[QUOTE=sgman91;21684221]Not what is a charge, but what makes something have a charge? What makes them opposite in the first place? They say it has something to do with the up and down quarks, but how does being up and down change the physical properties of an object?
Not how it was created, but why is it there in the first place? Why is there anything at all? If I see an apple on the ground I can logically say, "This apple is here because it fell from the tree." If I ask,"why is the tree there." I can answer, "because the seed fell there and grew." This line of questioning can go on until you get to the question of existence itself.
Do you know why that is?
Is there any way to know that for sure though? I mean, at one point we thought the atom was the smallest... until we found something smaller... then we thought the electron was the smallest... etc. Would there ever be a point where we could definitively say, "This is the smallest particle?"
By laws I am referring to the laws of gravity, weak nuclear, strong nuclear, and electromagnetic forces. Why are there these "forces" that apply to pretty much all existence?[/QUOTE]
There is a reason we call science "science". It is there to help us explain the things which we don't understand, however that doesn't mean that there is an answer for everything. There just can't be an answer for everything at this point in time for humanity. I'm not expert but most of these questions are more philosophical than science related just because you are asking too much from current understandings.
[QUOTE=sgman91;2168422191;21684221]Is there any way to know that for sure though? I mean, at one point we thought the atom was the smallest... until we found something smaller... then we thought the electron was the smallest... etc. Would there ever be a point where we could definitively say, "This is the smallest particle?"[/QUOTE]
I believe the answers you seek for this question could be found somewhere deep within the confines of the quantum mechanics theories.
[QUOTE=LaceratorX;21684384]There is a reason we call science "science". It is there to help us explain the things which we don't understand, however that doesn't mean that there is an answer for everything. There just can't be an answer for everything at this point in time for humanity. I'm not expert but most of these questions are more philosophical than science related just because you are asking too much from current understandings.[/QUOTE]
What HE'S asking is what science is. That mindset of wanting to know the why of the why, or the how of the how is what makes a great scientist.
As Albert Einstein said, "The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity."
[QUOTE=sltungle;21684532]What HE'S asking is what science is. That mindset of wanting to know the why of the why, or the how of the how is what makes a great scientist.
As Albert Einstein said, "The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity."[/QUOTE]
He wants to know the answers to the questions, I'm sure he already knows [i]what[/i] science is, but not the [i]why[/i].
[QUOTE=LaceratorX;21684580]He wants to know the answers to the questions, I'm sure he already knows [i]what[/i] science is, but not the [i]why[/i].[/QUOTE]
I'm the exact same way. I'm never satisfied with the answers because there always comes a point at which you can't get another answer out of a question and everyone just responds, "just because that's the way it is," or, "that's just the nature of it," or something equally as frustrating.
[QUOTE=Biggins;21683530]Scientists don't have the authoritay to tell me anything is anything because they can't explain some of the most common things around us. Like conciousness and what birds are. What ARE birds? We just don't know.[/QUOTE]
And this, young friends, is what you call an uneducated person.
I might be late, but the theory about water swirling the opposite way is supposed to be cuz the correolis effect spins the water, and how on the other side, it would be going the opposite direction, but this is not true, and there is no more matter than ani-matter. everything is created in pairs, so there would be the same amount there could be galaxies of anti-matter, and according to hawkins, the anti-matter is sucked into black holes, and the force of it being sucked in pushes its matter pair away from it
[QUOTE=sgman91;21684221]Not how it was created, but why is it there in the first place? Why is there anything at all? If I see an apple on the ground I can logically say, "This apple is here because it fell from the tree." If I ask,"why is the tree there." I can answer, "because the seed fell there and grew." This line of questioning can go on until you get to the question of existence itself.[/QUOTE]
You can't ask "why is the tree there" and get the answer "because the seed fell there and grew". That is illogical. That describes [I]how[/I] the tree got there, but not [I]why[/I]. Why is the tree there? Why does matter exist? Why are we concious? Those are philosophical questions, not scientific ones. But you can ask [I]how[/I] does matter exist, or [I]how[/I] did we come to conciousness. The how is science. The why is philosophy (or religion for some).
