petrushka.googol

Does psychology define what we in common parlance term an idiot? Is it a person with low IQ (intellectual) or a person with low EQ (emotional quotient) or may be a combination of the two? Every "normal" individual is endowed with more or less the same number of neurons, (brain size is related to sex) so why do we end up having people who challenge the intellect, albeit in the wrong way? Please elicit your opinions. Thanks in advance.

Consider the classic example of Schrodinger's cat. Till the collapse of the wave equation we have no way of knowing whether the cat is alive or dead. Assume that there is a mirror in the enclosure and the cat looks in the mirror at the same instant that an external observer looks at the cat. Then is the cat truly "alive or dead"? The cat expects himself (or herself) to be alive but the external observer (assume that the external observer has certain privy information about the cat and the cat is chronically ill) expects to find the cat dead. Now do we need a third observer to collapse the resultant wave function to arrive at some realistic conclusion? How do we handle this in Schrodinger's wave equation? Please advise, since I am not aware of the mathematics behind this. Thanks in advance.

I believe in the adage "God helps those who help themselves". Belief in G_d is a matter of personal choice, some religions are not monotheistic like Christianity, but belief in oneself is a sure shot way to succeed and I guess Hawking simply can't refute that.

As we are aware Richard Feynman proposed that a particle can take any path in a double slit experiment (albeit hypothetically) but ultimately probabilities resolve to a deterministic pattern (interference pattern). What we know for certain is: a) Interference exists irrespective of the number of slits (should be greater than 1) b) Interference exists for electrons, buckyballs etc in addition to photons Then is this model not implicitly deterministic? Although there exist an infinite number of potential pathways for a photon on the incident side of a slit, the presence of a slit seems to ensure that at least 1 (actually several) photons pass through this? Then how true is the need to consider n histories as opposed to a few more or less certain histories? How indeterminate is this model in essence? Please advise.

If we are all physiologically identical then why do some of us choose to go it alone? Does this concept apply in the animal kingdom? I mean, for example, can a spider choose to remain a "virgin"? Please comment.

What exactly is the mind ? Our nervous system or an extension of it? What are the attributes of our mind? Euphoria ? Intelligence ? Imagination ? Will the same set of stimuli (in a controlled environment) produce identical mental states? Please advise.

At any stage of life we are usually (practically) presented with at least 2 choices. This is in keeping with the dichotomy of quantum mechanics. There exists a concept in database theory where we normalize data. (remove redundant choices) and make the data the best fit. If we apply this to our everyday lives, can we not eliminate choices that offer less immediate benefit (much like heuristic chess programs) and positively influence the course of our destiny. We can also learn from our mistakes and this too will help us to make better and more informed choices. That way many of us will be spared the pains arising out of substance abuse etc. Is this really feasible in the long run?

I was musing as to whether team sports like soccer or individual sports like chess define "intelligence" better. The former requires better co-ordination and "team-spirit". (if any such thing exists, plausibly) and the latter sheer grit. How does our nervous system handle these scenarios? Are they analogous or not? Any pointers on this. Thanks in advance.

Animals nurture their young as effectively as humans do. Do animals fall in love ? I mean, do they, for example, experience broken heart syndrome like humans do? What does research tell us?

On second thoughts, maybe i didn't choose my words carefully. I was trying to assert that prurient images stimulate dopamine centers of the brain and create a negative feedback loop that makes the matter worse. I am not trying to stress on the moral implications of this. This comes in the domain of religion as you rightly stated. What i am trying to say is that this is a "neurotransmitter illness" (much like smoking pot) and should be identified as such. Is smoking pot good for us? That is a moot subject and tomes have been written on the subject. i am no authority on the subject but i suggest you please peruse the links i have submitted above for research into the subject.

My personal experience is that our brain is hard wired to perform certain tasks better. For example to calculate 14 x 14 our brain might take 0.5 secs and it would be just as fast as a calculator. However place an image of a man with some unique facial characteristics like thick eyebrows, squint eyes, thin moustache, long ears, maybe even cleft palate and place the image for slightly more than 0.1 secs (to eliminate the effect of persistence of vision). How many characteristics do you remember off hand? Difficult to say, but it seems that not all will be remembered at a stretch by most subjects. (taken in a statistical sample). Are images handled differently by the brain as compared to numbers? And which is more efficient? How is performance in these areas impaired by those suffering from Alzheimers etc.? Please advise. Thanks in advance.

There is a wealth of literature on the subject on the net. for example http://www.asianefficiency.com/health/sex-productivity-and-motivation-part-06-pornography/

I am not proselytizing the populace. Only expressing my point of view. Differences of opinion are welcome. Please note.

i found this link : http://discovermagazine.com/2009/sep/05-i-didnt-sin-it-was-my-brain#.UpLdl9JHLs4

Are adlerian theories of personality practical? Does compensation really account for natural talent? Of course, there are cases where this applies eg) Charlie Chaplin (of small stature), Beethoven (had auditory problems), Napoleon (the little corporal), Tiger Woods (partially sighted) etc? Is this an exception to the rule OR the rule itself? Please advise. Thanks in advance.

Can you accelerate a photon? (like any other elementary particle) ? Please advise.

We have different types of belief systems. For example, in politics we have capitalism and communism. In religion we have christianity, judaism, buddhism, hinduism, taoism etc? If we take the case of say, Marxism (founded by Marx and Engels), how we do we understand that even several years after their demise their philosophy was lapped up by the masses. If we consider a person in the present, how do we explain that if I am a Marxist (hypothetically) , adhere to a belief system that tests the collective intellect, (or abuse) of the same, by people who lived in a different time and age. How do ideas and belief systems propagate without distortion? Please express your ideas.

Is there a frequency of choice for conventional photovoltaic cells? How much of the incident energy is lost in conversion? (What is the typical efficiency of such a device?)

To paraphrase Isaiah from the Bible Will there ever come a day when nations will turn their swords into ploughshares? How much of human emotional inventory is expressed as hate and discord? And will Reason eventually triumph? Please express your thoughts on this.

How free is our free-will? For example an event like all denizens on earth holding hands in impossible. We have a closed coterie of friends and repeat many actions daily (almost intuitively). We visit known places more frequently than unknown ones. Basically, we live in a controlled biosphere (the globe) and each one of us is an unknowing subscriber. (like a colossal ant-hill). Please express your thoughts. Thanks in advance.

How perfect is the best adhesive with broken glass? (imperfection approx zero) and is it possible to have a perfect restoration?

What I am trying to convey here is that humans are prone to certain behavioral traits that make them less adaptable to their socio-economic environment. Even with a gifted gene pool the species homo-sapiens performs mostly below par. If these self-defeating behaviors are eliminated, then i guess a smart alien would have to take notice.

What would be an aliens view of the panoply of human activity? For instance what would be an aliens view on humans obsession with sex? Sex is essentially an exchange of DNA (much like shaking hands or even sneezing) and comes bound with a dopamine reward system. But why is it so prominent in our media etc? Similarly what would an alien think of petty politics. Politicians worldwide are known to be on an average lacking probity and yet they are always in the limelight. Would an alien then condescend to make contact with humans? Please express your viewpoint. Thanks in advance.

how do we find the square root of a recurring decimal eg) 1.3333*. to what level of accuracy can we predict the square root, cube root, nth root etc?