Why is there a growing trend of ignorance towards Special Relativity?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the perceived growing trend of ignorance towards Special Relativity (SR) among the general public. Participants share their experiences of encountering individuals who either reject SR or demonstrate a lack of understanding of its principles. The conversation touches on the implications of labeling SR as a "theory" and the challenges faced when discussing its validity.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express frustration over conversations where individuals dismiss SR, claiming it is merely a theory without evidence.
  • There are claims that people misunderstand the implications of the term "theory," suggesting that it undermines the validity of SR.
  • One participant recounts an encounter where someone suggested that accelerating at a constant rate could exceed the speed of light, challenging the principles of SR.
  • Some participants note that others question the authority of Einstein's work, implying that his conclusions are not inherently valid.
  • There are references to misconceptions about kinetic energy and the mass of photons, indicating a lack of foundational knowledge in physics among some individuals.
  • Participants discuss the broader societal attitudes towards scientific understanding, questioning whether a cultural mindset contributes to the rejection of established theories like SR.
  • Some express a desire to engage with those who misunderstand SR, while others joke about more extreme reactions to such ignorance.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that there is a noticeable trend of misunderstanding and rejection of Special Relativity, but there is no consensus on the reasons behind this phenomenon or how to effectively address it. Multiple competing views on the nature of scientific theories and public understanding remain unresolved.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight limitations in public understanding of physics, particularly regarding the definitions and implications of scientific theories. There is also an acknowledgment of the challenges in communicating complex scientific concepts to a lay audience.

  • #31
You are all one word god singularity stupid :biggrin:
 
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  • #32
Pengwuino said:
haha i would have been a jerk and started scaring people by telling them "how easy it is to build a nuclear bomb".
The great thing about science is that everything is easy yet hard to do. The hydrogen bomb is as easy as A + B = C, but getting it to work is really damn hard.

About SR, is any of it actually proven? When I see a question in a textbook with something like "you are traveling at 0.98c and you see a man. 2 hours later you see that same man. How much time has passed relative to the man?" and it expects an actual answer, I can't help but think some guy just pulled this out of his ass since such an experiment would be impossible to setup.
 
  • #33
ShawnD said:
About SR, is any of it actually proven? When I see a question in a textbook with something like "you are traveling at 0.98c and you see a man. 2 hours later you see that same man. How much time has passed relative to the man?" and it expects an actual answer, I can't help but think some guy just pulled this out of his ass since such an experiment would be impossible to setup.

Well as to my understanding, there's particles all around us going damn well near the speed of light. Plus there's this muon that i hear is generated in the atmosphere but using Newtonian physics, it shouldn't be detectable on the ground but it is since it's going so insanely fast.
 
  • #34
ShawnD said:
The great thing about science is that everything is easy yet hard to do. The hydrogen bomb is as easy as A + B = C, but getting it to work is really damn hard.
About SR, is any of it actually proven? When I see a question in a textbook with something like "you are traveling at 0.98c and you see a man. 2 hours later you see that same man. How much time has passed relative to the man?" and it expects an actual answer, I can't help but think some guy just pulled this out of his ass since such an experiment would be impossible to setup.
You are thinking wrongly, SR is about monkeys not men. How can a monkey give birth to a man? That is why SR is wrong.
 
  • #35
jcsd said:
You are thinking wrongly, SR is about monkeys not men. How can a monkey give birth to a man? That is why SR is wrong.

Again, you are wrong, you clearly possesses no understanding of Spontaneous Relativity.
 
  • #36
jcsd said:
You are thinking wrongly, SR is about monkeys not men. How can a monkey give birth to a man? That is why SR is wrong.
I think you just hit on the perfect reply to thoses idiots; just go...

"So what your saying is that since monkeys can't give birth to men SR is wrong? because what you just said is just as stupid!"
 
  • #37
ShawnD said:
About SR, is any of it actually proven? When I see a question in a textbook with something like "you are traveling at 0.98c and you see a man. 2 hours later you see that same man. How much time has passed relative to the man?" and it expects an actual answer, I can't help but think some guy just pulled this out of his ass since such an experiment would be impossible to setup.

Whaaaaaaaa?

Are you serious?

Zz.
 
  • #38
And what I also hate is when people go "Why are you so damn defensive about this" when you tell them they are wrong and explain how SR works. I mean it's like people don't want to be told how the world works. Do they seriously read textbooks and think "damn this book is being defensive"?
 

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