tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post7853782339636361984..comments2023-09-27T07:44:19.769-04:00Comments on Sabine Hossenfelder: Backreaction: How to improve the world? Quick! In 140 characters or less.Sabine Hossenfelderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06151209308084588985noreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-3656763268318781232011-02-04T13:51:51.816-05:002011-02-04T13:51:51.816-05:00Steven, thanks, "CDT—an Entropic Theory of Qu...Steven, thanks, "CDT—an Entropic Theory of Quantum Gravity", in so far as I can read it with my finger tips,seems pretty exciting. Mathematics is pretty amazing, but for me, as they say, "a man's gotta know his limitations".Don Fosterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04814669413022486958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-40855573490471825742011-02-02T08:03:25.302-05:002011-02-02T08:03:25.302-05:00Navier-Stokes, indeed. NO discontinuities?! Keep d...Navier-Stokes, indeed. NO discontinuities?! Keep dreaming. The "last unsolved problem in Classical Newtonian Physics" will never be solved, more than likely. IF however there is a chance to solve it, albeit a small one, then study String Theory Mathematics.<br /><br />"Huh, what!?" Now clean up that coffee you just spilled, Peter Woit, and allow me to explain.<br /><br />Even Steven Colyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10435759210177642257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-11374591162120937552011-02-02T08:01:40.624-05:002011-02-02T08:01:40.624-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Steven Colyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10435759210177642257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-61220127620727486292011-02-02T02:09:35.176-05:002011-02-02T02:09:35.176-05:00At the recent seminar, the LHC’s dedicated heavy-i...<i>At the recent seminar, the LHC’s dedicated heavy-ion experiment, ALICE, confirmed that QGP behaves like an ideal liquid, a phenomenon earlier observed at the US Brookhaven Laboratory’s RHIC facility. This question was indeed one of the main points of this first phase of data analysis, which also included the analysis of secondary particles produced in the lead-lead collisions. ALICE's PlatoHagelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00849253658526056393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-17902769503311270352011-02-02T01:51:10.616-05:002011-02-02T01:51:10.616-05:00The Navier-Stokes equations are also of great inte...<i> The Navier-Stokes equations are also of great interest in a purely mathematical sense. Somewhat surprisingly, given their wide range of practical uses, mathematicians have yet to prove that in three dimensions solutions always exist (existence), or that if they do exist they do not contain any infinities, singularities or discontinuities (smoothness). These are called the Navier-Stokes PlatoHagelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00849253658526056393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-21474669752319435512011-02-01T12:57:05.760-05:002011-02-01T12:57:05.760-05:00Then you should like this Physics joke, from Wiki:...Then you should like this Physics joke, from Wiki:<br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spherical_cow" rel="nofollow">Spherical cow is a metaphor for highly simplified scientific models of reality. The phrase comes from a joke about theoretical physicists:<br /><br /> <b>Milk production at a dairy farm was low so the farmer wrote to the local university, asking help from academia. Steven Colyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10435759210177642257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-42165555175171496502011-02-01T12:09:51.626-05:002011-02-01T12:09:51.626-05:00Cows? Funny you should bring that up!
