Was Einstein Wrong?

[SNYder]

A team of Australian scientists proposes an idea that could unseat one of the most cherished laws of modern physics -- Einstein's theory of relativity.

Click here to read the full article

Excerpt from Wired.com news article:

The suggestion that the speed of light can change is based on data collected by UNSW astronomer John Webb, who posed a conundrum when he found that light from a distant quasar, a star-like object, had absorbed the wrong type of photons from interstellar clouds on its 12 billion year journey to earth.

Davies said fundamentally Webb's observations meant that the structure of atoms emitting quasar light was slightly but ever so significantly different to the structure of atoms in humans.

The discrepancy could only be explained if either the electron charge, or the speed of light, had changed.

[Bop]

BLASPHEMY! Einstein is not wrong... these idiots are!


*I have no scientific proof to back up my statement, so leave me alone

[KelseyB]

w00t @ bop's avatar [/me saves to ever-growing collection of colleen pics]

that said, it is quite possible that einstien was wrong. he didnt have the technology that we have today. guess why its called a THEORY, eh? im sure that in a couple of decades, these guys will be prooven wrong, or einstien will be prooven correct again. just wait.

[Aquila Blue]

Originally posted by KelseyB
guess why its called a THEORY, eh?

Actually to call something a theory is to give it support in science. According to the scientific process something does not become a theory until it has undergone rigorous testing. An idea based on a few experiments or observations is generally a hypothesis. To call something a theory generally means it has been well tested and is about as close to "how things are" in the scientific world. Of course, this is not to say theorys cannot be wrong. That's the great thing about science, it's always being challenged and tested.

[KelseyB]

isnt my point still valid?


how goes the cancer research, btw?

[Aquila Blue]

Originally posted by KelseyB
isnt my point still valid?


how goes the cancer research, btw?

yup, your point is still valid (theories can be wrong, although there is usually such a mass of data say their right it can be tough to disprove)

Haven't started the cancer research yet, that starts in sept. Doing research on potatoes right now.

[SSJ4 Gogitta]

We already know the speed of light can change. Ever heard of a prisim? Changes the speed of light ever so slightly breaking it into it spectrum.

Speed of light is also slower in the atmosphere than it is in space.

Scientists have also managed to slow the speed of a photon down to where a person can RUN faster than it.

This article explains how light was slowed to 38 MPH (yes, Miles per HOUR, a 20 million-fold decrease).

[SNYder]

I saw something on that two places at once thingie ma doo.

but my question is, if we already have been able to change the speed of light, then why is this other discovery saying it (if proved) could prove the einstein theory wrong for the first time? Something can't be proved wrong for the first time twice.

[eleet-2k2]

Einstein's probably spinning in his grave now.

[Shenlong]

Those people must be STUPID to try to prove Einstein wrong. AH-HAHAHAHAHA!!! *cough* Right...

[banjoe-john]

Main Entry: the·o·ry
Pronunciation: 'thE-&-rE, 'thi(-&)r-E
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -ries
Etymology: Late Latin theoria, from Greek theOria, from theOrein
Date: 1592
1 : the analysis of a set of facts in their relation to one another
2 : abstract thought : SPECULATION
3 : the general or abstract principles of a body of fact, a science, or an art <music theory>
4 a : a belief, policy, or procedure proposed or followed as the basis of action <her method is based on the theory that all children want to learn> b : an ideal or hypothetical set of facts, principles, or circumstances; often used in the phrase in theory <in theory, we have always advocated freedom for all>
5 : a plausible or scientifically acceptable general principle or body of principles offered to explain phenomena <wave theory of light>
6 a : a hypothesis assumed for the sake of argument or investigation b : an unproved assumption : CONJECTURE c : a body of theorems presenting a concise systematic view of a subject <theory of equations>
synonym see HYPOTHESIS

Theories can be broken and disproved. Einstein really had no definitive proof that he was right, only no one at the time was able so disprove him.

[whiteflip]

theroies can be modified and incorporated into new theories. or new theories can be incorporated into old theories. all happens when new data and analysis is available. and thats what happened in this article. new data.

perhaps light is slowing down.

[rm']

Originally posted by SNYder
I saw something on that two places at once thingie ma doo.

I read an article once where they made the same electron appear in two places at once... with a twist. The position of the electron depended entirely on the perspective of the viewer. An electron was shot through a cathode ray tube with two different apertures at the other end. Depending on where you were standing, the electron would either end up at the right hole, or the left hole. Two different people, observing the same electron in the same experiment would detect a different end result. Now THAT was freaky.

[fwgx]

Einstein has been proved wrong for decades, the whole theory of quantum physics says that. What he did do was set people in the right direction. Slowing light down is new to me though, might have to find a good book on it...hint hint anyone

[SNYder]

Originally posted by rm'
I read an article once where they made the same electron appear in two places at once... with a twist. The position of the electron depended entirely on the perspective of the viewer. An electron was shot through a cathode ray tube with two different apertures at the other end. Depending on where you were standing, the electron would either end up at the right hole, or the left hole. Two different people, observing the same electron in the same experiment would detect a different end result. Now THAT was freaky.

holy! that wasn't in the thing I saw. ima search for that article. if you ever find it, post it in here.

[whiteflip]

matter can be created and destroyed
light is a variable that can be manipulated
time doesnt exist

those would be nifty things.

i read some where that a ufo fanatic created a machine that outputed more power than inputed. once he got the kinks worked out of his mysteriously flying prototype he made a power generator and was mysteriously confronted by men in black suits.

[SSJ4 Gogitta]

Originally posted by whiteflip
matter can be created and destroyed
light is a variable that can be manipulated
time doesnt exist

those would be nifty things.

i read some where that a ufo fanatic created a machine that outputed more power than inputed. once he got the kinks worked out of his mysteriously flying prototype he made a power generator and was mysteriously confronted by men in black suits.

I can put 5 uV (microvolts) into an OP-Amp and get 1 volt out! how ya like that?!?

Then i can put that 1 volt into another opamp and get 200,000 volts out!!

[whiteflip]

volts yes. volts is a measure of intensity right????
watts is where its at.