Interesting or Unusual Facts / Stats / Whatever
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Lord Chevy
I'm home
Winner for the two that stayed behind, and a life sentence for the asshole who just pulled out and left the others to die.
This is the face of the young man that silenced Albert Einstein and made him scratch his head contemplatively in front of a large audience.
This lanky young man with a bony face and a corn-silk hairstyle forced the famous Albert Einstein to have a second thought, and a minute later, he retracted an equation he had just finished presenting at a conference.
The year was 1930, and the event was a German Physical Society conference held in Leipzig. After the president of the association profoundly praised Einstein for his great speech to the thunderous applause, he asked if anyone in the audience had any questions. For a little while, silence seared across the hall. Who would dare to question Einstein, one of the world's most respected physicists?
A juvenile-like voice erupted from the last row of the room in a broken German language, spitting words that held the audience spellbound:
"What Professor Einstein said is not stupid, but the second equation he wrote does not follow from the first. In fact, it requires further assumptions that have not been made and, what is worse, it does not satisfy a criterion of invariance, as it should instead be". He echoed fearlessly.
All heads turned reflexively towards this bold, defiant voice that submerged everyone in disbelief, unable to contain their irrepressible astonishment in the engulfing noiselessness.
As they struggled to breathe under this bizarre sea of bafflement, wondering who that might be, Einstein was deeply lost in scrutinizing his said erroneous equation on the blackboard, almost transfixed by the new revelation, except for his hand, which was mechanically scratching his mustache.
After what appeared to be 60 seconds or so, Einstein turned around, admitting his mistake, and then said:
"The observation of that young man over there is perfectly correct. I therefore ask you to forget everything I have said to you today."
On that day, at that precise moment, destiny plucked that fearless young man of 22 years from obscurity and made him the leading theoretical physicist of the Soviet Union, arguably one of the greatest geniuses of all time to ever illuminate the rocky planet of Earth. That, that was Lev Davidovich Landau for you, ladies and gentlemen.
Similarly, on that day, Albert Einstein demonstrated the kind of unadulterated humility that genuine knowledge bestows on any vessel of flesh that houses it. True education humbles, not the other way around.
Be humble.
1950: A. Einstein's Letter to Erwin Schrödinger where he talks about the famous Schrödinger's cat thought experiment
Dear Schrödinger,
You are the only contemporary physicist, besides Laue, who sees that one cannot get around the assumption of reality—if only one is honest. Most of them simply do not see what sort of risky game they are playing with reality—reality as something independent of what is experimentally established. They somehow believe that the quantum theory provides a description of reality, and even a complete description; this interpretation is, however, refuted, most elegantly by your system of radioactive atom + Geiger counter + amplifier + charge of gun powder + cat in a box, in which the ψ-function of the system contains the cat both alive and blown to bits. Is the state of the cat to be created only when a physicist investigates the situation at some definite time?
Nobody really doubts that the presence or absence of the cat is something independent of the act of observation. But then the description by means of the ψ-function is certainly incomplete, and there must be a more complete description. If one wants to consider the quantum theory as final (in principle), then one must believe that a more complete description would be useless because there would be no laws for it. If that were so then physics could only claim the interest of shopkeepers and engineers; the whole thing would be a wretched bungle.
You are completely right to emphasize that the complete description cannot be built on the concept of acceleration, nor, it seems to me, can it be built on the particle concept. Only one of the tools of our trade remains—the field concept, but God knows whether this will stand firm. I think it is worthwhile to hold on to this, i.e. the continuum, as long as one has no really sound arguments against it.
But it seems certain to me that the fundamentally statistical character of the theory is simply a consequence of the incompleteness of the description. This says nothing about the deterministic character of the theory; that is a thoroughly nebulous concept anyway, so long as one does not know how much has to be given in order to determine the initial state.
It is rather rough to see that we are still in the stage of our swaddling clothes, and it is not surprising that the fellows struggle against admitting it.
Best regards!
Yours,
A. Einstein
Dear Schrödinger,
You are the only contemporary physicist, besides Laue, who sees that one cannot get around the assumption of reality—if only one is honest. Most of them simply do not see what sort of risky game they are playing with reality—reality as something independent of what is experimentally established. They somehow believe that the quantum theory provides a description of reality, and even a complete description; this interpretation is, however, refuted, most elegantly by your system of radioactive atom + Geiger counter + amplifier + charge of gun powder + cat in a box, in which the ψ-function of the system contains the cat both alive and blown to bits. Is the state of the cat to be created only when a physicist investigates the situation at some definite time?