First Steve...Cows? Funny you should bring that up!<br /><br />First Steven, great, thanks for good reading. Will follow up as you suggest. Seth Lloyd's "Programming the Universe" sounds interesting.<br /><br />So you mentioned cows and in that regard would appreciate you thoughts on the following.<br /><br />Walking in West Texas, I have noticed that the range cattle here appear to know some Don Fosterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04814669413022486958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-11871705845837042272011-02-01T04:04:08.215-05:002011-02-01T04:04:08.215-05:00Hi Phil,
OK, OK, I guess some "definition o...Hi Phil, <br /><br />OK, OK, I guess some "definition of terms" are in order. There's only about 9-10 different definitions of "phenomenology" for example, depending on which field you're in, and don't get me started on the many different definitions of the word "metric" there are, cuz I can't count that high.<br /><br />Equilibrium. I'm not Steven Colyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10435759210177642257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-75904123050172654742011-02-01T01:46:23.872-05:002011-02-01T01:46:23.872-05:00Hi Steven,
You said: ”Nature ain't denying no...Hi Steven,<br /><br />You said: <i>”Nature ain't denying nothing. Equilibrium (via entropy maximization given local constraints) is nature.”</i><br /><br />The thing is it appears entropy may itself prevent equilibrium from being achieved as to continuously expand the global restraints.<br /><br /><i><b>”Following the above arguments to their logical conclusion, the accelerated expansion ratePhil Warnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15671311338712852659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-66711870394827439682011-02-01T01:41:45.559-05:002011-02-01T01:41:45.559-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Phil Warnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15671311338712852659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-876484715665607462011-01-31T14:42:12.819-05:002011-01-31T14:42:12.819-05:00“I believe the word you are looking for is "e...“I believe the word you are looking for is "equilibrium", the ability of nature to achieve something without conscious thought.”<br /><br />Steven, do you mean “equilibrium” as opposed to my term “turnings”?<br />I don’t think so. Thermodynamic equilibrium is a hothouse plant, a conceptual artifact of thermodynamics; it blooms only with exacting care and is actually anomalous in nature.Don Fosterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04814669413022486958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-74404721532729459292011-01-31T10:23:41.070-05:002011-01-31T10:23:41.070-05:00Hi Phil,
you wrote:
equilibrium is a distribution...Hi Phil,<br /><br />you wrote:<br /><i>equilibrium is a distribution that matter and energy seeks to attain, which nature serves to deny,</i><br /><br />Huh, what? Nature ain't denying nothing. Equilibrium (via entropy maximization given local constraints) <i>is</i> nature. To deny one's self ... that takes Humanity! :-)<br /><br /><b>"For a successful technology, reality must take Steven Colyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10435759210177642257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-46332097697423103292011-01-31T06:30:32.776-05:002011-01-31T06:30:32.776-05:00Hi Steven,
As far as I’ve been able to gather equ...Hi Steven,<br /><br />As far as I’ve been able to gather equilibrium is a distribution that matter and energy seeks to attain, which nature serves to deny, beginning with what is called the big bang and perpetuated through exponential expansion that’s referred to as a consequence of the presence of dark energy. The thing about entropy is it has been duly quantified and yet still eludes to be Phil Warnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15671311338712852659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-33104070178284893552011-01-31T06:11:07.130-05:002011-01-31T06:11:07.130-05:00Don, I believe the word you are looking for is &qu...Don, I believe the word you are looking for is "equilibrium", the ability of nature to achieve something without conscious thought.<br /><br />We can't all be photons. :-)Steven Colyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10435759210177642257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-73322399037226223492011-01-30T09:56:06.808-05:002011-01-30T09:56:06.808-05:00Well, yes.
It also occurs to me that the second l...Well, yes. <br />It also occurs to me that the second law of thermodynamics can be roughly encapsulated in the notion that whenever energy is asked to “turn” not all if it makes the corner. Much of what you hear in the world around you is a case in point. The rustle of leaves, the sound of engines or squeal of brakes, the list would be lengthy. These are all little bits of energy that have jumpedDon Fosterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04814669413022486958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-43884331049692387762011-01-26T15:42:21.879-05:002011-01-26T15:42:21.879-05:00Steven, thanks, to recap:
“How can thermodynamics...Steven, thanks, to recap:<br /><br />“How can thermodynamics' second law arise unless cosmological initial conditions are fine-tuned in a way we would never accept in any other theory or explanation of anything?<br /><br />Here’s how I translate that: The second law of thermodynamics would not exist as we know it without certain prior conditions being set to particular values in an Don Fosterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04814669413022486958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-54450468854776268382011-01-26T07:27:25.015-05:002011-01-26T07:27:25.015-05:00Hi Don,
It is an assumption that the H-theorem...Hi Don,<br /><br /><i>It is an assumption that the H-theorem's coarse-graining is not getting rid of any 'interesting' information. With such an assumption, one moves firmly into the domain of predictive physics: if the assumption goes wrong, it may produce predictions which are systematically and reproducibly wrong.</i><br /><br />Don't ask me to explain what that means, I rippedSteven Colyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10435759210177642257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-32127734615401056452011-01-25T15:59:14.664-05:002011-01-25T15:59:14.664-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08213251864943443334noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-50770571491034117462011-01-25T11:03:08.121-05:002011-01-25T11:03:08.121-05:00Thanks Bee, I will look into that.
