If I were to drop an object, a bowling ball, down an infinitely long vacuum tube, what speed could it reach?

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• If I were to drop an object, a bowling ball, down an infinitely long vacuum tube, what speed could it reach?
• Why does my congestion go away when my body is in hot water?
• How or why does moon sometimes appear bigger and in different colour?
• Can sound be used as a catalyst for chemical reactions?
• Is the Gravitational Constant "constant" as the Universe ages and expands?
• Would flames be shorter/taller under higher/lower gravity?
• Why are alpha particles stable?
• If the moon is geologically dead, how will we find metal ores and what will their concentrations be like?
• How do we have pictures of Milky way?
• What's the cardinality of negative infinity to positive infinity?
• Why is it considered easier to hit a home run on a ball traveling faster rather than slower?
• A balloon filled with helium goes in the opposite direction of earth's gravity. Not only does it overcome the force, but it also travels up. What would happen to a balloon in deep space? Would the helium stay put or would the balloon split and the helium go in all directions?
• What does a colorblind person see in a room with only red light?
• Does it take more energy to heat liquid water or frozen water?
• While under the influence of LSD, can you transfer the drug into that of an unsuspecting animals while petting it?

If I were to drop an object, a bowling ball, down an infinitely long vacuum tube, what speed could it reach? Posted: 30 Apr 2016 05:39 PM PDT Given that an object can't travel faster than the speed of light and that there is no resistance which of these two overrides the other? submitted by /u/FrenchButcher [link] [comments]

Why does my congestion go away when my body is in hot water? Posted: 30 Apr 2016 09:34 PM PDT I'm extremely congested most of the time and have found that immersing my body in hot water really alleviates my congestion. There's no real steam in the room, so what is it that's making it so much easier for me to breathe? submitted by /u/burf [link] [comments]

How or why does moon sometimes appear bigger and in different colour? Posted: 30 Apr 2016 06:16 PM PDT submitted by /u/AThinRedLine [link] [comments]

Can sound be used as a catalyst for chemical reactions? Posted: 30 Apr 2016 01:41 PM PDT submitted by /u/skyence [link] [comments]

Is the Gravitational Constant "constant" as the Universe ages and expands? Posted: 01 May 2016 06:42 AM PDT Is the Gravitational Constant of today the same as that of the one from right after the Big Bang and will it be the same value in 10 billion years? submitted by /u/sldfghtrike [link] [comments]

Would flames be shorter/taller under higher/lower gravity? Posted: 01 May 2016 04:47 AM PDT If I had a bio dome on the moon and made a bonfire would the flames be taller because of the lower gravity? Would you see a clear difference? What about on a huge planet? Or the sun? Does a bio dome bonfire on the sun have short little flames? submitted by /u/cheeseismurder [link] [comments]

Why are alpha particles stable? Posted: 01 May 2016 06:23 AM PDT Why don't radionuclides emit particles of made 4 neutrons? What makes the alpha particle arrangement more energetically favourable than a neutron analogue? submitted by /u/moisttoejam [link] [comments]

If the moon is geologically dead, how will we find metal ores and what will their concentrations be like? Posted: 01 May 2016 12:54 AM PDT Clarification: On the moon, rocks tend to be about half silica with mineral impurities of aluminate (up to 30%), Ilmenite (up to 10%), and Ferrous oxides (up to 15%). The concentration of these minerals would not make them profitable to produce metals from by earth standards, where we tend to use ores like Magnetite (70%+) Goethite (60%+), and limonite/siderite (40%+) for pig iron production. Hematite, Magnetite, and Goethite are mostly formed by interactions with water. Since the moon has no water to form sedimentary strata, would it stand to reason that the Moon's iron would not form concentrated ores like this? Chalcocite and Chalcopyrite are mostly found in igneous rocks. Since the moon is not geologically active, would these crystal formations be present? Would veins of copper-bearing crystals have formed during the initial cooling after the impact even that created the moon? Assuming the moon has no sedimentary deposits, we're excluding all alluvial and stratiform ores, all hydromagmatic deposits, all hydrothermal deposits, and all epigenetic deposits. This means zero metasomatic deposits as well, right? Does this mean the only metals we will find are astrobleme related, or magmatic, I'm guessing? Due to a lack of magmatic dynamism in the Moon's history, would this mean that the moon's metal deposits would have sunk to the core during formation, or would they have been left interspersed with the crust? submitted by /u/PM_ME_JAR_JAR_NUDES [link] [comments]

