Recent content by physics_head

  1. P

    Can we predict element decay using Quantum mechanics?

    It seems to me that we should be able to predict the half life of an unstable element. The "cause" of how long on average it takes for an atom to decay should depend on what is going on on the quantum scale within the atom. We know how quantum mechanics works on that scale, we know what kind of...
  2. P

    Can we predict element decay using Quantum mechanics?

    Is it possible create a quantum mechanics simulation to predict what the half life of an element will be, say C-14? I know one way to figure an element's half life is to get a bunch of atoms(a really big number of them), wait for some time to pass, and count how many atoms decayed, thus the...
  3. P

    Physics and science, just man made idea?

    okay, but why should a "man made" theory imply that it is not true or "real"? what is the definition of a "real" theory? Well, unlike the physical theories the scientific method produced, deciding if the scientific method is the best truth finding method does not depend on physical evidence...
  4. P

    Is Evolutionary Theory Undermined by Creationist Claims?

    Your right...I was just making an argument against the common strawmen arguments that creationists make. They like to compare evolution to some random assemply of some complex machine, and then show that it is extremely improbable. However, my argument is that even if that strawman is accepted...
  5. P

    Is Evolutionary Theory Undermined by Creationist Claims?

    You should have told him: "and you can wait for an eternity for a fully functioning bike to appear out of thin air by some god's creative hand, and it will never happen.." what would you bet your money on? shaking the box till a bike forms, or waiting for matter and energy to be created from...
  6. P

    Physics and science, just man made idea?

    I would say the scientific method will never ever change. It is the best truth finding procedure possible. But what likely will change are the current "best" theories produced by this method as new evidence is collected... so if it's "man made", then it can't be a "real" or true theory?, but if...
  7. P

    Physics and science, just man made idea?

    There are many people out there who assert that physics and science is just a man made invention, made by convention. They say a bunch of people just decided and agreed to say that the laws of physics are what they are and that since it was all just made up arbitrarily, this means it may not be...
  8. P

    How was Coulomb's law figured out?

    Also, related to this post..I see this a lot in physics materials...A formula will be given, but they don't explain how the formula was figured out. They just assert that it is true. Now, In mathematics, anytime a theorem is presented, and asserted to be true, a proof is included with it, that...
  9. P

    How was Coulomb's law figured out?

    Coulomb's law says that the electrostatic force between two electric charges is given by the formula: Ke*q1*q2/r^2 So, what I want to know is: 1. How did he figure out that Ke was equal to 1/(4*pi*electric constant)? I mean, I know he used a torsion balance to perform measurements in...
Back
Top