I know what causes radioactive decay

[Farsight]

I know what causes radioactive decay. And I REALLY understand quantum actions.

[insane_alien]

so why don't you tell us then?

[Farsight]

Because it isn't in your textbooks. People really don't like it when I offer answers that aren't in the syllabus, even when the latter has folk coming out with mystic garbage that I can shoot down in a trice. So excuse me if I don't go into it at length. But here's a potted version using analogy to show willing:

 

Imagine you've got a bent steel bar, this sort of shape: ∩, and fairly thin. Imagine it's half a sine wave, and half a photon wavelength. Compton scattering is akin to straightening the bar a little, so increasing the photon wavelength and changing the direction of the photon. Think of it as the middle portion of the incident photon:

 

 

Hence the electromagnetic force can be likened to bending and twisting the bar. It's quite easy to do. The strong force is like stretching the bar along its length, and is much more difficult. The Weak Interaction with the neutral current can be likened to "rubbing" the bar along its length, whilst the charge-current interaction can be likened to rubbing it around its diameter. The rubbing sometimes snags, then you get what appears to be a massive W or Z intermediate vector bosons and radioactive decay. As to what causes the snag, the bar is subject to a constant buffeting, call it quantum fluctuation, it's a little like the random wavelets on the surface of the sea.

[insane_alien]

Imagine you've got a bent steel bar, this sort of shape: ∩, and fairly thin. Imagine it's half a sine wave, and half a photon wavelength. Compton scattering is akin to straightening the bar a little, so increasing the photon wavelength and changing the direction of the photon. Think of it as the middle portion of the incident photon

 

Imagine a bar bent like half a sine wave: check

Figuring out why straightening it is like compton scattering: EPIC FAIL!

 

i think the bar analogy sucks. mainly because i don't get it at all. why don't you try forgoeing the analogies and get down to the equations, those i can understand.

 

As to what causes the snag, the bar is subject to a constant buffeting, call it quantum fluctuation, it's a little like the random wavelets on the surface of the sea.

 

So... you are saying it is cause is random? isn't that where we started(back the the other thread)

[Sayonara]

Physics explanations that begin with "Imagine..." make the baby Jesus cry.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Physics explanations that begin with "Imagine..." make the baby Jesus cry.

 

Further proof of the existence of time travel.

[Mr Skeptic]

[...]So excuse me if I don't go into it at length. But here's a potted version using analogy[...]

i think the bar analogy sucks. mainly because i don't get it at all. why don't you try forgoeing the analogies and get down to the equations, those i can understand.

 

Yes, it would have been much briefer and clearer to just post the equation and a sentence or two explaining it. No need for paragraphs of analogy that way.

[insane_alien]

okay, i was thinking about this analogy some more over breakfast and theres another thing i don't get.

 

what is straightening/rubbing/stretching the bar in reality?

 

and farsight, as we have said before, if you post the maths and answer questions properly instead of rehashing a previous statement of yours and stop trying to pass it off as fact immediately the we will listen, analyse, ask question and even help you. yes, help you. all we need is something to work with and for you to communicate your ideas in a sensible way(prefferably maths with a running commentary).

[Vexer]

(Oh brother)

 

Your alien irony is painful.