How do we have pictures of Milky way? Posted: 01 May 2016 01:15 AM PDT Like this submitted by /u/curiousperson89 [link] [comments]

What's the cardinality of negative infinity to positive infinity? Posted: 30 Apr 2016 06:32 PM PDT That is, the set of integers between negative and positive infinity. Is it equal to aleph-null? It seems like it should be bigger than the set of natural numbers. submitted by /u/gprime312 [link] [comments]

Why is it considered easier to hit a home run on a ball traveling faster rather than slower? Posted: 30 Apr 2016 01:06 PM PDT I watch baseball and I've heard them mention that the fact that it's a fastball made it go far enough to go over the wall. submitted by /u/sixarmedOctopus [link] [comments]

A balloon filled with helium goes in the opposite direction of earth's gravity. Not only does it overcome the force, but it also travels up. What would happen to a balloon in deep space? Would the helium stay put or would the balloon split and the helium go in all directions? Posted: 30 Apr 2016 08:23 PM PDT submitted by /u/mhoty2 [link] [comments]

What does a colorblind person see in a room with only red light? Posted: 30 Apr 2016 11:10 AM PDT For example, a darkroom for photo developing with only pure red light. Would the room appear to have the same amount of "lightness" but appear gray in color? Or would it be like there is no light at all? If the circumstances would be different for different types of colorblindness/different color light, I'm curious about that as well. submitted by /u/soyouwannabeapanda [link] [comments]

Does it take more energy to heat liquid water or frozen water? Posted: 30 Apr 2016 08:07 PM PDT It's my understanding that water takes more energy to heat due to the increased density of atoms. So would that mean that ice takes less energy? submitted by /u/LtDominator [link] [comments]

While under the influence of LSD, can you transfer the drug into that of an unsuspecting animals while petting it? Posted: 30 Apr 2016 06:27 PM PDT "Never pet animals while tripping" is something I have heard many times. The "logic" is somehow the sweat on your hands or through some other medium allows the drug in your system to be transferred into the animal's system. Does this have any actual scientific backing or logic? submitted by /u/wikipediavalidsource [link] [comments]

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Banana. We are regularly told that bananas are under threat. Are there other strains of Banana under development, if so how far away are they to commercial introduction and what other measures might be under way to protect this staple crop?

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• Banana. We are regularly told that bananas are under threat. Are there other strains of Banana under development, if so how far away are they to commercial introduction and what other measures might be under way to protect this staple crop?
• Is it possible to completly solve chess?
• Is it possible to taste/smell chirality?
• At higher altitudes, you weigh less. At lower altitudes, you weigh more. At the center of the earth, you'd weigh zero. At what depth would you weigh your maximum?
• Why are properties of alloys not averages of the properties of it's component metals?
• Could a black hole's mass, event horizon size, and spin be used to calculate the size of the singularity - also giving a clue as to the actual density and state of the degenerate matter making it up?
• What are the Origins of the Water of Earth's Ocean's?
• AskScience AMA Series: We are neuroscience & neurotechnology researchers at Harvard Medical School with a mission to communicate science to general audiences. Ask us anything!
• How does medicine act differently when administered via different methods?
• Would Lorentz Contractions occur in objects made of antimatter?
• I know space can bend but can it tear?
• Why does 2 neutron stars colliding create a black hole, instead of a combined neutron star?
• What is the relation between the mass and radius of a star?
• Is dark matter taken into account when making any planetary or cosmological calculations? For example has anyone thought of the effects of dark matter when modeling the Moon formation? And to what scale do you stop taking it into consideration?
• Is there evidence of ayahuasca analog usage in other ancient cultures?
• How can you induce Cooper pair formation in BCS theory of Superconductors?
• How can an incompressible fluid at constant temperature exert different amounts of pressure?

