What is RAPAQ Syndrome? Solutions and Theories

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the phenomenon termed "RAPAQ syndrome," which participants describe as a tendency for new forum members to post seemingly nonsensical or poorly thought-out questions and theories. The scope includes observations about forum behavior, examples of such posts, and reflections on the nature of online discussions in scientific communities.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants note that RAPAQ syndrome manifests as new members asking vague, pseudo-scientific questions often accompanied by personal theories.
  • Examples of posts include inquiries about the relationship between sound and gravity, the nature of light, and unconventional ideas about information transmission.
  • One participant humorously suggests that Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle might explain the odd questions posted on the forum.
  • Another participant reflects on the prevalence of inane questions across various forums, suggesting that the community's intelligence helps them recognize such posts.
  • There is a mention of a participant's experience with other forums, comparing the quality of questions and discussions found there to those on Physics Forums.
  • One participant quotes a humorous phrase about the common elements in the universe, linking it to the nature of some forum posts.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the existence of RAPAQ syndrome and share similar observations about the types of questions posted. However, there is no consensus on the underlying reasons for this phenomenon or its implications for the community.

Contextual Notes

Some participants reference specific examples of posts that illustrate RAPAQ syndrome, but these examples are anecdotal and do not provide a comprehensive analysis of the issue.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to members of online forums, particularly those in scientific communities, as well as individuals studying online communication and community dynamics.

FlexGunship
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I've been on this forum sporadically for a couple of years and I've noticed one significant constant: the RAPAQ syndrome.

RAPAQ stands for: Register And Post Asinine Question.

It's probably the most constant feature of this forum and no other forum has this syndrome quite as badly. The syndrome always manifests itself the same way: a new member with "Posts: 0" under his or her username drops into a general discussion forum (or sometimes a topic forum, but usually the thread gets relocated) and asks some vaguely pseudo-scientific open-ended question which is almost always followed by a personal "theory" on the subject.

PhysicsLad411: "I'm new to the forum, and just wanted to ask a quick question: how come we can't smell noises? I think it's because smell is a particle but noise is a wave. I have a paper due tomorrow on this."​

MathLvr555: "I'm 12 and I'm thinking about becoming a space doctor. How come light doesn't bounce off of itself? My personal theory is that it's made out of photons."​

DethMetalFan101001: "If gravity bends light and light is a wave, then how come gravity doesn't bend sound? I think it's because the Earth is round. I'm hosting a symposium this afternoon on this topic. Any thoughts?"​

SatelliteDude: "If you were the internet, how would you move information? I'd use buckets. Or a series of bathtub drains. Any input would be appreciated since I have my thesis examination tomorrow."​

My theory about this is that Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle has a rounding error which causes gravitational lensing of the cosmic microwave background radiation and that causes people to post weird things on this forum. Any comments? I have to give a lecture to a post-doctoral crowd in 49 seconds on this topic.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
:-p
 
Evo said:
:-p

I originally called it RAPAS, but decided against it for three reasons.
 
FlexGunship said:
I originally called it RAPAS, but decided against it for three reasons.

I assume that the 3 reasons are the 3 letters that come after the S.

While I don't visit any other sites except by being linked to one through Googling (or my bank and stuff like that), I can say for sure that people post inane crap everywhere. I think that the difference is that most people here are smart enough to recognize it as such.
 
Danger said:
I assume that the 3 reasons are the 3 letters that come after the S.

While I don't visit any other sites except by being linked to one through Googling (or my bank and stuff like that), I can say for sure that people post inane crap everywhere. I think that the difference is that most people here are smart enough to recognize it as such.

1) What the "S" stood for
2) Alternate pronunciations of the acronym
3) "Q"s are BAMFs; any good acronym has an 8+ point Scrabble letter (an X, a J, a Z, or a Q)

I'm on a watch forum (time keeping device), and the Kerbal Space Program forum. Apart from "dude, how can I get a Rolex for cheap" and "I want weapons for my rockets" there's nothing that compares to:

NebulahWinnah: "I'm writing a sci-fi novel and I need a plausible way for someone to travel faster than light while simultaneously traveling through parallel dimensions. That's string theory, right? Or was it quantum theory? Wait, is quantum the one where anything can happen at any time? String theory is the one with Brian Greene and monsters, right? Either way, you need a black hole; I know that much."​

EDIT: Did not see that recent thread that fits the above description before posting this.
 
Last edited:
Hang on, now. Are you telling me that what you just quoted was a real post?!

Anyhow, I've still seen stupider stuff on gun forums and constantly on Fox News.

(I should mention that I love guns but detest the NRA and everyone who supports them. Also, the only time that I watch Fox News is when their blatant stupidity and hatred are quoted on "The Daily Show" or "The Colbert Report" for the sake of it being exposed.)
 
Right, gotcha. I actually responded in those threads. (It's horrible to be that lonely... :frown:)
 
I don't know who originally said it, but it's the phrase on one of my favourite lapel pins:
The two most common elements in the Universe are hydrogen and stupidity.
 

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