[QUOTE=FlakAttack;21685003]You can't ask "why is the tree there" and get the answer "because the seed fell there and grew". That is illogical. That describes [I]how[/I] the tree got there, but not [I]why[/I]. Why is the tree there? Why does matter exist? Why are we concious? Those are philosophical questions, not scientific ones. But you can ask [I]how[/I] does matter exist, or [I]how[/I] did we come to conciousness. The how is science. The why is philosophy (or religion for some).[/QUOTE]
I'd clap if I could
[QUOTE=FlakAttack;21685003]You can't ask "why is the tree there" and get the answer "because the seed fell there and grew". That is illogical. That describes [I]how[/I] the tree got there, but not [I]why[/I]. Why is the tree there? Why does matter exist? Why are we concious? Those are philosophical questions, not scientific ones. But you can ask [I]how[/I] does matter exist, or [I]how[/I] did we come to conciousness. The how is science. The why is philosophy (or religion for some).[/QUOTE]
I read that in Carl Sagans voice. Therefore it must be good.
[QUOTE=FlakAttack;21685003]You can't ask "why is the tree there" and get the answer "because the seed fell there and grew". That is illogical. That describes [I]how[/I] the tree got there, but not [I]why[/I]. Why is the tree there? Why does matter exist? Why are we concious? Those are philosophical questions, not scientific ones. But you can ask [I]how[/I] does matter exist, or [I]how[/I] did we come to conciousness. The how is science. The why is philosophy (or religion for some).[/QUOTE]
... How can you off hand say one question is philosophy and another is science? (See what I did there? I used the word "how" to make a philosophical question).
My point being that the word you use doesn't matter what so ever. The question leading to many scientific discoveries started with why.
Your just arbitrarily stating one is philosophical and another is scientific.
Can you also please show how my question and answer about the tree is illogical? Another way of stating a "why" question is in a statement like this: The reason the tree is there is because a seed grew from the ground. This answer has nothing to do with the "how," but the "why" and is very provable through the scientific method.
Once it is established that we can answer the question of why something is where it is than there is no logical stopping point.
[QUOTE=FlakAttack;21685003]You can't ask "why is the tree there" and get the answer "because the seed fell there and grew". That is illogical. That describes [I]how[/I] the tree got there, but not [I]why[/I]. Why is the tree there? Why does matter exist? Why are we concious? Those are philosophical questions, not scientific ones. But you can ask [I]how[/I] does matter exist, or [I]how[/I] did we come to conciousness. The how is science. The why is philosophy (or religion for some).[/QUOTE]
Why is as much a valid question if the context is correct.
"Why does the current not split 50/50 across the parallel section of the circuit?"
"Because the voltage must remain constant across the section, but the resistance is different. Hence the current must also be different."
I get annoyed whenever everyone goes on this rant about the word 'why' being invalid in science. Without it your sentence's syntax may be fucked up beyond any comprehension.
[QUOTE=shatteredwindow;21684653]I might be late, but the theory about water swirling the opposite way is supposed to be cuz the correolis effect spins the water, and how on the other side, it would be going the opposite direction, but this is not true...[/QUOTE]
Correct and incorrect. While it's not true for toilets or baths, it's true for larger things such as hurricanes.
[QUOTE=shatteredwindow;21684653]...and there is no more matter than ani-matter. everything is created in pairs, so there would be the same amount there could be galaxies of anti-matter...[/QUOTE]
Scientists have determined with a large degree of certainty that there IS indeed more matter than antimatter in the universe. There's many reasons for them to think this. It's still one of the great mystery of the universe: why (there's that word again, why) was there apparently baryon asymmetry in the early universe?
