MigL

No, I Haven't. However if you are interested in LQG, one of the most proficient writers on the subject is Carlo Rovelli. He actually works in the field so his stuff isn't really considered pop-science for the masses. You may want to take a look through this... http://www.cpt.univ-mrs.fr/~rovelli/IntroductionLQG.pdf If you want a more general book, which is a little harder reading as it contains some heavy math, you can't do any better than Gravitation by Misner, Thorne and Wheeler. It is the definitive authority on Gravity as per GR. ( sorry, added an edit after Intrigued's reply )

I'm sorry, I shouldn't have assumed you can use Google or simple word association. I explained how electron degeneracy and neutron degeneracy work in preventing gravitational collapse of white dwarf stars and neutron stars respectively. Are you following so far ? Quantum degeneracy is an emergent 'pressure' against further compression which arises when attempting to force quantum particles to occupy the same state ( in the case of electrons, two half spin particles ). This is known as the Pauli Exclusion Principle. Still following ? You can do a little more following at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electron_degeneracy_pressure This degeneracy pressure ceases to be a factor when the gravitationally collapsing star has a mass exceeding approx. 5 Solar masses. In this case, collapse to a Black Hole with an Event Horizon is mandatory. Now you are all caught up. So, you are right. I didn't consider how unknowledgeable you are, how you didn't care to read it, and how you saw no need to inform yourself by doing some basic research. But I really don't think my 'writing strategies' are the problem.

I could have sworn G Cantor used the terms 'denumerable' and 'non-denumerable' for countable and uncountable infinite sets respectively. I stand corrected. However the definition you use for 'absolute' infinity is certainly different from his, and even more so from later work by B Russel and J VonNeumann.

You previously said... "I never studied or read about how energy can be borrowed from a false-zero energy state, so I have no clue what any of that means or where it comes from." Yet you presume to school others about their knowledge of Quantum Fluctuations ? Don't just quote the first line of my post about the Pauli Exclusion Principle. I explained how it works in white dwarf stars and neutron stars, and how it FAILS for stars with masses greater than a certain limit, Go back and re-read my post. Better yet, take my advice and read a good textbook.

Hmmm... I don't recall G Cantor ever using the term 'Absolute Infinity'. If this is your own personal definition, maybe you should actually provide proof that it exists. ( as Georg did with his proofs of degrees of infinity )

A quantum fluctuation is governed by the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. The StnDev(E) * StnDev(t) >= hbar/2 , where StnDev is standard deviation, E is energy, t is time and h is Planck's constant, tells us that for brief periods of time , energy can vary according to this relation. This energy is 'borrowed' and must be 'repaid' after this time has elapsed. Whether this energy leads to virtual pair creation, or real pair creation, is simply dependent on the amount of energy. This is all available in any first/second year Quantum Mechanics course or textbook. You should read one. The Pauli Exclusion Principle DOES play a role in mitigating collapse of astronomical objects. Electron degeneracy pressure, due to the exclusion principle, keeps white dwarf stars from collapsing further. And neutron degeneracy keeps more massive neutron stars from collapsing under their own crushing gravity. But above a certain mass there is no known effect that can keep even more massive stars from collapsing into a Black Hole, with the resulting un-physical singularity, and Event Horizon. This is also to be found in introductory Cosmology textbooks. Read one of those also before you embarrass yourself further by talking about principles you have no clue about.

What do you mean ? There is an infinity of decimal places between 0 and 1. But, getting back to the cookies... They are NOT impossible. This website hands them out every time I log on. ( although they leave a bad taste in my mouth )

Not necessarily, Conjurer. Consider a quantum fluctuation, where energy is 'borrowed' from the false-zero energy level of the universe, in whatever form it may exist. This quantum fluctuation is destined to exist for an extremely short time, according to the HUP. But this quantum fluctuation puts this extremely small part of the pre-existing universe in an abnormally high energy state and a negative pressure condition, which triggers inflation. From this point forward, the universe is gaining energy ( and resultant particle creation making up the current contents of the universe ) and losing energy ( as increasing negative gravitational potential due to expansion) such that the gain and loss are in perfect balance, and the net effect is zero energy We have, in effect, created a new universe ( causally disconnected from the previous one ) from a quantum fluctuation. At least that is how I understand the 'universe from nothing' hypothesis. And no, I don't understand why there is a preponderance of matter over anti-matter, or why the annihilation/creation process would favor one over the other; But that is another question altogether.

