MigL

A system with maximum entropy has way more states that it can be in than a system with less entropy. Going back to the book analogy... The only way the book makes 'sense',( is readable and ordered ) is if the pages are sequential ( 1,2,3...100 ). That is why there is only one state. When you pick up the scattered pages, you are picking them up randomly. The first pge you pick up may be pg 17, or pg 52. There are 100 different, possible first pages you can pick up. And 99 different, possible second pages, etc. That is why there are 100! different, possible states. One is an ordered state, in a specific arrangement. The other is a randomized arrangement with maximal entropy. You can extend this analogy to a mole of gas, but then you're talking about a million, billion, billion particles, and their particular arrangement.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I get the impression that you think elementary particles ( bosons and fermions ) are aggregate particles, of which a portion is the energy, another portion is the mass, yet another portion is the charge, etc. A better way to think of these particles is as a manifestation of their respective fields. For example, the photon is not a particle with energy and mass, but rather, a manifestation of the EM field which has a certain energy and the properties of this field constrain it to move at c . At this 'speed', it has a momentum and therefore 'effective' mass. It, however, has no 'rest' mass, as it can never be at rest. The electron as another example, is a manifestation of the electron field, and it again has a certain energy. This field is allowed to interact with the Higgs field. producing mass for fermions. Some bosons, the w and z particles are such, are also allowed this interaction with the Higgs field, and as a result also aquire mass.

You need a citation for the fact that, if not for the US, all of Germany would have been like East Germany ? Any book on the Cold War, CharonY. Capitalism and the attainment of wealth, is a driver for economic advancement. Not all drivers for economic advancement are necessarily good. Some, like war, can be bad, but lead to growth spurts in economy and well being of people ( or should I say survivors ). I'm certainly not ashamed to say I've voted Conservative in the past, and probably will do so again if their policies warrant it ( we have a federal election coming up also ), but as Overtone has stated Canadian Conservatives are not American Republicans ( or even Democrats ).

Oh come on. I expect it from Overtone as he sees everything as a Republican ( conservative ) scheme. But I expect different from you iNow. If B. Obama intended to do anything about climate change, why didn't he announce this lofty goal at the beginning of his presidency, and implement it DURING his presidency ? What he's done is set a goal he'll never have to keep because he'll be out of office. His successor will be saddled with the problems and push-back of implementation. So, although a matter of degree, how is that different from Overtone's evil and deceitful Conservatives of the last 40 yrs ? Lying to people to get elected, or to leave a 'legacy', is still lying. And people who don't educate themselves on the issues, or can't be 'bothered' to vote are just as guilty as the lying politicians.

M-31 in Andromeda Popularly known as the Andromeda galaxy, It is actually found in the Andromeda constellation, hence its popular name. Actual name is #31 in the Messier catalogue.

Can you guys go back and re-read AJB's post #2. Energy, and mass, are a number we associate with, or a property of, a particular arrangement, or state, of particles and fields. And matter IS those particles and fields.

Don't follow any of this or see what it has to do with the 'block universe'. The block universe is an off-shoot of Einstein's GR, which basically states that every event, past, present and future, is embedded in the 'block' of space-time, and as such, is deterministic, by definition. Current science does not consider the universe deterministic ( one of the short-falls of GR ). Laplace's demon was one early attempt at demonstrating the absurd results of determinism ( look it up ). Chaos theory and QM's Uncertainty Principle nailed the coffin shut on determinism.

Let me see if I can help clarify. Instead of a cup, lets use a book, with 100 pages. For the book to be 'ordered', i.e. make sense, those pages have to be in sequence 1 to 100. That is one state. Now take the book, rip out the pages, and toss them in the air. When you pick them up, how many different states can you have ? The first page can be any one of 100. The second, any one of 99. The third, any of 98. And so on ..., to the last page. This is a possible 100! states. An extremely large number. And that is why you will never see a book's pages fall into that one 'ordered' state. And that is what physics considers 'order' and 'disorder'.

Again, you guys are missing the POINT also. This is not about B. Obama or any one president. He just happens to be the current president and is a convenient example ( now you got me picking on Americans too ) This is about 'telling it like it is', while campaigning for office, not painting a rosy picture of a utopian future, all brought about by unspecified 'change'. This is the reason almost half of voters don't bother to vote. they've been lied to and disappointed so often, that no-one sees the point in casting a ballot. This is the reason politicians are at the same level as lawyers and car salesmen in terms of trust-worthiness. ( none of our members are lawyers or car salesmen, are they ? )

While GMOs MAY pose some risk, they also have the potential to feed the world's 7+ billion people, a fair fraction of which are starving. "If you can't see that the right to life for over a billion starving people, trumps your right to avoid a little risk, I pity you." *Modified quote from another member; I liked it so much, I'm going to use it for every argument.