[QUOTE=shatteredwindow;21684653]...and according to hawkins, the anti-matter is sucked into black holes, and the force of it being sucked in pushes its matter pair away from it.[/QUOTE]
You misunderstood what Stephen Hawking was saying. He explained that over time black holes 'evaporate' by spewing out everything they've taken in over the course of their existence (of course, it doesn't come back out in the same way as it went in, though (that's going into the information paradox, though). His explanation (I believe this is an oversimplified way of looking at things) is that particle/anti-particle pairs are created near the even horizon of the black hole. Normally they annihilate meaning that the black hole hasn't gained or lost anything, however occasionally one of the particles will be flung away from the black hole, and the other (with negative energy) will fall back into it. This negative energy (and hence negative mass) which is 'added' to the black hole will cause the black hole to lose mass (as adding a negative is the same as subtracting), while the regular particle is hurled out into the universe.
[QUOTE=OvB;21683870]Waiting for someone to post something ocean related. I can't wait to start exploring the vast realms of the ocean.
[IMG]http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/7022/coelacanthc.jpg[/IMG]
This, is a Coelacanth. [B]It was thought to go extinct 65 million years ago, yet it's still alive today.[/B][/QUOTE]
An evolutionary oddity Humanity will probably try to correct.
Unless they really taste as awful as I hear they do.
[QUOTE=Quo Vadi;21685123]I'd clap if I could[/QUOTE]
How come you can't clap?
[QUOTE=Canuhearme?;21685374]An evolutionary oddity Humanity will probably try to correct.
Unless they really taste as awful as I hear they do.[/QUOTE]
Like we're currently doing with Sharks, Whales, Pirarucu, and countless of other aquatic species.
It's a goddamn shame that a species can eradicate another which has been living for 400,000,000 years in a matter of centuries.
[QUOTE=QuinnithXD;21683878][url]http://lmgtfy.com/?q=What+is+Negative+Energy%3F[/url]
Hope this helps :3
OH AND Why do humans [B]HAVE[/b] to be dependent on water?[/QUOTE]
No known organism can survive without it.
[QUOTE=sgman91;21684221]Not what is a charge, but what makes something have a charge? What makes them opposite in the first place? They say it has something to do with the up and down quarks, but how does being up and down change the physical properties of an object?
Not how it was created, but why is it there in the first place? Why is there anything at all? If I see an apple on the ground I can logically say, "This apple is here because it fell from the tree." If I ask,"why is the tree there." I can answer, "because the seed fell there and grew." This line of questioning can go on until you get to the question of existence itself.
Do you know why that is?
Is there any way to know that for sure though? I mean, at one point we thought the atom was the smallest... until we found something smaller... then we thought the electron was the smallest... etc. Would there ever be a point where we could definitively say, "This is the smallest particle?"
By laws I am referring to the laws of gravity, weak nuclear, strong nuclear, and electromagnetic forces. Why are there these "forces" that apply to pretty much all existence?[/QUOTE]
Just an AP physics student in high school, but
1. Charge in an atom is made through even smaller particles that make them up (the name escapes me right now). They don't go up or down, it's really an arbitrary thing that scientists decided to call positive positive and negative negative, all that matters is that the sub-subatomic particles attract or repel each other.
2. I have no idea.
3.That's just what happens.
4.Right now the smallest thing is the quark, although if the past has taught us anything, science is probably wrong about this and will discover something smaller.
5. They are laws in nature. Yet again, it's just how the universe operates and we just happened to discover that they're true. Although some stuff scientists have no idea what causes them, such as gravity (Yes, it's caused by two masses at some distance, but we do not know why mass by virtue of its existence attracts everything else).
[QUOTE=QuinnithXD;21683878][URL]http://lmgtfy.com/?q=What+is+Negative+Energy%3F[/URL]
Hope this helps :3
OH AND Why do humans [B]HAVE[/B] to be dependent on water?[/QUOTE]
Because 60% of our body is made up of water.
Pulled these off Livestrong.com:
[B]Protects Your Nervous System[/B]
The human brain is composed of almost 70 percent water, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Drinking water provides the protection necessary to protect the brain, spinal cord and other nervous-system tissues.