Steven, thanks...Thanks Bee, I will look into that.<br /><br />Steven, thanks. Hard to say exactly how much I understand entropy. Certainly I lack the detail offered by mathematics, though think I understand Shannon’s H theorem. I guess my understanding is more of an assemblage of exemplars.<br />In any case, I took the 2nd law to be somehow part of the fundamental fabric and am perplexed that perhaps it is not.<Don Fosterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04814669413022486958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-80891633141643152662011-01-25T08:22:05.593-05:002011-01-25T08:22:05.593-05:00IMO the basic principle of science is the geometry...IMO the basic principle of science is the geometry of nested fluctuations insided of dense particle gas, i.e. the aether. Even the most recent concepts, like the E8 theory, entropic and/or emergent gravity appear derived from it.Zephirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06010623752049244967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-24964074148060392232011-01-25T05:50:58.859-05:002011-01-25T05:50:58.859-05:00I hear you Bee, but I'm not sure you understan...I hear you Bee, but I'm not sure you understand Don's comment, that is to say WHY he asked the question. I'm not sure why Don asked it either, so I ask Don to explain in more detail, so:<br /><br />Don, by saying "it doesn't make any sense" to you, did you mean:<br /><br />1) Entropy doesn't make any sense to me,<br /><br />or<br /><br />2) I understand Entropy, I Steven Colyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10435759210177642257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-76310814907706173812011-01-25T00:58:18.110-05:002011-01-25T00:58:18.110-05:00Hi Don,
Sean Carroll wrote a whole book about thi...Hi Don,<br /><br /><a href="http://backreaction.blogspot.com/2010/06/book-review-from-eternity-to-here-by.html" rel="nofollow">Sean Carroll wrote a whole book about this issue.</a> Best,<br /><br />B.Sabine Hossenfelderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06151209308084588985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-69269856695276256142011-01-24T16:48:47.537-05:002011-01-24T16:48:47.537-05:00"How can thermodynamics' second law arise..."How can thermodynamics' second law arise unless cosmological initial conditions are fine-tuned in a way we would never accept in any other theory or explanation of anything?"<br /><br />Golly, this doesn't make any sense to me, another major gap in my understanding. Is the 2nd law somehow emergent, arising from and dependent upon some more fundamental substrate?<br />What a Don Fosterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04814669413022486958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-86457506039041930452011-01-24T09:39:13.386-05:002011-01-24T09:39:13.386-05:00Hi Bee,
the "basic principles of sciences&qu...Hi Bee,<br /><br />the "basic principles of sciences" are the basic laws of science, especially physics.<br /><br />Not many people know them and thus make errors in everyday life. For example, they don't know deterministic chaos theory principles and thus have no idea what could happen at the stock exchange markets. But they should know if they want to put their money into it.<br /Kay zum Feldehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04233793196547147876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22973357.post-33170381850999219322011-01-24T08:46:48.238-05:002011-01-24T08:46:48.238-05:00So in essence: develop a tough skin? That's my...So in essence: develop a tough skin? That's my ride, but I wasn't always that way. Experience really is the best teacher. I do feel bad for the youth today. To "fit in" (and they all want to - we wanted to) they have to develop a certain sarcastic (rude) attitude and keep up with the modern technology.<br /><br />Back to Aguirre (and read Sam Harris' bit above his - Sam alsoSteven Colyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10435759210177642257noreply@blogger.com