The company I work for, Cytec, was sold a few days ago ( deal won't be finalized till last quarter, pending regulatory approvals ) to a much larger Belgian company for 5.5 billion, who is interested in our market share of aerospace materials ( resins and composites ) and mining extraction chemicals. Our lone plant in Canada is strictly Phosphines, but a lot of our organo-phosphine derivatives are used in mining metals extraction. The name of this Belgian company, Solvay, sounded somewhat familiar to me. It turns out it was founded by two brothers who patented a process for making caustic soda in the 1860s. By the early 1900s they were sponsoring the famous Solvay Conferences, like the notable 1911 conference with Einstein and Planck and the quanta of light, or the 1927 conference where Einstein asserted God doesn't play dice and Bohr retorted '"stop telling God what to do". If any of my new employers are reading this, I would dearly love an invite to the 2015 conference.

I do believe that America has a gun problem, and I don't think it has to do with gun ownership. Just like we don't give anyone a licence to drive, as a car could kill a lot more people than a handgun, we should have laws that make sure you are fit to possess and handle such a destructive weapon. Some of the arguments are bordering on the ridiculous though. Dimreeper's comment ( sorry to single you out ) stating... " If you can't see that the right to life trumps your right to a gun, I pity you." Now, where it says 'gun', substitute the word 'abortion'. Does it still make sense ?

Some have come close, here in Canada.

Most newspapers have a 'science and technology' section. They've gotta put something in there on a slow news day.

Modern desktop cpus generate approx. 50 watts ( or more, that's as hot as a lightbulb ), and that's not including other heat generating components such as drives and the graphics card. If the exhaust from the back of the case is at room temperature, there is no heat transfer from the cpu to the heat sink, to the fan airstream, and finally out of the case. Something is not working properly in that chain. It could be the heat sink mounting, the heat sink thermal grease, a dirty heat sink, or a non working fan. That means your cpu is frying ! Use a cpu temp app, or the one that comes with your motherboard, to keep an eye on cpu temps. If the exhaust at the back of the case is hot, that is an indication things are working as they should.

The 'causes' and which president did what, are not the POINT, overtone. I know you have better reading comprehension than that. ( but maybe I can't write clearly enough ) The point is he made promises during the election. It was going to be a time of 'change'. Those promises helped him get elected. He failed to keep some promises, and missed others by a wide margin. So, what has changed for the ordinary people who voted for him ? If he had said " I'm going to do my best to keep my promises, but Congress and some people who don't think as I do, may keep me from implementing a lot of those promises", or "universal health care may not include a lot of you", or " we're going to back out of the middle east, but it'll mean significantly more people dying in their revolutions, and a much higher threat of terrorism", how many people would have voted for him ? If I was American, however, I would have been amazed at finally having an honest politician. And I would have voted for him !

Funny how people who often accuse others of having a 'black and white' view of the world, and not having a nuanced enough position, with all the shades of gray, often succumb to the exact same temptation when trying to make their own point. Not that I agree with your 'simplification' of the arguments presented by other members, John, but the gun laws in America will only change when it is no longer mostly disadvantaged kids ( black, Hispanics, poor, immigrant, etc. ) who are getting killed every day. When and if it starts happening with rich, affluent kids from the suburbs, that's when we'll see action. Disadvantaged kids die everyday, but, as soon as you have one school shooting of white affluent kids, even the NRA is apologizing amidst the calls for stricter gun laws.

As the OP is not about evolution I'm going to comment on S. Hawking. Is it just me or does he seem to 'crave' attention these days ? I recently read where he made a statement against artificial intelligence, and how it could be dangerous ( picture Arnie Swartzennegger coming to 'Terminate' you ). Has he become a celebrity junkie who needs to be in the media spotlight, or is he starting to 'lose it' ? As for life and its abundance in the galaxy, I think we need to stop thinking of the Star Trek aliens, who all look like humans, but with different noses. The possibilities for life, and intelligent life are endless. The one thing which stick in my mind about the Jurassic Park movie ( the original ) is a quote by J. Goldbloom. When told about the methods used to control the 'spread' of the dinosaurs by making them all sterile, he says " Life will find a way".

