What is the newest installment of 'Random Thoughts' on Physics Forums?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Evo
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Random Thoughts
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The thread discusses various random thoughts and observations, touching on topics such as media programming, personal anecdotes, language use, and mathematical curiosities. The scope includes informal commentary, humor, and reflections on everyday experiences.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express frustration with the quality of documentaries on channels like the History Channel and National Geographic, suggesting a decline in factual programming.
  • There is a humorous anecdote about discovering a polythene bag obstructing a kitchen extractor fan, leading to a discussion about the clarity of installation manuals.
  • Participants share thoughts on the nature of prime numbers, particularly regarding the status of the number 2 and its implications for mathematical proofs.
  • There are reflections on language use and the reactions to grammatical errors made by native speakers, with some participants sharing their personal responses to such situations.
  • One participant humorously suggests that if 2 were not considered prime, it would complicate the understanding of prime factors in even numbers.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

The discussion contains multiple competing views, particularly regarding the status of the number 2 as a prime and the quality of media programming. No consensus is reached on these topics.

Contextual Notes

Participants express varying degrees of skepticism and humor, with some comments reflecting personal experiences and subjective opinions rather than objective analysis.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in informal discussions about media, language, and mathematics may find this thread engaging.

  • #9,421
Screen Shot 2022-05-26 at 8.40.12 AM.png
 
  • Like
  • Haha
Likes   Reactions: pinball1970, Physics Slayer, Astronuc and 4 others
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #9,422
Preparing for my exam in theoretical spectroscopy and quantum mechanics, I regret that I didnt choose to just lay bricks.
 
  • #9,423
I have a quantum exam later as well and I’ve watched none of the lectures. Going to be one unpleasant f*cking I think.
 
  • #9,426
BillTre said:
screen-shot-2022-05-26-at-8-40-12-am-png.png
(HO)2

Ho2
Te He
 
Last edited:
  • Haha
Likes   Reactions: BillTre
  • #9,427
ergospherical said:
I have a quantum exam later as well and I’ve watched none of the lectures. Going to be one unpleasant f*cking I think.
Why don't you entangle yourself to an A+ before the test?
 
  • Haha
Likes   Reactions: BillTre
  • #9,428
Apparently still an open question if there are infinitely many Fibonnaci primes.
 
  • #9,429
WWGD said:
Apparently still an open question if there are infinitely many Fibonnaci primes.
I think 95% of number theory takes place in the chapter: "Sum Seeks Divisor Or Its Absence!"
 
  • #9,430
DrGreg said:
(HO)2

Ho2
Te He
N I Ce
F U N2 Y, O Ne
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: pinball1970
  • #9,431
fresh_42 said:
I think 95% of number theory takes place in the chapter: "Sum Seeks Divisor Or Its Absence!"
Could make it more interesting. Are there infi Itely many primes for any choices $$a_0, a_1$$; one of them odd?
 
  • #9,432
Who sings "Sweet Escape"?
Gwen.*
Gwen? Gwenever she sings.

Edit: Annoying in that it's a song that I "Almost Really Like", but not quite. Missed it by a micrometer.

*Gwen Stefani.
 
Last edited:
  • #9,433
100 years ago today, the Lincoln Monument was dedicated in Washington, DC.
I did not realize it took so long for it to get built.
National Geographic article here.

Screen Shot 2022-05-30 at 8.58.45 AM.png


Screen Shot 2022-05-30 at 8.58.06 AM.png


Screen Shot 2022-05-30 at 8.57.34 AM.png

Lincoln's historical involvement in great historical changes has made it a natural as an important political venue.
 
  • #9,434
The duality of man: taking water into an exam in a vodka bottle vs taking vodka into an exam in a water bottle.
 
  • #9,435
ergospherical said:
The duality of man: taking water into an exam in a vodka bottle vs taking vodka into an exam in a water bottle.
Typical physicist. Always mess around with water and co-water.
 
  • #9,436
fresh_42 said:
Typical physicist. Always mess around with water and co-water.
That's categorically true.
 
  • #9,437
Oldman too said:
Are you familiar with chronic sleep deprivation and the lack of deep sleep?
@WWGD has some very good points.
I guess i am now, since i have messed up the calculation of christoffel symbols at the test XD
Well, that happens.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: Oldman too
  • #9,438
LCSphysicist said:
I guess i am now, since i have messed up the calculation of christoffel symbols at the test XD
Well, that happens.
A trick that has worked for me: throw a couple bags of chamomile and a bit of baking soda into a glass of water at room temperature . Poor the glass contents into a towel and place your feet on the towel. Do the same with your lower back.
 
