ajb

This statement and question show that you don't understand fields. Why would a field collapse? And what do you mean by collapse?

All attempts at an aether or mechanical theory of gravity have so far failed to reproduce the phenomenology we see. With the advent of general relativity - which has been tested to some huge degree of accuracy - the general general thinking is that all such models will fail. Moreover, we now think that the basic fundamental things in nature are fields. This is supported by the sucsess of general relativity and electromagnetic theory, but also the standard model. Going to a mechanical model seems a great step back.

Dark energy is now the aether?

That is what our best model tells us ... the problem is you are hinting at some kind of aether models of gravity without having a model at hand.

Mike, the problem is that we already have a notion of a gravitational wave and how to describe these as ripples in the local geometry of space-time. Mechanical waves in some medium, and in this case dark matter, seem to be very different things. You need to show that phenomenologically these mechanical waves are indistinguishable from gravitational waves - which I don't think is possible.

What about teaching?

There others who have thought along these lines - there is the mathematical Universe hypothesis. Anyway, you have not answered any of the questions that I have put to you.

What are you asking? If length contraction is real? Well, you need to carefully think about 'real'. If 'real' is what one measures and the aliens wizzing past measure Swansont's height to be x meters, then that is 'real' to them. Of course, Swanson does not change his height as he measures it.

StringJunky... you have to speak up I can't hear you!

I'm listening to some nice boys from Ukraine... 'I will find a way to remember'... Abduction

Sorry to say this - and at the risk of being off topic - we know this already. Anyway, you have made some suggestion and I have indicated why this forum does not operate in this way.

Yes, but they are under no real obligation to do so, and may will choose not to.

Democracy has always been like that - nothing new in this years US elections in this respect.

Sure, but this is not a professional network of any kind. It is up to the individual members how much information they give. In my opinion, you can generally tell the level of education after a few posts - but not always. More importantly, the level of education of individual members is not usually directly of relavence to the threads.

Formally UK laws apply as the server is in the UK. But, UK laws are generally liberal and I would not worry about this if I were you. Just use common sense and you will be okay.

I also question if the typical member of the public would understand the results of tests.

With editing the posts - members are encouraged to make small changes, such as minor typos and correct spelling, as soon as they can. However, the problem has been that people have drastically changed posts even when replys to that post have been given. The whole thread can become a mess. If you want to change some post at a later date, then tough, but what you can do is clearly state in another post the change of opinion, point out the error etc. That way everything is still continous.

Think about the electromagnetic field - it fills all of space. To every field via the rules of quantum theory we can associate a 'species' of particle. Again by the rules of quantum theory we have particles appearing and disappearing all the time in any given region of space-time. A true vacuum would have no fields nor any matter. Classically this notion is not great as we usually have the electromagnetic field - and when one looks at quantum theory we get all these particle pairs 'boiling' in and out of existence.

I'd rather you say something here - what do you mean by classical quantum theory?

Of course I know this... but thanks for sharing - education of the youth is important.

You need to get some metal in your life

Things can look different depending on what frame you view them from...

Great message here in these rather fu*ked up times of killing and dying in the name of religion.

This is part of 'cherry picking' the evidence. A few cases of 'good guy with a gun' does not change the overall statistics on the public health issue guns create in the US.