Standard candle A distance marker or measure. Typically Cepheid Variable stars or type 1A Supernovae.

I want politicians who do what they say ! If a politician makes all sorts of promises during an election campaign, but then gets into office and says he can't do any of them, either because the 'books' are much worse than they thought, or the previous administration 'ruined' things too bad, that tells me one of two things. He lied about his intentions just to get elected and should be promptly turfed in the next election. Or he is incompetent, doesn't understand the realities of the situation, and should be promptly turfed in the next election. Notice that this applies to Right as well as Left, its just a matter of degree ( I have never said they are equally nuts ). Even B. Obama, who I like ( then again I'd have a beer with G.W. Bush also ), had very good intention but failed ( the reason shouldn't matter ) at implementation. At least G. W. Bush failed for unpredictable reasons. It was his response to those reasons that made him incompetent ( or controlled by others ). But back to the point I was trying to make... B. Obama should have known the hurdles and 'push back' he would face, or he just didn't care as he had done what he needed to get elected So what is he ? A liar or incompetent ? And this point isn't about B. Obama, its about politicians in general , so don't start giving me reasons why he failed, we all know them. The point is he should have known the obstacles he would face. Or he didn't really care. Now you may think I'm just another of those disillusioned voters who have lost faith in the system, and belong to the 50%s who don't vote. But you'd be wrong. Every election I am aware of what has happened, the politicians' platforms and intentions, and I get out and vote ( sometimes even for those 'evil' Conservatives, if the liberals have become too self-serving and arrogant, yes, it happens ). Otherwise I'd have no excuse for complaining and rambling on like I'm doing.

I don't disagree with you John, the US Right wing does attract its fair share of wing-nuts ( can you say Donald Trump ? ). But that doesn't absolve others of their share of blame. Maybe as overtone says, the ones who try to prevent bad governments from taking office should be absolved, but in any western election ( even on your side of the pond ) only about half of eligible voters turn out. Of the other half, roughly half vote Republican and the other half vote Democrat. So, in the case of a bad government, only about 1/4 of the eligible voters actually try to prevent a repeat, another quarter vote for 'their' party regardless, and about half are indifferent, don't know or give a damn, or are perfectly happy with the bad government. So when you have a bad government, and it gets re-elected, why don't you explain to me why I shouldn't blame at least 3/4 of the voters ?

Expansion The process whereby separation of non-gravitationally bound structures and objects within the observable universe is increasing. Whether driven by the cosmological constant or "dark' energy, the process is currently ( several billion years ) accelerating.

But I don't dole out EQUAL blame to everybody. I have previously said there is plenty of blame to go around for everybody, even voters who fail to inform themselves. I was 'corrected' on this by John who said that voters are 'misled' by Rightwingers, to which I pointed out that John, being a respected and therefore influential member of our community, is doing a bit of 'misleading' himself by 'implying' that the troughs in GDP occurred during times of Right governance, and there was a correlation, when, in actuality it was a European ( if not global as John has pointed out even Australia was involved ) phenomenon.

Like John says travelling faster will always require more work, and therefore more energy expenditure. There is however a steep rise in drag in the region M=0.98 to 1,2 ( somewhat mitigated by Whitcombe area ruling ), so that most modern jets will need 'afterburning' to pass through this 'barrier', but will happily 'supercruise' on military power alone in the region M=1,4 to 1.8. This is the sweet spot, as drag climbs high again and requires afterburning or re-heat which will burn two if not three times more fuel for a typical supersonic turbofan engine. Incidentally the Concorde used RR Olympus turbojet engines designed in the late 50s asnd required afterburning for any supersonic flight, but was limited to subsonic over land because of sonic boom issues. New research into adaptive cycle engines which can vary the bypass flow according to different flight regimes will increase efficiency/reduce costs still further while aerodynamic research by Boeing, LM and Nortrop-Grumman have reduced the boom problem enough to allow supersonic flight over land. I predict a new supersonic airliner, if not business jet, within the next 20-30 yrs. Incidentally in the 50s, the hayday of aerospace innovation, many alternate fuels were looked at including Hydrogen, by Lockheed's Skunk Works, The most interesting ( but dangerous ) was Borane for hypersonics.

But I was not the one who made it a 'Right vs. Left' issue by stating "Both of those happened under Right wing governments" When clearly the cause lies elsewhere. Rightly or wrongly ( me, I sit on the fence and dole out blame to everybody ) your bias is showing.