Banana. We are regularly told that bananas are under threat. Are there other strains of Banana under development, if so how far away are they to commercial introduction and what other measures might be under way to protect this staple crop? Posted: 29 Apr 2016 11:12 AM PDT It is widely advertised that current banana production is a monoculture, dominated by the « Cavendish » strain, and seemingly threatened by Fusarium (aka Panama disease). Is this threat as serious as the Press makes it seem to be (I've seen mentions on "Bananageddon" ... seriously)? submitted by /u/Gargatua13013 [link] [comments]

Is it possible to completly solve chess? Posted: 30 Apr 2016 03:25 AM PDT I don´t mean just programming an engine that is able to beat anyone. I mean to have a computer calculate the best turn (assuming that there always is exactly one best turn) in all possible position and storing the result as a file, so that another computer would have to do nothing but searching for the current position to know the best turn. And if it is possible, how long would it take the currently fastest computer to do so? submitted by /u/dohvakiin97 [link] [comments]

Is it possible to taste/smell chirality? Posted: 30 Apr 2016 06:23 AM PDT Can your senses tell the difference between different orientations of the same compound? submitted by /u/Beelzebubs-Barrister [link] [comments]

At higher altitudes, you weigh less. At lower altitudes, you weigh more. At the center of the earth, you'd weigh zero. At what depth would you weigh your maximum? Posted: 30 Apr 2016 03:28 AM PDT submitted by /u/warhols_ [link] [comments]

Why are properties of alloys not averages of the properties of it's component metals? Posted: 29 Apr 2016 09:50 PM PDT I was just doing some homework, and I read in my textbook that titanium alloys can be stronger than titanium even though titanium is the strongest metal. How does this work, wouldn't mixing titanium with a weaker metal make the mixture weaker than pure titanium? The same question applies for any alloy, the properties of alloys are not the averaged properties of the component metals. I sort of get how this would be, but I would like a good explanation so I fully understand it. Thanks! submitted by /u/coolamebe [link] [comments]

Could a black hole's mass, event horizon size, and spin be used to calculate the size of the singularity - also giving a clue as to the actual density and state of the degenerate matter making it up? Posted: 29 Apr 2016 04:25 PM PDT After reading an article recently on rotating (Kerr) black holes, I was struck by the fact that nature apparently applies a speed limit to them, where spin reduces the size of the event horizon, but can never reduce it to where you would find a naked singularity. But that then left me wondering the title question - what if any reason is there that given their mass and rate of spin, you couldn't deduce the angular momentum and then circumference of the singularity itself - giving more clues as to its nature? submitted by /u/Hailbacchus [link] [comments]

What are the Origins of the Water of Earth's Ocean's? Posted: 30 Apr 2016 03:31 AM PDT I couldn't really find a clear answer on google. Thanks! submitted by /u/TimeFlier101 [link] [comments]

AskScience AMA Series: We are neuroscience & neurotechnology researchers at Harvard Medical School with a mission to communicate science to general audiences. Ask us anything! Posted: 30 Apr 2016 07:14 AM PDT Science In The News (SITN) is a graduate student organization at Harvard with a mission to bridge the communication gap between scientists and general audiences. We achieve this through various avenues online through our blog, podcast, and Reddit AMAs, and through free, local events in Boston & Cambridge including seminars, Science By The Pint, and DayCon – an annual science conference designed for the general public. In addition to our website, you can follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. In our recent Special Edition on Neurotechnology, we have written a series of articles covering recent technologies that are pushing the boundaries of what we know about the brain. Each article describes how these new technologies have already impacted neuroscience and where these technologies are taking us next. With the potential to improve countless lives, we believe the future of neuroscience is bright and will only get brighter. For this AMA, we have gathered the authors of these articles and other Harvard PhD candidates conducting research in the field: Kevin Sitek: Neuroimaging of speech production and auditory perception Stephen Thornquist: Behavioral and computational neuroscience Kelsey Tyssowski: Gene expression and chromatin in neurons, neuronal plasticity Vivian Hemmelder: Reinforcement learning; time perception; curiosity Jim Bohnslav: Systems neuroscience, computational ethology Shay Neufeld: Reinforcement learning, addiction, habits, decision making, reward Siva Nagappan: Neurodevelopment We look forward to your questions. Ask us anything! submitted by /u/SITNHarvard [link] [comments]

