Thinking about a calendar epoch based on the field of physics

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SUMMARY

The forum discussion centers on the proposal of establishing a calendar epoch based on significant events in the field of physics. Two primary candidates for this epoch are identified: the ancient Law of the Lever and the modern atomic hypothesis, particularly Rutherford's 1917 experiment involving alpha particles and nitrogen nuclei. The discussion highlights the importance of defining an epoch in terms of scientific milestones, such as the first predictive theory publication and its experimental validation. Participants express skepticism about the practicality and necessity of creating such an epoch, suggesting that it may complicate rather than clarify the understanding of physics.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of the atomic hypothesis and its significance in physics.
  • Familiarity with Rutherford's 1917 nuclear experiments and their implications.
  • Knowledge of the concepts of scientific epochs and their historical context.
  • Basic grasp of the scientific method, including theory publication and experimental validation.
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the historical significance of Rutherford's 1917 alpha-nitrogen nuclear experiment.
  • Explore the concept of scientific epochs and their role in the history of science.
  • Investigate the implications of the atomic hypothesis in modern physics.
  • Study the process of scientific validation, including the timeline from theory publication to experimental confirmation.
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for physicists, historians of science, and anyone interested in the conceptual frameworks that define scientific progress and milestones.

  • #31
pinball1970 said:
You sent an @ so I will pay you the courtesy of answering.
Being totally honest I don't know where you are going with this.

Do you actually want to just start a calendar based on physics just for fun? Or a short si fi story?

Ok just for fun. Reset the year to Newton's birth. So that would make today the year 380 Annus Newton.

Some iconic dates would now sound odd.

The 170 overture.
359 A space Odyssey
The Great fire of London of 24
George Orwell's 342
Battle of Hastings 576 BN
hey thanks man

and no worries, so as mentioned in an earlier comment, i was partly inspired by sci-fi novels, and I think there are some which are also atomic-based, like on the Trinity detonation, or on the activation of Chicago Pile-1, and others might be based on acts of venturing into outer space

and yeah also, on this example of Newton's birth, there are also multiple different real calendar epochs, like I also mentioned the Unix epoch

and so it got me thinking about an idea of a real such calendar epoch, based on the field of physics, and so i created this thread to discuss the choices of epoch, thanks
 
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  • #32
pinball1970 said:
You sent an @ so I will pay you the courtesy of answering.
and oh yeah, I asked you about what you thought about my idea, and i think Baluncore has suggested another conditional idea which also seems interesting

tade said:
oh I see, thanks, and I think that you have quite a good idea there, and it can also be made into quite a specific calendar epoch @anorlunda

so i think that the idea can be the making of an operative scientific prediction which was proven correct, and the epoch would be the first known time in history that this occurred

and now the question would be, which one is the first known in history

some examples come to mind, though not necessarily the first known, such as Gell-Mann's prediction of the existence of quarks that hadrons were composites of, or Poisson's infamous prediction of the Poisson/Arago spot in 1818, though apparently it had already been discovered way earlier, and I think that Poisson's 1818 prediction wasn't the first known anyway
though I'm not sure what its answer is, Eratosthenes calculating the circumference of the planet came to mind
 
  • #33
tade said:
and oh yeah, I asked you about what you thought about my idea, and i think Baluncore has suggested another conditional idea which also seems interestingthough I'm not sure what its answer is, Eratosthenes calculating the circumference of the planet came to mind
Dimocratus? Atoms? Also the guy who suggested a Helio not geocentric "Universe."

Edit: Aristarchus.
 
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  • #34
pinball1970 said:
Dimocratus? Atoms? Also the guy who suggested a Helio not geocentric "Universe."

Edit: Aristarchus.
oh yeah, thanks, the Copernican Revolution does seem like a prominent option
 
  • #35
Terence McKenna had a fractal calendar system based on the I Ching, the "Timewave", in which the final epoch began with the Trinity nuclear test and ended in December 2012. :-)
 
  • #36
mitchell porter said:
Terence McKenna had a fractal calendar system based on the I Ching, the "Timewave", in which the final epoch began with the Trinity nuclear test and ended in December 2012. :-)
oh cool that's pretty interesting

and by the way what do you think of the epoch ideas, and there's also another one here:
tade said:
oh I see, thanks, and I think that you have quite a good idea there, and it can also be made into quite a specific calendar epoch @anorlunda

so i think that the idea can be the making of an operative scientific prediction which was proven correct, and the epoch would be the first known time in history that this occurred

and now the question would be, which one is the first known in history

some examples come to mind, though not necessarily the first known, such as Gell-Mann's prediction of the existence of quarks that hadrons were composites of, or Poisson's infamous prediction of the Poisson/Arago spot in 1818, though apparently it had already been discovered way earlier, and I think that Poisson's 1818 prediction wasn't the first known anyway
 
  • #37
pinball1970 said:
Dimocratus? Atoms? Also the guy who suggested a Helio not geocentric "Universe."

