Recent content by jeffamm

But doesn't a geiger counter still click when it decays? How is this measurable but the time-domain signal is not?

I think you are saying that, though technically challenging, the time domain signal of a light wave can be measured, but you are saying that a problem occurs when you try to see this for individual photons. So let's say I have this test setup in my lab, with a light wave generator connected to...

An oscilloscope with sufficient bandwidth can view the time domain properties of other electromagnetic waves, so why not light? And as contained in my original post, I'm not concerned with viewing light on an actual oscilloscope, but rather I'm interested in knowing what the electromagnetic...

I don't understand when you say that that an object is purely quantum. Light is an electromagnetic wave, just like radio waves. Is that different than your understanding?

We can view the amplitude vs time variation of an EM wave using an oscilloscope with the needed bandwidth. Such a view shows us the shape of the wave (sinusoid or other), the number of cycles contained in a given burst, any modulating signal etc. Though it wouldn't be measured with an...

Yes and is there any evidence that Einstein changed his view away from the idea that "all motion is relative - which means that anybody is entitled to say that they are at rest" (including a photon). I've not been able to find it. And Gribbin explicitly expresses the idea of a photon at rest...

Yes that's how I understood him. Einstein's thinking about the concept of "the frame of reference of a photon" is what led Einstein to special relativity. And if I understand the rule in this forum, that thinking would not be permitted here, thus it is ironic. Yes I'll give a few quotes...

You're confirming that what I said WRT the thinking that led to special relativity was actually very meaningful, even if it exposed a faulty premise - thus ironic in this forum compared with the idea of it being "not meaningful." On the contrary it was very meaningful. But to the heart of...

That's an interesting position, especially since it was Einstein's puzzling over what would happen if you could ride alongside a beam of light, at the same speed that light was moving, that led to his development of special relativity - and to have that kind of thinking dubbed "not meaningful"...

I think this is a relativity/frame of reference discussion and not QM but if I've got it wrong perhaps a mod can home it where it belongs, thanks. I've got an electrical engineer's background in physics from 30+ years ago and am totally rusted out on the math. My quest is driven by never being...

I think of myself as young, yes. I'm 50. If an image of terrorists holding a hostage is considered political here, it suggests there are folks who agree with the terrorists. I think it's just an amusing way to point out that someone is hijacking the thread. So is the spirit here to be both...

tnx 73

Sorry, but this is just ignorant. I really didn't come here to debate the merits of a starved plate design for guitar effect purposes, but if you insist on it, I won't shy away. True, but really has nothing to do with the first quote. You are free to not like starved plate effects, but...

Given that the thread is getting hijacked, I think it was very relevant. I haven't used this forum much so I don't know what the "spirit" of it is, but given the hyperbolic off-topic rants my question has generated, it seemed to me to be in spirit. Here's the link to the image, you can decide...

No, it's a term that's been around for a long time, and has some specific design meaning. I'm just looking for the source of it. Why was my thread hijack image removed by the way?