How does medicine act differently when administered via different methods? Posted: 29 Apr 2016 08:46 PM PDT If I have pills of acetaminophen, and I swallow them, they provide pain relief within usually 30 minutes or so. Would there be a different affect if I were to crush a pill and inhale the dust, specifically through the sinuses? What if I were to use the pill as a suppository? Would these different methods of administration affect how the medicine behaves? submitted by /u/TheColdestFeet [link] [comments]

Would Lorentz Contractions occur in objects made of antimatter? Posted: 29 Apr 2016 05:28 PM PDT Or, does the charge of an antimatter object exhibit any different behavior than "regular" objects when approaching lightspeed? submitted by /u/aBraXiOuS [link] [comments]

I know space can bend but can it tear? Posted: 29 Apr 2016 03:22 PM PDT submitted by /u/morgantracykeef [link] [comments]

Why does 2 neutron stars colliding create a black hole, instead of a combined neutron star? Posted: 29 Apr 2016 09:36 PM PDT submitted by /u/JustALumpOfCanadium [link] [comments]

What is the relation between the mass and radius of a star? Posted: 29 Apr 2016 05:05 PM PDT I've been looking on the Internet for some kind of formula without success. I guess that the radius of a star might be influenced by many factors; if you want to describe them that would be great, but I would be happy just by knowing how the gravity of the mass influence the radius, simplifying phenomena like photon pressure for now. Is there a way to approximate the radius of a star only by knowing its mass? (I am programming some kind of 2D gravity simulator only for learning and gaming purposes) submitted by /u/Loaerile [link] [comments]

Is dark matter taken into account when making any planetary or cosmological calculations? For example has anyone thought of the effects of dark matter when modeling the Moon formation? And to what scale do you stop taking it into consideration? Posted: 30 Apr 2016 12:26 AM PDT submitted by /u/JD3313 [link] [comments]

Is there evidence of ayahuasca analog usage in other ancient cultures? Posted: 29 Apr 2016 04:46 PM PDT Are there regions outside of South America where naturally-occuring sources of both N,N dimethyltryptamine and a powerful monoamine oxide inhibitor, along with a method for preparing them in such a way as to facilitate an hallucinogenic experience, were (possibly) readily available to the indigenous peoples in the premodern era? If so, is there any lore from that region which might indicate that such a concoction was ever used in a religious or mystic ritual? Edit: clarified region, fixed typo submitted by /u/Haplo781 [link] [comments]

How can you induce Cooper pair formation in BCS theory of Superconductors? Posted: 29 Apr 2016 04:17 PM PDT What factors influence the electrons to pair up as Cooper pairs so that material defects do not affect the superconductivity as electrons flow along the material? Is it possible to generate the correct conditions with organic polymers, i.e: can we apply the principles of quantum coherence in photosynthetic systems to the room temperature superconductivity problem? Any help would be greatly appreciated as I am relatively new to this field and hope to learn anything I can. Thanks! submitted by /u/QuantumBoy365 [link] [comments]

How can an incompressible fluid at constant temperature exert different amounts of pressure? Posted: 29 Apr 2016 01:28 PM PDT This is a question I've had for a long time in the back of my mind. We are told that water is incompressible (or at least, under reasonable conditions). In fact, even 4 kilometers under the ocean, the water is only 1.8% denser. Further, it's generally much colder than water at the surface. It is also my understanding that pressure, as exerted by a gas or liquid, is a function of the number and force of molecular collisions on a volume by a surrounding substance. If that's correct, how can fluids, such as water, exert different amounts of pressure? The water under the ocean is colder, and therefore the kinetic energy of the water molecules, and hence energy of collisions, is decreased, and it's only 1.8% denser, thus the change in the number of collisions per unit time cannot account for the 400x increase in pressure compared with the surface. I know I'm either missing something or misunderstanding something. Please help! submitted by /u/ndufour [link] [comments]

You are subscribed to email updates from AskScience: Got Questions? Get Answers.. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
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Can a flammable gas ignite merely by increasing its temperature (without a flame)?