Edit: Aristarchus.
i'm also thinking that Eratosthenes might've made the first technical quantitative predictionand don't mind if i ask what do you think about these field of physics-based epoch ideas, there might be 3 different types so far

@Kevin the Kiwi and you too, hope I'm not bothering, thanks
 
  • #38
tade said:
what do you think about these field of physics-based epoch ideas
Lame.

Asking for opinions on a date for a physics based calendar epoch has approximately the same utility as asking for opinions on whether all future scientific papers should be written in Klingon versus Yoda-speak. Because, after all, advertising how cool we think Star Trek or Star Wars are is a Good ThingTM. Everyone already knows that we are dorks. There is no need to prove it.

"50 ml of reactant into a beaker we decanted".

In my opinion, this thread is past due for closure. Probably before this posting.
 
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  • #39
jbriggs444 said:
Lame.

Asking for opinions on a date for a physics based calendar epoch has approximately the same utility as asking for opinions on whether all future scientific papers should be written in Klingon versus Yoda-speak. Because, after all, advertising how cool we think Star Trek or Star Wars are is a Good ThingTM. Everyone already knows that we are dorks. There is no need to prove it.
oh man, i don't think this one's lame dorkiness, because, physics is the science of the fundamentals of the universe, reality and existence, and science is also a very important field to society

and also, think about the idea of a calendar epoch which is more culturally 'neutral' or universal
 
  • #40
Good grief. Are we still wasting time on this nonsense? I agree w/ @jbriggs444. This thread is past due for getting shut down.
 
  • #41
phinds said:
Good grief. Are we still wasting time on this nonsense?
oh, hang on, "nonsense"? , seems like that came out of left-field
 
  • #42
tade said:
oh, wait, "nonsense"? , seems like that came out of left-field
No, I think several of us have been saying that since the thread started. Would you prefer "total waste of time" to "nonsense" ?

Apparently you are oblivious to what people have been telling you.
 
  • #43
phinds said:
No, I think several of us have been saying that since the thread started.
Well, firstly, I think I have addressed their concerns. And, as for you, from what I'm aware of, our last conversation was my reply to you post #28
 
  • #44
tade said:
think about the idea of a calendar epoch which is more culturally 'neutral' or universal
Let's see what Randall Munroe has to say... https://xkcd.com/927/
 
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  • #45
jbriggs444 said:
Let's see what Randall Munroe has to say... https://xkcd.com/927/
oh i see, though I'm thinking, do you know of other epoch ideas related to universality, I know of the Holocene calendar epoch, not to be confused with the geological epoch
 
  • #47
tade said:
oh i see, though I'm thinking, do you know of other epoch ideas related to universality
We have the Gregorian calendar. We have the Chinese calendar. We have the Hebrew Calendar. We have the Julian calendar. We have the Modified Julian Date. We have the unix epoch. For those of us with a DEC background there was the VMS epoch (closely related to the Modified Julian Date). Apparently there is also an Islamic and an Indian calendar

[Tongue in cheek]Clearly we need a more universal calendar![/Tongue in cheek]
 
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  • #48
jbriggs444 said:
We have the Gregorian calendar. We have the Chinese calendar. We have the Hebrew Calendar. We have the Julian calendar. We have the Modified Julian Date. We have the unix epoch. For those of us with a DEC background there was the VMS epoch (closely related to the Modified Julian Date). Apparently there is also an Islamic and Indian calendar

[Tongue in cheek]Clearly we need a more universal calendar![/Tongue in cheek]
though i was referring to 'culturally 'neutral' or universal' for the population of the world at large
 
  • #49
I had a note on my Teams Calendar to close this thread now. Done.
 
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  • #50
berkeman said:
I had a note on my Teams Calendar to close this thread now. Done.
... reason:

- has nothing to do with physics, the same could be asked for any other science, too.
- there is no end to such a discussion, hence its justification lies in the discussion, not in an answer.
- there is never one single event that can be singled out in an epoch; Maxwell, Noether, Planck, and Einstein were all within 60 years.

Edit: All within Planck's lifetime!
 
Last edited:
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