Nobody really doubts that the presence or absence of the cat is something independent of the act of observation. But then the description by means of the ψ-function is certainly incomplete, and there must be a more complete description. If one wants to consider the quantum theory as final (in principle), then one must believe that a more complete description would be useless because there would be no laws for it. If that were so then physics could only claim the interest of shopkeepers and engineers; the whole thing would be a wretched bungle.
You are completely right to emphasize that the complete description cannot be built on the concept of acceleration, nor, it seems to me, can it be built on the particle concept. Only one of the tools of our trade remains—the field concept, but God knows whether this will stand firm. I think it is worthwhile to hold on to this, i.e. the continuum, as long as one has no really sound arguments against it.
But it seems certain to me that the fundamentally statistical character of the theory is simply a consequence of the incompleteness of the description. This says nothing about the deterministic character of the theory; that is a thoroughly nebulous concept anyway, so long as one does not know how much has to be given in order to determine the initial state.
It is rather rough to see that we are still in the stage of our swaddling clothes, and it is not surprising that the fellows struggle against admitting it.
Best regards!
Yours,
A. Einstein
This iconic photograph, captured by Voyager 1 from a staggering 6 billion kilometers away in 1990, offers a profound perspective on our place in the universe. It depicts Earth as a fragile, pale blue dot, a solitary speck suspended in the vast cosmic expanse.
Inspired by this image, Carl Sagan eloquently articulated the profound implications. He reminds us that this tiny dot is home to every human being who has ever lived, encompassing the full spectrum of human experience: joy and suffering, triumphs and tragedies, love and hate, creation and destruction.
From this cosmic vantage point, the Earth appears insignificant, a mere mote of dust. The petty conflicts, the insatiable ambition for power, the senseless violence that plagues our history – all seem utterly inconsequential when viewed against the backdrop of the universe.
Sagan poignantly emphasizes the fragility of our home and the interconnectedness of all humanity. With no other habitable planet in sight, we are bound to this pale blue dot. The photograph, he argues, serves as a stark reminder of our responsibility to cherish this fragile oasis and cultivate a more harmonious and compassionate existence.
Inspired by this image, Carl Sagan eloquently articulated the profound implications. He reminds us that this tiny dot is home to every human being who has ever lived, encompassing the full spectrum of human experience: joy and suffering, triumphs and tragedies, love and hate, creation and destruction.
From this cosmic vantage point, the Earth appears insignificant, a mere mote of dust. The petty conflicts, the insatiable ambition for power, the senseless violence that plagues our history – all seem utterly inconsequential when viewed against the backdrop of the universe.
Sagan poignantly emphasizes the fragility of our home and the interconnectedness of all humanity. With no other habitable planet in sight, we are bound to this pale blue dot. The photograph, he argues, serves as a stark reminder of our responsibility to cherish this fragile oasis and cultivate a more harmonious and compassionate existence.
While attempting to photograph the iconic El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, a photographer captured something truly extraordinary—the Andromeda Galaxy!
Known as the M31 Galaxy, Andromeda is the closest spiral galaxy to our own Milky Way, located about 2.5 million light-years away. It contains over a trillion stars, and is one of the few galaxies visible to the naked eye from Earth. Its light, traveling across millions of years, reaches us as a faint, smudgy shape in the night sky, which the photographer accidentally framed perfectly while focusing on El Capitan.
El Capitan, the majestic granite monolith that rises over 3,000 feet above Yosemite Valley, is a favorite subject for many photographers. But in this case, the photographer inadvertently captured the Andromeda Galaxy, creating a stunning blend of earthly and cosmic beauty in one shot. This incredible moment is a reminder that sometimes, even in the most grounded moments, the vastness of the universe is right above us, waiting to be discovered.
This photo not only highlights the sheer beauty of both El Capitan and Andromeda but also shows how even unintentional shots can result in awe-inspiring images that connect us to the far reaches of the cosmos.
It’s truly amazing how a single photograph can capture both the timeless grandeur of Yosemite’s rock formations and the distant wonder of the universe!
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbi...I5cC8I7Ln3nHL9r_QcazZ7sjToBQYvgKQ&__tn__=EH-R
Known as the M31 Galaxy, Andromeda is the closest spiral galaxy to our own Milky Way, located about 2.5 million light-years away. It contains over a trillion stars, and is one of the few galaxies visible to the naked eye from Earth. Its light, traveling across millions of years, reaches us as a faint, smudgy shape in the night sky, which the photographer accidentally framed perfectly while focusing on El Capitan.
El Capitan, the majestic granite monolith that rises over 3,000 feet above Yosemite Valley, is a favorite subject for many photographers. But in this case, the photographer inadvertently captured the Andromeda Galaxy, creating a stunning blend of earthly and cosmic beauty in one shot. This incredible moment is a reminder that sometimes, even in the most grounded moments, the vastness of the universe is right above us, waiting to be discovered.
