Would You Rather.... Science Edition

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a series of hypothetical "Would You Rather" questions related to science and technology, encouraging creativity and exploration of preferences in various scientific contexts. Topics include historical figures in science, discoveries in physics, and speculative scenarios involving extreme situations.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express a preference for having lunch with Albert Einstein over Isaac Newton, citing concerns about understanding Einstein's accent and Newton's eccentricity.
  • There is a playful suggestion to annoy Newton with questions about gravity, reflecting on the nature of scientific inquiry.
  • Participants propose the question of whether they would rather discover a new force of nature or extraterrestrial life, with some favoring the latter due to the complexities of gravity.
  • In a discussion about extreme experiences, participants consider the implications of being "spaghettified" versus "annihilated," with some expressing a preference for the latter due to fear of black holes.
  • Participants debate the effects of increased or decreased friction in the world, with some favoring less friction for practical reasons.
  • There is a discussion about the preference for AC versus DC electric shocks, with some participants sharing personal experiences with AC shocks.
  • Questions about looking at the sun or arc welding directly provoke varied responses, with some expressing a willingness to look at the sun under certain conditions.
  • The topic of time travel is introduced, with participants divided on whether they would prefer to visit the past or the future, reflecting on historical curiosity versus the mystery of the future.
  • Participants discuss the thrill of being near an erupting volcano versus exploring the deep ocean, with some expressing a desire for the excitement of volcanic activity.
  • There is a preference for having the eyesight of an owl over the ears of a bat, with some participants already claiming bat-like hearing.
  • The discussion includes a choice between living in a virtual reality where wishes are granted or in the real world, with mixed responses regarding the implications of each choice.
  • Participants consider the impact of inventing a highly economic fusion reactor versus a safe supersonic passenger plane, with some emphasizing the environmental benefits of fusion energy.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

The discussion features multiple competing views on various hypothetical scenarios, with no clear consensus on preferences or outcomes. Participants express differing opinions on the value of historical figures, scientific discoveries, and extreme experiences.

Contextual Notes

Some questions involve speculative scenarios that may depend on individual interpretations of risk, scientific understanding, and personal experiences, leading to varied responses.

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Answer one and then ask your own, be creative! :)

Would you rather...

Have lunch with Issac Newton

or

Albert Einstein
 
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Greg Bernhardt said:
Answer one and then ask your own, be creative! :)

Would you rather...

Have lunch with Issac Newton

or

Albert Einstein

Hmm, that's a toughie. Einstein had a pretty strong German accent, so I would probably have to struggle to understand what he said. Newton seems to have been a pretty odd fellow, and I'm not sure I'd appreciate him. I'd go for Einstein. Then I could bombard him with endless questions about his cosmological constant just to annoy him, like "very interesting, this number of yours, but where does it come from?" :biggrin:. If I met Newton I'd annoy him and say "very nice, this gravitation equation of yours, but why does it work?"

My next question is: Would you rather be a sparrow than a snail?


No seriously, my next question is:

Would you rather...

Be the first to discover a new force of nature

or

Be the first to discover extraterrestrial life?
 
DennisN said:
If I met Newton I'd annoy him and say "very nice, this gravitation equation of yours, but why does it work?"

'I have not been able to discover the cause of those properties of gravity from phenomena, and I frame no hypotheses; for whatever is not deduced from the phenomena is to be called a hypothesis, and hypotheses, whether metaphysical or physical, whether of occult qualities or mechanical, have no place in experimental philosophy. '
-Sir Newt
 
DennisN said:
No seriously, my next question is:

Would you rather...

Be the first to discover a new force of nature

or

Be the first to discover extraterrestrial life?

Discover ET...(gravitation's giving the physicists enough problems as it is...and its ooold.)
OT: I saw an UFO yesterday.
(I shut my eyes as it flew overhead making plane noises.)​


Would you rather

be spaghettified

or

be annihilated?
 
Enigman said:
'I have not been able to discover the cause of those properties of gravity from phenomena, and I frame no hypotheses; for whatever is not deduced from the phenomena is to be called a hypothesis, and hypotheses, whether metaphysical or physical, whether of occult qualities or mechanical, have no place in experimental philosophy. '
-Sir Newt

I know :smile:. But I'd still do it to tease him o:). (I leave the spaghetti and annihilation question to someone else to have a go at).
 
Enigman said:
Would you rather

be spaghettified

or

be annihilated?

