Speed of light broken with basic lab kit

New Scientist.com ^ | 16 September 02 | Charles Choi

[VadeRetro]

This reminds me of a question I have about Star Wars Physics. Has anyone ever calculated the apparent speed of the wave front in the exploding planet? My guess is the debris cloud is traveling considerably faster than the speed of light.

Not to mentioned the dying planet's psychic scream, which rippled out via the force or something.

[Crowcreek]

For Sale: Electronic test equipment, slightly used.

[FreedomFarmer]

NY Senators to NYT:

"The party of the peoples must act swiftly. Already, evil and greedy students have broken the speed of light with an unregistered basic lab kit.
How can I have another listening tour to tell the peoples how to vote, if I can't see who I'm listening to."

[Technocrat]

We don't need that much more speed for meaningful AI. In fact, if you want to see a vast step towards meaningful AI, come see MY basement. Today. My neurosemantic database will be finished in a matter of hours!

[Erasmus]

The cost comes when you start trying for high performance, precision, reliability, and (for manned flight) getting the crew home alive.

In amateur rocketry, that last consideration is nontrivial even for unmanned flight.

<<<---<)B^)

[StriperSniper]

so where's the warp drive already ?

This looks more akin to sub-space communication. ;-)

[js1138]

The Force obviously relies on quantum entanglement, having no locality. I'm sure you knew that.

But anyone with a DVD of the original Star Wars (I don't) could do a frame by frame analysis of the explosion and calculae the speed of the escaping debris. for example, how long does it take the debris field to double and triple the original planet size?

[VadeRetro]

If you start looking at movie explosions, you often notice that shells detonating next to movie ships are kicking up water droplets bigger than an elephant.

[apochromat]

They are rooting out anti-Einsteinian heretics.


Either that, or they are trying to confuse and bore everyone at the same time.

[woofie]

how long does it take the debris field to double and triple the original planet size?

Long enough for Hans Solo to save Princess Leia

[r9etb]

But if it's exactly 13 minutes past the hour here, then it's exactly 13 minutes past the hour everywhere on Earth.

Ahhh, but that's not correct. There are some time zones that are a half-hour off of the neighboring one:

[hosepipe]

"Speed of light broken with basic lab kit"

UNless they measured something wrong, or measured by a previous wrong measurement or maybe their equipment was not calibrated correctly or maybe.....nevermind
and now for my secund secound 2nd cup of mornin coffee....

"If you reach total enlightenment while drinking beer, I bet it makes beer come out your nose.
Deep Thoughts- Jack Handy

[staytrue]

Another reason not to fixate on "prestige" universities.

Actually, this article shows why you should fixate on prestige universities and not let your kid pretend to study physics at middle tennessee state.

This quote "the waves in the pulse's rear to reflect off each other, accelerating the pulse's peak forward. " shows that the experimenters, or the author of the article does not know what they are talking about. The waves do not "accelerate" the peak forward. The wave interference is only making it appear that way.

[Erasmus]

Some politician is gonna demand a speed limit be set and enforced, for 'da chilwrens', with his sister's cousin's second step-critter in charge of 'rite'n dem speeders up' for life.

666,016,199 Miles Per Hour.

It's not just a good idea, it's the Law.

[apochromat]

My recommendation would be don't go there, especially for the purposes of thought experiments.

[AxelPaulsenJr]

Where is Mr. Data when I need him to explain this stuff to me.

[staytrue]

In this case a wavefront might be able to carry 'intelligence'

The pulse that "moves" forward, does not move at all. There is a pulse that is the combination of a lot of waves at time=t1 and the pulse you observe moving faster than light is not the same pulse at time=t1 but a brand new pulse that sort of looks like the old pulse but was created by a different interfernce pattern at time=t2. The second pulse is not the same as the first pulse and can not carry information as a result.

[bcoffey]

It's not just a good idea, it's the Law.

About a hundred years ago, the Tennessee State Legislature attempted to pass a law fixing the value of PI at 3. (Using 3.14159265.... was too hard on the children).

From Petr Beckmann's "The History of Pi"

[FreedomFarmer]

But officer, that light wasn't red, it was only pink...

[FreedomFarmer]

If a pie pan is 9" across, and you remove a piece of pie 3" across at it's widest, how many pieces of pie are left?