This photo not only highlights the sheer beauty of both El Capitan and Andromeda but also shows how even unintentional shots can result in awe-inspiring images that connect us to the far reaches of the cosmos.
It’s truly amazing how a single photograph can capture both the timeless grandeur of Yosemite’s rock formations and the distant wonder of the universe!
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbi...I5cC8I7Ln3nHL9r_QcazZ7sjToBQYvgKQ&__tn__=EH-R
Lord Chevy
I'm home
While attempting to photograph the iconic El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, a photographer captured something truly extraordinary—the Andromeda Galaxy!
Known as the M31 Galaxy, Andromeda is the closest spiral galaxy to our own Milky Way, located about 2.5 million light-years away. It contains over a trillion stars, and is one of the few galaxies visible to the naked eye from Earth. Its light, traveling across millions of years, reaches us as a faint, smudgy shape in the night sky, which the photographer accidentally framed perfectly while focusing on El Capitan.
El Capitan, the majestic granite monolith that rises over 3,000 feet above Yosemite Valley, is a favorite subject for many photographers. But in this case, the photographer inadvertently captured the Andromeda Galaxy, creating a stunning blend of earthly and cosmic beauty in one shot. This incredible moment is a reminder that sometimes, even in the most grounded moments, the vastness of the universe is right above us, waiting to be discovered.
This photo not only highlights the sheer beauty of both El Capitan and Andromeda but also shows how even unintentional shots can result in awe-inspiring images that connect us to the far reaches of the cosmos.
It’s truly amazing how a single photograph can capture both the timeless grandeur of Yosemite’s rock formations and the distant wonder of the universe!
=AZX8II5yns17rt9CwNDEh1v8D9hcf1UGk-UrAXI5Au68k4GNwO_fgtGnf9VTdMvHG5bYZ8aW0Lx5EzkjqxBCv-ejWI8KaIpnDTr9oihWMU6WIpN2U8u69NGaNomuLO_y1ZbcEBYqs_ZEXvrXuli1u74ybtn58C79M6u7_zx5sDW8P8hGzufnd4dcN2G5xl9rX_qhtxriyWwtA8mKiqFHfzXZ3gB-58qkcyI5cC8I7Ln3nHL9r_QcazZ7sjToBQYvgKQ&__tn__=EH-R]View: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=122132974898534460&set=a.122109058832534460&__cft__[0]=AZX8II5yns17rt9CwNDEh1v8D9hcf1UGk-UrAXI5Au68k4GNwO_fgtGnf9VTdMvHG5bYZ8aW0Lx5EzkjqxBCv-ejWI8KaIpnDTr9oihWMU6WIpN2U8u69NGaNomuLO_y1ZbcEBYqs_ZEXvrXuli1u74ybtn58C79M6u7_zx5sDW8P8hGzufnd4dcN2G5xl9rX_qhtxriyWwtA8mKiqFHfzXZ3gB-58qkcyI5cC8I7Ln3nHL9r_QcazZ7sjToBQYvgKQ&__tn__=EH-R
Now think on the fact that that huge object is 2.5 Million Lightyears away
Exoplanet...
Did You Know About the Chicxulub Crater in Mexico?
It’s almost unbelievable—a meteoric crater 180 kilometers in diameter lies hidden beneath the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. Known as the Chicxulub Crater, it marks the site of one of Earth’s most cataclysmic events.
One of its most striking features is how its outline is perfectly marked by a ring of cenotes—natural sinkholes formed along its circumference. This crater is famously linked to the asteroid impact that triggered the mass extinction event, ending the age of dinosaurs approximately 66 million years ago.
Though the crater itself is buried and invisible to the naked eye, the "ring of cenotes" offers a clear view of its astonishing scale. At the time of the impact, the geography of the area was vastly different, forever reshaped by the force of the collision.
This extraordinary geological feature serves as a reminder of the Earth's dynamic history and the transformative power of cosmic events.
Did You Know About the Chicxulub Crater in Mexico?
It’s almost unbelievable—a meteoric crater 180 kilometers in diameter lies hidden beneath the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. Known as the Chicxulub Crater, it marks the site of one of Earth’s most cataclysmic events.
One of its most striking features is how its outline is perfectly marked by a ring of cenotes—natural sinkholes formed along its circumference. This crater is famously linked to the asteroid impact that triggered the mass extinction event, ending the age of dinosaurs approximately 66 million years ago.
Though the crater itself is buried and invisible to the naked eye, the "ring of cenotes" offers a clear view of its astonishing scale. At the time of the impact, the geography of the area was vastly different, forever reshaped by the force of the collision.
This extraordinary geological feature serves as a reminder of the Earth's dynamic history and the transformative power of cosmic events.