The current WHO guidelines for Arsenic ingestion is 10 micrograms/litre. You are certainly under that with 4 parts per billion. Arsenic is a carcinogen, so I would think there is no safe limit, just the amount of risk you are willing to live with. You might find water with no Arsenic, but is that just an indication of the bottler's measurable limits ?

They are differing, and somewhat incompatible models of 'reality'. All physics theories are mathematical models, and have specific areas where they are applicable. A Quantum Gravity model will hopefully integrate the different paradigms. LQG uses the GR paradigm, that there is no background stage on which events happen. SString theory is more aligned with QM in that it considers the space-time 'stage' as absolute.

Nothing is extremely stable. As systems tend towards the lowest energy state to achieve stability, a state of zero energy would have no way to progress, as it is already in its lowest energy/highest stability state. The fact that the universe is expanding ( and expansion is accelerating ) implies a non -zero Cosmological Constant. IE the universe is NOT at the lowest energy state, but a false non-zero state. Virtual particle pairs are proof that 'something' can come from nothing. During the time they are in existence, their effects can be detected, yet, after the time they are allotted by the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, they return their mass/energy, and nothing remains. They are the very definition of a Quantum fluctuation. And Conjurer is an example of the confusion that results when you get your education from TV programs, YouTube and pop-sci books, while never having read a Physics or Math book. Max Planck had nothing to do with Planck units or particle accelerators. He made a wild guess, and quantized the energy of harmonic oscillators in an idealized 'black body' enclosure, and obtained a black body radiation spectrum which agreed with experiment/observation; So was born Quantum theory.

Mmmmm.. Chocolate coated cherries...

Yeah, made the mistake of knocking over a 1l bottle of Cyanoacrylate glue on a relatively new countertop a couple of years ago. You CANNOT get that stuff off ! Had to replace. I thought stone would be the most durable also, but was informed that they will also stain/discolor because they either absorb the stain, or the sealer discolors. Went with the Corian type, as Studiot has also recommended.

The quality of the question is indicative of the quality of answer you will get.

What are you, Phi. a professional counter-top installer ? Or did you just have your counter-tops redone ? I wasn't aware of any of this stuff until I had to do some research, before replacing my counter-tops.

Depends on the model you use... In GR, space, or rather space-time, is affected by mass-energy; And mass-energy is, in turn, affected by space-time ( or, rather, its geometry ). In Newtonian or Quantum Mechanical models, space ( and time ) are absolutes, and simply the 'background' on which events play out.

Oh well, add another 'dark' entity ( other than matter and energy ) to explain away these conflicting results. Personally, I think God is getting back at the doubters. The more we learn about the universe, the more 'gaps' He/She introduces to confound us. ( just kidding, )

Lot of people have won the primaries, and lost the election. Democrats need to keep their eye on the goal.

That's a sweet looking kitty, Pzkpfw.

Your grades do reflect your interests. You may not be so interested in the course for which you received a 'C'. You may want to concentrate your college studies to courses that interest you. ( and you'll make an effort to learn about )

That's heavy, dude. ( see what I just did ? related ideas to weight )

While we can say that it should be 'full' of infalling stuff, Strange, the reality is that an observer who has crossed the EH will never see or detect anything 'ahead' of himself. Any and all information is forbidden from travelling radially 'outward' from the central singularity, as there are no available paths, and that 'direction' leads to the past. All he 'sees' ahead of himself is darkness. The EH causally disconnects the interior from the exterior AND any event preceding an infalling ( past the EH ) observer, as that event is now in the future.

I don't have a clue, Eise. But that is a lovely photo.

Always try to keep sexual fluidity contained with condoms or dams. They are a medium for STDs. Oh, that isn't the intended meaning ?

Here is a simple thought experiment... You are in a safe orbit around a Black Hole, well outside the event horizon. You tie a rope to an object, and hurl that object towards the Black Hole. You see the light ( signal ) from the object becoming fainter and fainter as it approaches the EH, and its wavelength stretches to infinity as it reaches the EH so that the signal you are receiving from it is effectively temporally frozen. Do you think the rope that is attached to the object will go slack, since the object has apparently stopped moving ? Or do you think it will still be pulled in after the object has 'frozen' ?