetical, by the media is already happening. See, for example: http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2010/12/coldest-winter-in-1000-years-cometh-–-not/

So, I guess I can’t really laugh at this cartoon.

By: Matt B.

Matt B. — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 23:26:28 +0000

I find once you throw time skewing in, special relativity is pretty easy to get. Trouble is, length contraction and time dilation get all the glory.

By: NCBI ROFL: Development of a two-layer movable sweating thermal manikin. (Discover ) | Abort America

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 07:29:59 +0000

[...] Fri Nov 26th, 2010 by Sean | 91 commentsCosmic Variance | Special Relativity, Simply Explained [...]

By: Low Math, Meekly Interacting

Low Math, Meekly Interacting — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 17:07:37 +0000

One potential problem with this thought experiment: If an alien member of a civilization advanced enough to send a spacecraft traveling at a significant fraction of the speed of light to our solar system to fire a laser directly at Earth exists, it may be indirect evidence that Special Relativity is wrong.

By: Flint

Flint — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 21:13:11 +0000

I’d never really realized that, since lasers propagate at the speed of light, they are a much better way of attacking distant star systems than almost any other weapon. We probably should be worried about this.

By: Gary M

Gary M — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 04:32:35 +0000

Funny you need it to be explained.

Snigger.

Just another thought experiment.

Snigger.

By: Gary M

Gary M — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 04:06:11 +0000

Um, no frame of reference owns ultimate reality.

You folks snigger as if you do, and own SR too.

Snigger.

By: Shawn

Shawn — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 17:55:21 +0000

When your name shows up in xcdc is when you know you’ve made it in life.

By: réalta fuar

réalta fuar — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 23:01:30 +0000

Anyone who would think that they can explain special relativity to a newspaper reporter in 10 minutes is likely to get exactly what they deserve.

By: Charlie

Charlie — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 18:10:30 +0000

Clears it up for me. (Wow, aliens with lasers.)

By: psmith

psmith — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 11:06:43 +0000

Off topic, but I would dearly like to hear your comments about the significance of this article
http://arxiv.org/pdf/1011.3706v1

By: Alan in Upstate NY

Alan in Upstate NY — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 02:11:52 +0000

I was quite amazed to find this statement in Conservapedia…

“Relativity has been met with much resistance in the scientific world.”

Such comments were expected regarding evolution and global warming, but relativity?!

Clear skies, Alan

By: Fermi-Walker Public Transport

Fermi-Walker Public Transport — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 09:34:27 +0000

I suppose this is better than Dr. Evil’s “sharks with frickin lasers”

By: spyder

spyder — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 01:47:32 +0000

Rupert and Roger make a killing on this, thus proving that News Corp can twist any fictitious story into a fact-based accounting, that at least one third of the population will believe.

By: Sili

Sili — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 19:50:34 +0000

You do realise that’s the other dr Carroll, right?

By: Eugene

Eugene — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 19:02:41 +0000

And you shouldn’t miss this classic too : http://abstrusegoose.com/319

By: Eugene

Eugene — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 18:43:12 +0000

hey Sean, didn't this happened to you already?

By: timur

timur — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 18:02:31 +0000

Puahahahaha

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Fri, 26 Nov 2010 17:45:39 +0000

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