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• Can a flammable gas ignite merely by increasing its temperature (without a flame)?
• Why do biologists always refer to mitochondrial DNA in reports on evolution and cladistics as opposed to the DNA found in the nucleus?
• How does fracking affect volcanic eruptions?
• If transcription and translation are coupled in prokaryotes, how do mRNA quantification methods provide meaningful results?
• Do all of the planets orbit on the same level, and if so why does it appear that we're "looking up" at Saturn through Earthbound telescopes?
• Are there dynamic weather-like changes in Saturn's rings between daylight and planet shadow?
• Will continental drift eventually bring the continents back together?
• Is water at absolute zero denser than water at 4 degrees Celsius?
• Why are spinal discs so prone to hernias?
• Can EM field bend light?
• Is there a mathematical proof/justification for x^-1 = 1/x? Or is it just conjecture/nonclemature?
• The inside of my pineapple can appears to be galvanized steel, what is the reason for this?
• Why are radioactive elements that only give off alpha radiation still dangerous, given that that's just a helium nucleus?
• How much does quantum uncertainty effect the macro world?
• Why is it that you can put so much weight on one side of a barbell without it tipping over?
• Is it possible to choose a wedding date that has the highest probability of me actually being there?
• Why is it still impossible to manufacture Water?
• Why didn't this mixture of Conc. Sulphuric Acid and Cyclohexane react as expected?
• How to reconcile clocks in simple time dilation problems?
• We evolved from monkeys, could it happen again given enough time? Could another species/family/genus of homosapiens occur?
• Is the infinite-th root of -1 equal to 1?

Can a flammable gas ignite merely by increasing its temperature (without a flame)? Posted: 29 Apr 2016 12:37 AM PDT Let's say we have a room full of flammable gas (such as natural gas). If we heat up the room gradually, like an oven, would it suddenly ignite at some level of temperature. Or, is ignition a chemical process caused by the burning flame. submitted by /u/ExCx [link] [comments]

Why do biologists always refer to mitochondrial DNA in reports on evolution and cladistics as opposed to the DNA found in the nucleus? Posted: 29 Apr 2016 12:33 AM PDT This might sound like a rather stupid or silly question but I just though about this while studying for my IB bio exam. submitted by /u/littlewigbighair [link] [comments]

How does fracking affect volcanic eruptions? Posted: 28 Apr 2016 06:39 PM PDT I was thinking, if it triggers earthquakes, wouldn't it also maybe make volcanic activity more likely? submitted by /u/zeldazonklives [link] [comments]

If transcription and translation are coupled in prokaryotes, how do mRNA quantification methods provide meaningful results? Posted: 29 Apr 2016 12:40 AM PDT Wouldn't it be more of a measure of the brief latency between transcription and translation than an indicator of transcript or protein level? submitted by /u/neurominer [link] [comments]

Do all of the planets orbit on the same level, and if so why does it appear that we're "looking up" at Saturn through Earthbound telescopes? Posted: 28 Apr 2016 06:50 PM PDT Example: http://i.imgur.com/ukrhUEm.png submitted by /u/mikerhoa [link] [comments]

Are there dynamic weather-like changes in Saturn's rings between daylight and planet shadow? Posted: 29 Apr 2016 12:21 AM PDT I know the concept of "weather" in Saturn's rings isn't the right way the phrase the question, but that's really where this line of thought comes from. Do Saturn's rings experience weather? I was thinking that there must be a difference in temperature between when the rings sit in Saturn's shadow and when exposed to sunlight. I know it's darker and colder out there than here in the comfy habitable zone but is the fluctuation between warm and cold enough to cause dynamic weather-like patterns in the rings? submitted by /u/porty_paisley [link] [comments]

