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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2016 16:39:49 GMT
I got a (mass) email from the President of MIT an hour ago. It seems that after 100 years of trying, scientists have proven Einstein's theory of general relativity. They've actually found and measured gravitational waves.
This is incredible -- thousands of people have dedicated their entire lives to get to this point. And it just is beyond my capability to comprehend the genius of Einstein, that he predicted this over 100 years ago. He was literally a century ahead of his time.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2016 16:42:33 GMT
It is incredible - and think about the MASSIVE technological advancements that were required to get to this point, which to me makes Einstein's theory even more impressive.
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Post by anxiousmom on Feb 11, 2016 16:44:01 GMT
My twitter feed has gone wave crazy. Personally, it is all over my head and I am going to have to read the 'for dummy's' version of what it means-but there is a University of Florida professor involved with the announcement (and something else?) so not only is the news accounts tweeting, but so is every single UF department.
Just the little parts I do understand make it seem like this is pretty dang awesome...
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valleyview
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Post by valleyview on Feb 11, 2016 16:57:17 GMT
Wow! Reading about this really makes me wish I had taken physics.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2016 17:06:03 GMT
My twitter feed has gone wave crazy. Personally, it is all over my head and I am going to have to read the 'for dummy's' version of what it means-but there is a University of Florida professor involved with the announcement (and something else?) so not only is the news accounts tweeting, but so is every single UF department. Just the little parts I do understand make it seem like this is pretty dang awesome... I think the details are over pretty much most peoples' heads.  In very basic terms, scientists discovered ripples in space and time called gravitational waves. They were able to measure these waves from when two black holes collided a billion light years away. It is direct evidence of the last major part of Einstein's theory of general relativity that hadn't been observed or measured. It's proof that black holes work the way he predicted. |
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Post by lucyg on Feb 11, 2016 17:09:31 GMT
Wow, just wow. Of course I understand none of this, but I am always impressed by science working the way it's supposed to. On a related note: I tried, I really did, to read A Brief History of Time. I couldn't get through the first chapter. I'm not dumb (shut up) but I simply cannot make physics work in my brain. |
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Post by anxiousmom on Feb 11, 2016 17:10:38 GMT
My twitter feed has gone wave crazy. Personally, it is all over my head and I am going to have to read the 'for dummy's' version of what it means-but there is a University of Florida professor involved with the announcement (and something else?) so not only is the news accounts tweeting, but so is every single UF department. Just the little parts I do understand make it seem like this is pretty dang awesome... I think the details are over pretty much most peoples' heads. In very basic terms, scientists discovered ripples in space and time called gravitational waves. They were able to measure these waves from when two black holes collided a billion light years away. It is direct evidence of the last major part of Einstein's theory of general relativity that hadn't been observed or measured. It's proof that black holes work the way he predicted. Sometimes I feel like such a dummy. Even your basic terms I don't get.  I was never really good with science-I am a whiz bang in other disciplines, but sometimes even the most basic science principles go right over my head.  |
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wellway
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Post by wellway on Feb 11, 2016 17:12:07 GMT
My twitter feed has gone wave crazy. Personally, it is all over my head and I am going to have to read the 'for dummy's' version of what it means-but there is a University of Florida professor involved with the announcement (and something else?) so not only is the news accounts tweeting, but so is every single UF department. Just the little parts I do understand make it seem like this is pretty dang awesome... You and me both anxiousmom I did find this BBC what, where, how, why article which I will have to read very carefully. www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-35523676 |
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BarbaraUK
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Post by BarbaraUK on Feb 11, 2016 17:18:15 GMT
I've just been reading about this. It's fantastic and listening to someone from Cambridge University talking about how it marks a new era for astronomy. anxiousmom there's a good article about it here Gravitational Waves
ETA: have just seen wellway has just given the same link.  |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2016 17:18:33 GMT
No dummies here! If it were easy to understand, it wouldn't have taken thousands and thousands of lifetimes of work to figure it out.
It's important to know how epic this is, though. It's opened up a whole new type of wave that's now been detected. Radio, cell phone, and tv all depend on electromagnetic waves. Who knows what will be developed using these new gravitational waves? It opens an entire frontier of astronomic discoveries and technology and understanding the universe. This is one of the all important discoveries EVER in science.
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Post by anxiousmom on Feb 11, 2016 17:22:10 GMT
No dummies here! If it were easy to understand, it wouldn't have taken thousands and thousands of lifetimes of work to figure it out. It's important to know how epic this is, though. It's opened up a whole new type of wave that's now been detected. Radio, cell phone, and tv all depend on electromagnetic waves. Who knows what will be developed using these new gravitational waves? It opens an entire frontier of astronomic discoveries and technology and understanding the universe. This is one of the all important discoveries EVER in science. My younger son is amazing, amazing, amazing when it comes to science. Right now he is taking an AP physics class and has a 103 for the year to date. Science and math are without question his thing. He vacillates between science and law as a career choice-law because it is family and financially advantageous, but he loves science. Maybe with this news he will lean more toward science. I am sure they are talking about it in class. |
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Post by gar on Feb 11, 2016 17:40:00 GMT
I won't pretend to 'get it' beyond the very basics but how fantastic that something that's obviously so momentous has been found/measured/proved in our lifetime!!  |
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basketdiva
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Post by basketdiva on Feb 11, 2016 17:51:16 GMT
Just got this from my local newspaper- it happened here where I live: Einstein |
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oaksong
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Post by oaksong on Feb 11, 2016 19:06:51 GMT
This is so exciting! The possibilities of where this discovery will lead are truly astounding.
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Mystie
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Post by Mystie on Feb 11, 2016 19:54:25 GMT
I am a science dummy and a science lover at the same time, if that's possible...this is tremendously exciting and I will have to have my engineer husband explain it all to me when he gets home. LOL. I love learning about physics, I can literally feel it stretching my brain!  |
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eastcoastpea
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Post by eastcoastpea on Feb 11, 2016 21:23:47 GMT
That's exciting news.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2016 22:42:49 GMT
My husband was offered job at ligo.
He didn't take it because it required teaching at Berkeley, and at that time we could not afford the travel it would have involved.
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Post by peasapie on Feb 11, 2016 22:46:26 GMT
It is incredible - and think about the MASSIVE technological advancements that were required to get to this point, which to me makes Einstein's theory even more impressive. Agreed. Imagine the inside of his thought process. What a waste brains have to die when bodies do. Can't wait to see what comes of this as they begin application. |
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Deleted
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Jun 2, 2024 11:28:04 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2016 22:50:15 GMT
So what is called now? Einstein's evidence of relativity? Einstein's proof of relativity? Einstein's law of relativity?
I' m going with the third one.
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melissa
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Post by melissa on Feb 11, 2016 23:01:30 GMT
Saw that earlier! Very cool!
I like Einstein's laws of relativity!
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Post by hop2 on Feb 12, 2016 0:47:12 GMT
So what is called now? Einstein's evidence of relativity? Einstein's proof of relativity? Einstein's law of relativity? I' m going with the third one. i was just going to say that it can't be called a theory anymore. |
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Post by Layce on Feb 12, 2016 1:36:55 GMT
Okay, so, ... Is it astronomy? Is it physics? Both? More, even? I Like Einstein. |
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Post by gillyp on Feb 12, 2016 2:23:30 GMT
Just got this from my local newspaper- it happened here where I live: EinsteinThat's a great link, thank you. I can understand that article! |
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Feb 12, 2016 10:46:09 GMT
It's amazing but way over my head, sadly. I wish I understood more.
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