The unimaginable vastness of the universe

[mooeypoo]

 

There was I little crazy man who speculated on riding on a light beam, what nonsense is this. “He was no less than Einstein”.

 

That's ridiculous. If you were to travel at the speed of light, you would violate Maxwell's equations.

 

Well, didn't Einstein do that thought experiment when he figured-out/explained relativity?

[antimatter]

Well, didn't Einstein do that thought experiment when he figured-out/explained relativity?

 

Yes, Einstein did, but that thought experiment made sense.

This one doesn't. It doesn't apply to what Alan is currently arguing,

[Sayonara]

In any case, Einstein was banned from here for being unconventional, and he didn't whine about it.

[antimatter]

In any case, Einstein was banned from here for being unconventional, and he didn't whine about it.

 

Was he a Clown?

Edited July 11, 2008 by antimatter
multiple post merged

[Mr Skeptic]

Well, didn't Einstein do that thought experiment when he figured-out/explained relativity?

 

Well, I had hoped Alan would have been the one to point that out, so I could then tell him how Einstein had found an inconsistency of the old ideas with the laws of physics. He didn't go throwing out any of the old laws of physics nor previous observations, just the assumptions that people had made about them. (I'm talking about special relativity here). The thought experiment of chasing a light beam was an example of that, as Maxwell's equations would require light to look like it is traveling at c. Basically, previous laws + Maxwell's equations + principle of relativity = theory of relativity.

 

So that claiming to be Einstein does not entitle anyone to reject the laws of physics. For that, they should claim to be God, and even then it would be questionable.

[mooeypoo]

Well, I had hoped Alan would have been the one to point that out, so I could then tell him how Einstein had found an inconsistency of the old ideas with the laws of physics. He didn't go throwing out any of the old laws of physics nor previous observations, just the assumptions that people had made about them. (I'm talking about special relativity here). The thought experiment of chasing a light beam was an example of that, as Maxwell's equations would require light to look like it is traveling at c. Basically, previous laws + Maxwell's equations + principle of relativity = theory of relativity.

 

So that claiming to be Einstein does not entitle anyone to reject the laws of physics. For that, they should claim to be God, and even then it would be questionable.

 

Don't get me wrong, I didn't mean this as a negation of Einstein's work, on the contrary, I wanted to show that hypotheses and thought experiments can lead to great discoveries. HOWEVER -- they must be treated as thought experiments (and not facts) and they must be at least BASED on logic and science to lead to a valid conclusion, or at least raise ideas as to what to test/check in order to FIND something.

 

Obviously, the claim to BE einstein (or equate oneself with Einstein. Or equate one's situation with Einstein) usually is meant to claim more validity that should be given. But I was refering to the point about thought experiments, not about claiming to be Einstein. I see your point, definitely.

 

~moo