Recent content by jmd_dk

  1. J

    Momentum information from position space wave function

    I am trying to develop a graphical, interactive simulation of a wave function in position space, given an arbitrary potential. It works great, but as a final touch, I would like the user to be able to collapse the wave function, either by measuring its position or its momentum. My problem is...
  2. J

    What would happen if the speed of light was 1000 times greater?

    This rule book of nature you are referring to, is the future goal of physics. We do not yet have this rule book, as our most fundamental theories of nature today certainly cannot fit on a single page. On top on this, we are far from having a complete understanding of nature. The closest pursue...
  3. J

    Does the number of galaxies change with time?

    As the universe age, the distance to the cosmic horizon increases, and previously hidden galaxies beyond the horizon should become visible. Due to the expansion of the universe though, the distance between the galaxies increases. This has the effect that a galaxy that we can see today, would...
  4. J

    Is the Past Uniquely Defined in Quantum Mechanics?

    Quantum mechanics provides indeterminism to our world. If we were to go back in time and let history takes it toll once again, we are very unlikely to end up with the same history as we have now. That is, the future is not unique. There is a clear consensus about this in the scientific world...
  5. J

    Mini black hole not Lorentz invariant?

    Are you sure? Can I just put an arbitrarily large amount of energy into an elementary particle (shorten it's de Broglie wavelength), without it becoming a black hole? If I somehow created a particle with energy E, and confined it within a radius r < 2E, why wouldn't it turn into a black hole...
  6. J

    Mini black hole not Lorentz invariant?

    Let's say that we have a particle flying through space, at a collision course with a planet. As seen from an observer on this planet, the particle has an enormous energy, and its wavelength is just slightly bigger than the Planck length. As the particle falls down the gravitational well of the...
  7. J

    How can information be conserved if we live in a quantum universe?

    Physicists speaks of two kinds of information; classical information (appropriate in a Newtonian world picture) and quantum information (appropriate in the real world). Conservation of quantum information is at the heart of physics. You'r right; we can't (always) know the information about a...
  8. J

    Where does the potential energy go?

    Once again, that doesn't answer the question. It's a thought experiment. It's the idea that matters, not if this can actually be carried out in practice. The radiation from the annihilation doesn't hit every point in space (it's made up of quantized bits, not a continues substance). Imagine that...
  9. J

    Where does the potential energy go?

    That's totally irrelevant to the argument here. It's a thought experiment, not a practical test. The radiation doesn't have to hit the earth. Of course it will if we tried, but let's assume that the effects of the suns disappearance doesn't reach Earth.
  10. J

    Where does the potential energy go?

    The Earth is gravitationally bounded to the sun. If the sun were to suddenly disappear (say, it got hit by an anti-sun, and all the mass annihilated completely), the Earth wouldn't be bounded anymore, and it would fly off into space. Would the speed of the Earth now be more than the tangential...
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