[B]Cushions Joints[/B]
Your joints rely on fluid that surrounds them in order to keep your joints moving freely and feeling cushioned. Not drinking enough water can cause your joints to feel stiff.
[B]Rids the Body of Waste[/B]
Water is necessary to move wastes through the body. Whether through urine or bowel material, water is used by the excretory organs to eliminate wastes. Not drinking enough water can cause a person to experience diarrhea or vomiting symptoms related to dehydration.
[B]Keeps Skin Moist[/B]
Drinking water is one of the best beauty tips people can perform for their skin. This is chiefly due to the fact that a lack of water can cause skin to be wrinkled, dry and even pinched in appearance.
It's like saying why does an engine need oil?
[QUOTE=Zezibesh;21682803]Has anyone really been far as decided to use even go want to do look more like?[/QUOTE]
yes
[editline]02:23AM[/editline]
[QUOTE=sgman91;21684221]Not what is a charge, but what makes something have a charge? What makes them opposite in the first place? They say it has something to do with the up and down quarks, but how does being up and down change the physical properties of an object?
Not how it was created, but why is it there in the first place? Why is there anything at all? If I see an apple on the ground I can logically say, "This apple is here because it fell from the tree." If I ask,"why is the tree there." I can answer, "because the seed fell there and grew." This line of questioning can go on until you get to the question of existence itself.
Do you know why that is?
Is there any way to know that for sure though? I mean, at one point we thought the atom was the smallest... until we found something smaller... then we thought the electron was the smallest... etc. Would there ever be a point where we could definitively say, "This is the smallest particle?"
By laws I am referring to the laws of gravity, weak nuclear, strong nuclear, and electromagnetic forces. Why are there these "forces" that apply to pretty much all existence?[/QUOTE]
my view on it is we're just not meant to know these things.. the human brain cant comprehend such far-fetched ideas even though they may be reality.. but thats just me
[QUOTE=matark;21686474]Just an AP physics student in high school, but
1. Charge in an atom is made through even smaller particles that make them up (the name escapes me right now). They don't go up or down, it's really an arbitrary thing that scientists decided to call positive positive and negative negative, all that matters is that the sub-subatomic particles attract or repel each other.
2. I have no idea.
3.That's just what happens.
4.Right now the smallest thing is the quark, although if the past has taught us anything, science is probably wrong about this and will discover something smaller.
5. They are laws in nature. Yet again, it's just how the universe operates and we just happened to discover that they're true. Although some stuff scientists have no idea what causes them, such as gravity (Yes, it's caused by two masses at some distance, but we do not know why mass by virtue of its existence attracts everything else).[/QUOTE]
1) I didn't actually mean up or down in the literal sense... they are just called "up" and "down" quarks. My real question though is what makes them repel each other. At this point in time we have so much dependence on something that we really have absolutely no knowledge of. We understand how to use it, but now how it works at a fundamental level.
4) The odd thing is that their HAS to be a smallest particle because it their wasn't than we would have infinitely small particles and since we know nothing infinite exists in the real world we know that can't be possible. The weird thing about having a smallest particle though is that it isn't "made" of anything. It is just... itself, and nothing more.
5)There is no reason that science shouldn't, eventually, be able to answer the question of why the laws of nature exist. We know it does exists, therefore asking why it exists is a legitimate, scientific, question. I don't know... the whole, "Oh, it just happened like that during the big bang" story just doesn't cut it for me. The chances of them all being so perfect by random chance is mathematically impossible.
"The human brain is composed of almost 70 percent water, according to the U.S. Geological Survey."
Why is the USGS poking around in peoples brains?
[QUOTE=Quo Vadi;21682931]How can we be sure? What if it's not just at very vast expanses?
AFAIK because antimatter is visually identical to normal matter there'd be no way to tell if distant galaxies were entirely made of antimatter.[/QUOTE]
If anti-matter would still exist in vast amounts in the universe, we'd see huge matter-antim-matter annihilation -> bright flashes everywhere.
[editline]10:38AM[/editline]
[QUOTE=Namo;21683234]How do magnets work?[/QUOTE]
Spin- and angularmomentum-interactions of the elecectrons with magnetic fields.