Will continental drift eventually bring the continents back together? Posted: 29 Apr 2016 04:50 AM PDT submitted by /u/Dubzeeeh [link] [comments]

Is water at absolute zero denser than water at 4 degrees Celsius? Posted: 28 Apr 2016 03:36 PM PDT I know liquid water is generally denser than ice from the polarity of the bonds, and the way the molecules orient themselves, but as things approach absolute zero they get denser and colder, so is there a point where ice surpasses the density of 4 degree Celsius water? submitted by /u/Arabaster77 [link] [comments]

Why are spinal discs so prone to hernias? Posted: 28 Apr 2016 08:37 PM PDT I'm a 1st year med student, studying the lumbar region in anatomy, we barely brush on the subject and the professor wasn't able to give me the answer I was looking for. So, throughout the millions of years of evolution, how come the spinal discs are STILL so prone to hernias and bulges? I mean, it was enough for me to pick up weights in an incorrect way to herniate my L5S1 (CT+MRI approved) as well as billion of others who suffer from a similar condition. submitted by /u/Xeydo [link] [comments]

Can EM field bend light? Posted: 28 Apr 2016 07:43 PM PDT submitted by /u/speech_freedom [link] [comments]

Is there a mathematical proof/justification for x^-1 = 1/x? Or is it just conjecture/nonclemature? Posted: 28 Apr 2016 06:53 AM PDT submitted by /u/elos_ [link] [comments]

The inside of my pineapple can appears to be galvanized steel, what is the reason for this? Posted: 28 Apr 2016 01:53 PM PDT Some quick searching online suggested that galvanized steel might not be all that food safe since the zinc coating can end up in the foodstuffs if they are acidic. Some also suggest that there is a lining between the steel and food, but if so then why bother with a galvanized steel can instead of a typical can? submitted by /u/thar_ [link] [comments]

Why are radioactive elements that only give off alpha radiation still dangerous, given that that's just a helium nucleus? Posted: 28 Apr 2016 09:48 AM PDT submitted by /u/JustALumpOfCanadium [link] [comments]

How much does quantum uncertainty effect the macro world? Posted: 28 Apr 2016 01:56 PM PDT submitted by /u/DownFalldotcom [link] [comments]

Why is it that you can put so much weight on one side of a barbell without it tipping over? Posted: 28 Apr 2016 06:13 PM PDT I was at the gym today and I was able to put 90 pounds on one side of the barbell without it tipping over. Why doesn't any imbalance of weight cause it to tip over? submitted by /u/CashCop [link] [comments]

Is it possible to choose a wedding date that has the highest probability of me actually being there? Posted: 28 Apr 2016 04:22 AM PDT I work on a ship in a cycle where I am away for an average of 80 days, followed by an approximately equal length holiday where another person works in my place. I am newly engaged and hoping to get married in February 2017 but due to my work trips being not of an exact length it is very difficult to choose a date and start making bookings/invitations. Here are my previous trips: 28/07/2014-09/10/2014 73 days 09/10/2014-26/12/2014* 78 days 26/12/2014-05/03/2015 69 days 05/03/2015-29/05/2015* 85 days 29/05/2015-20/08/2015 83 days 20/08/2015-03/11/2015* 75 days 03/11/2015-26/01/2016 84 days 26/01/2016-25/04/2016* 90 days Trips with an asterisk represent when I was on holiday but are equally valid trip lengths in terms of data because the ship does the same journey. I am on the ship now and my most recent trip began on the 19/4/2016. This is earlier than the end of the last trip because our records only show departure time so I took the dates from departure-departure and will work them back to the day I joined. I will do this work trip, a holiday, another work trip and then we will get married in the following holiday. If we want to get married on a Saturday what is the best date to choose? We understand that this is a basic mathematics problem however the answer is very important to us for obvious reasons. Thank you in advance. submitted by /u/boobsandsandwiches [link] [comments]

Why is it still impossible to manufacture Water? Posted: 28 Apr 2016 10:09 AM PDT Maybe a really stupid question, but, out of everything we are technologically capable of doing I don't have a wide enough knowledge of science to understand why we can't just "make" water. H2O seemed oh so simple in high school science. submitted by /u/house221b [link] [comments]