  • #9,439
Screen Shot 2022-05-31 at 9.02.16 AM.png
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: OmCheeto, Astronuc, collinsmark and 4 others
  • #9,440
QM is a great example of why the botched interpretation of Occam's razor is categorically invalid.
The simplest explanation clearly isn't the correct one in the case of all advanced physics.
 
  • #9,441
Mayhem said:
QM is a great example of why the botched interpretation of Occam's razor is categorically invalid.
The simplest explanation clearly isn't the correct one in the case of all advanced physics.
Doesn't OR state to first dismiss elaborate explanations in favor of pithy ones, rather than outright dismissing the simpler ones?
 
  • #9,442
WWGD said:
Doesn't OR state to first dismiss elaborate explanations in favor of pithy ones, rather than outright dismissing the simpler ones?
It is something along the lines of "do not multiply entities unnecessarily", which I personally interpret as "don't overcomplicate the problem unless necessary" rather than the common interpretation of "the simplest solution is often the correct one".
 
  • #9,444
Russia Goes After British MP’s Son for Killing of Chechen Commander in Ukraine
https://www.thedailybeast.com/russi...n-for-killing-of-chechen-commander-in-ukraine
Ben Grant, a former Royal Marine and international volunteer in Ukraine, is seen leading an ambush on Russian troops.
Russia’s National Guard says Sgt. Adam Bisultanov, the commander of a separate operational brigade of the North Caucasus District of the National Guard, was killed in the “attack” on Russian forces by the “group of mercenaries from Great Britain and the U.S.”

Meanwhile, one of many Russian soldiers who didn't want to fight in Ukraine and went into hiding after fleeing his post says 'none of us wanted this war'
https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-soldier-fled-post-hiding-none-wanted-war-ukraine-2022-6
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: BillTre
  • #9,445
My supervisors marking my work this term.

 
  • Haha
Likes   Reactions: Hamiltonian
  • #9,446

UPDATE 1-Russia summons heads of U.S. media outlets, warns of 'stringent measures'
​

June 3 (Reuters) - Russia’s Foreign Ministry said it was summoning the heads of U.S. media outlets in Moscow to a meeting next Monday to notify them of tough measures in response to U.S. restrictions against Russian media.

“If the work of the Russian media - operators and journalists - is not normalized in the United States, the most stringent measures will inevitably follow,” ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday.

. . .

Russia has accused Western countries of imposing unfair restrictions on its media abroad, including bans on some state-backed news outlets. Lawmakers passed a bill last month giving prosecutors powers to shut foreign media bureaus in Moscow if a Western country has been “unfriendly” to Russian media.

Since invading Ukraine in February, Russia has cracked down on media coverage of the conflict, introducing 15 year prison sentences for journalists spreading intentionally “fake” news about what it calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine.

https://www.reuters.com/article/ukr...ets-warns-of-stringent-measures-idINL8N2XQ1O1
 
  • #9,448
Just hoping Ivana Trump divorces and marries Chris Rock. Turning her into
" Ivana Rock"
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: fresh_42
  • #9,449
WWGD said:
Just hoping Ivana Trump divorces and marries Chris Rock. Turning her into
" Ivana Rock"
That wouldn't make a difference.
 
  • #9,450
fresh_42 said:
That wouldn't make a difference.
It would, to Twisted Sister, I guess.
 

Similar threads

Where to find nonprofessional collaborators/science friends?
  • · Replies 21 ·
Replies
21
Views
2K
Insights Thinking Outside The Box Versus Knowing What’s In The Box
  • · Replies 26 ·
Replies
26
Views
9K
What research fields in physics are you working in?
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
Graduate Predictions for the Nobel Prize in Physics 2025 (results: John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret and John M. Martinis)
  • · Replies 37 ·
2
Replies
37
Views
5K
Graduate Unsolved Problems in Near Surface Geophysics
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
3K
Graduate RIP Edwin F Taylor (1931-2025)
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
1K
Choose a ball at random from a randomly selected box - alternative way
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
3K
  • Poll Poll
Suggestion Instead of closing old threads make new posts in them not push them up
  • · Replies 22 ·
Replies
22
Views
2K
Undergrad New papers on randomness and QM, need insight please
  • · Replies 17 ·
Replies
17
Views
2K
Graduate RIP John Stachel (1928-2025)
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
1K