[editline]10:39AM[/editline]
[QUOTE=Quo Vadi;21683476]Like I said before, one theory is that it DOES exist in abundant amounts (possibly entire galaxies) but we can't tell it apart from normal matter from a distance.[/QUOTE]
The problem with this is, there has to be a border between matter and anti-matter regions and there, annihilation takes part resulting into bright-flashes at this border. And we do not observe this effect.
[editline]10:40AM[/editline]
[QUOTE=wonkadonk;21683521]Is it possible to make a bend in the space time continuum to allow "Faster than light" travel using current technology?[/QUOTE]
No. Current technology does not allow us bending spacetime in that way you'd need it.
[editline]10:45AM[/editline]
[QUOTE=sgman91;21683588]Questions I have never seen answers to:
1) What exactly is a "charge?"
2) Why does anything exist at all?
3) Why do the laws of physics differ when dealing with very small scales"
4) Is there a "smallest particle?"
5) Why are there "laws" in nature?[/QUOTE]
1) [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charge_%28physics%29]Charge[/url]
2) Nobody knows
3) "Laws of physics" is quit blurry defined. We have theories for small scales and theories for big scales and the reason they differe is, they are approximations for their respective case they describe (large scales or small scales). An underlaying theory which inclues both can describe both. That's how science always worked.
4) Most probably
5) Because if there wouldn't, you couldn't ask this question (answer using weak anthropical principle).
[editline]10:50AM[/editline]
[QUOTE=TheDecryptor;21687264]"The human brain is composed of almost 70 percent water, according to the U.S. Geological Survey."
Why is the USGS poking around in peoples brains?[/QUOTE]
Because someone would have done that anyway, so did they.
I expected a serious thread with serious content.
But no, it was derailed on the [U][B][I]second post.[/I][/B][/U]
Facepunch, I'm disappointed in you. :colbert:
Science in FP rarely works. And by that, I don't mean articles nicked from the web.
[QUOTE=Swebonny;21689627]Science in FP rarely works. And by that, I don't mean articles nicked from the web.[/QUOTE]
I noticed we went from the interesting first post to smelly farts in a bathtub in record time :/
wow this is amazing, is that the most little communication known?
please more mysteries about little stuff like those, scooby!
What caused the big bang?
How will the universe end?
Are there more than one universe?
How shall we most efficiently combine general relativity and quantum mechanics?
What is the universal equation, and does it even exist?
Does infinity actually exist?
Is there life elswhere in the cosmos?
What is Dark matter and Dark energy?
Some questions that makes me want to study cosmology.
[QUOTE=Herr Sven;21691275]What caused the big bang?
How will the universe end?
Are there more than one universe?
How shall we most efficiently combine general relativity and quantum mechanics?
What is the universal equation, and does it even exist?
Does infinity actually exist?
Is there life elswhere in the cosmos?
What is Dark matter and Dark energy?
Some questions that makes me want to study cosmology.[/QUOTE]
The first two:
- Couldn't the universe have been caused by quantum fluctuations? Matter and energy appearing out of nowhere?
- Heat Death, apparently
[QUOTE=Biggins;21683530]Scientists don't have the authoritay to tell me anything is anything because they can't explain some of the most common things around us. Like conciousness and what birds are. What ARE birds? We just don't know.[/QUOTE]It's not so much they don't have the authority, rather they don't know how to explain stuff to someone who's 8 seats short of a majority.
[QUOTE=Eudoxia;21691309]The first two:
- Couldn't the universe have been caused by quantum fluctuations? Matter and energy appearing out of nowhere?
- Heat Death, apparently[/QUOTE]
Those are theories, we still don't know.
The first one: Quantum fluctuations is one possibility, two branes colliding (M-theory) is another, the big bounce of a previous verse (Cyclic model) is yet another.
Second: Heat death is one theory, but there are also theories that doesn't include heat death, like, for example, the cyclic model or Smolin's Fecund universes.
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