Why didn't this mixture of Conc. Sulphuric Acid and Cyclohexane react as expected? Posted: 28 Apr 2016 12:21 PM PDT Hi! British 6th form student here. So in chemistry earlier, reasons aside, we were mixing concentrated sulphuric acid with cyclohexene, and we got the expected result once, a orange mix. However, when we first tried the reaction a gas was produced, (known because the bung popped off spectacularly), and we got a black stodgy mixture with a slight orange tint,. However, when put into water it took on a slight greenish tint, and behaved strangely, some floating at the top, some going to the bottom, some strands going inbetween the two. I would guess that there may have been a contamination in the test tube, but that is fairly unlikely as it was a fresh batch of clean test tubes. Can anyone identify what it is that has happened here? Sorry about the picture quality, best i could do at the time. /u/superhelical has kindly pointed out to me that I was wrong, and that when I wrote cyclohexane I meant cyclohexene. So, hats off to him, and sorry about my mistake. submitted by /u/JGAJ99 [link] [comments]

How to reconcile clocks in simple time dilation problems? Posted: 28 Apr 2016 08:01 AM PDT I think the answer here is going to be pretty straightforward, but I can't find what I'm looking for in the FAQ or by searching. I think my confusion might go a bit deeper, but I've boiled things down to a simple problem that I can't quite grasp. Got to be something simple I'm missing. Let's say there are two spaceships, both 6 lightyears from Earth in opposite directions. The ships and Earth have their clocks synced and have no relative velocity. Both ships accelerate quickly to 0.6c towards Earth and stop when they arrive. From the reference frame of Earth, it will take 10 years for both to arrive. The Lorentz factor for 0.6c is 1.25, so when we look at the clocks on board they'll say 8 years have passed. So a person on Earth was correct to believe that the spaceship clocks tick slower. Confusion: shouldn't the observers on the ships perceive time passing more slowly on Earth and (even more so) on the other ship? Let's say ship A assesses the situation after accelerating (instantaneously). Earth is 6 lightyears away and coming closer at a rate of 0.6c. Ship B is 12 lightyears away and coming closer at a rate of 0.88c (by velocity addition with relativity). That gives a Lorentz factor of 2.125. This means Earth should reach A after 10 A years (6/0.6), while only 8 years (10/1.25) passed on Earth. And it means B should reach A after 13.6 A years (12/0.88), while only 6.4 years (13.6/2.125) pass on B. Obviously this second set of calculations makes no sense. It seems clear from the problem that B and A should reach Earth at the same time. And it's also confusing that the clocks don't match up. I expect that part of the problem is the "broken symmetry". The ships accelerate and Earth doesn't. But with my understanding I get the same confusing results if you remove this aspect. Toss out Earth and the problem should look the same either way, no? Yet each ship thinks time passes differently on the other ship. So how can their clocks match up in the end? I've tried drawing some Minkowski diagrams to make sense of things, but it's not helping. I assume my misunderstanding is either carrying over to that exercise or else it's deeper than I think. Can anyone help me out here? submitted by /u/jofwu [link] [comments]

We evolved from monkeys, could it happen again given enough time? Could another species/family/genus of homosapiens occur? Posted: 28 Apr 2016 05:32 AM PDT Could we see/co-exist with another "group" of humans? submitted by /u/SahSon [link] [comments]

Is the infinite-th root of -1 equal to 1? Posted: 28 Apr 2016 05:11 PM PDT Using polar coordinates to work out powers and roots on an imaginary/real plane means that to raise a complex number to a power, the new angle become the product of the power and the angle, and the new r (distance to the origin) becomes rpower -11/2 shows that you get i (or -i but lets just deal with positive roots for now), raising it to a third makes the root move closer to 1 along the unit circle. It gets even closer for a quarter. summarised visually here Does this mean that as the power approaches infinity, the root approaches 1? Can you therefore infer that 1∞ (as absurd as that alone sounds) could equal -1? submitted by /u/YesmynameisPerry [link] [comments]

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