I'm going to guess you mean, either fall into a black hole or have an antimatter interaction. I'd go with the antimatter. The black hole stuff just flat out scares me.

Would you rather

have a world with 50% more friction

or

have a world with 50% less friction
 
Greg Bernhardt said:
Would you rather

have a world with 50% more friction

or

have a world with 50% less friction

Less. I'd like to save up on my 2HP motors. They're only 10% efficient:frown:

Mine: Would you rather

prefer to get a DC shock

or

prefer to get an AC shock?

[Crazy question!]

[Edit: If you'd like to know about the voltage, then assume the DC is the rms of AC, both not fatal.
Don't worry about the dangers.. just it's what you like.]
 
Since it's only a shock, which presumably doesn't last long, I'll take my chances with AC. Direct current is nastier. Not able to overlook whether it's dangerous or not :)

Would you rather for 30 seconds:

look at the sun directly

or

look at arc welding directly from 10m away?

Directly means no shades or glasses, just your own pretty two eyes :)
 
[STRIKE]
PhysicoRaj said:
Mine: Would you rather

prefer to get a DC shock

or

prefer to get an AC shock?

I have done ~220V AC about 6 times (in the same day, intentionally for fun; only the first was accidental) I will go with that.

Would you rather ride

the TARDIS

or

the Enterprise?[/STRIKE]

<cross-posted; reply to lendav-rott's post; ignore this one>
 
  • #10
lendav_rott said:
Would you rather for 30 seconds:

look at the sun directly

or

look at arc welding directly from 10m away?

Directly means no shades or glasses, just your own pretty two eyes :)

The sun! (I'll do it when it comes to the horizon.)

Would you rather
Go to mars
or
the Moon?
 
Last edited:
  • #11
Mars' moon to conquer my fear.
:smile:
(loophole: The Earth's moon is the Moon with a capital M)
Would you rather ride

the TARDIS

or

the Enterprise?
 
  • #12
Can't make a good choice. let me see if anybody wants to.. 'growl'..I'm hungry:redface: I'm off :-p

(loophole: The Earth's moon is the Moon with a capital M)
Thanks.. 'Growl' ouch.. I'm off.
 
  • #13
The TARDIS(assuming it is a kind of time machine)

(If sci-fi questions are allowed if not i'll just post a new one)
if you could ride in a time machine

1.Would you go to the past?
or
2.would you go to the future?

WHY?
 
Last edited:
  • #14
I don't care about the future, that's why it's called future. 10 seconds from now is future, there could be an anvil dropped on my head as I'm typing this out. I want to see how they built the Stonehenge and the Great pyramids in Giza. I want to see how those massive slabs of stone could be transported from A to B.

Would you rather:

go 10km beneath the surface of the ocean (no special submarine, just a diving suit of your choice)

or

stand next to an erupting volcano in a suit of your choice?

Essentially both are pretty much suicide, but which way of dying appeals to you more? :D
 
  • #15
me too, the future if better of as a mystery
I've been hearing such amazing stories about history that i'd love to go and see them
 
  • #16
lendav_rott said:
..10 seconds from now is future, there could be an anvil dropped on my head as I'm typing this out. I want to see..
Hee Hee :smile:
 
  • #17
lendav_rott said:
Would you rather:

go 10km beneath the surface of the ocean (no special submarine, just a diving suit of your choice)

or

stand next to an erupting volcano in a suit of your choice?

Essentially both are pretty much suicide, but which way of dying appeals to you more? :D

I'm going to change this so I don't die :)

I'm sure interested in the oceans, but I 10km there isn't much down there. I would love to be next to a volcano if it were erupting. What a rush!

Would you rather...

Have the eyesight of an owl

or

Have the ears of a bat
 
  • #18
Greg Bernhardt said:
I'm going to change this so I don't die :)

I'm sure interested in the oceans, but I 10km there isn't much down there. I would love to be next to a volcano if it were erupting. What a rush!

Would you rather...

Have the eyesight of an owl

or

Have the ears of a bat
I already have the ears of a bat.
 
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  • #19
Greg Bernhardt said:
I'm going to change this so I don't die :)

I'm sure interested in the oceans, but I 10km there isn't much down there. I would love to be next to a volcano if it were erupting. What a rush!

Would you rather...

Have the eyesight of an owl

or

Have the ears of a bat

I'd pick the eyesight of the owl; I favor visual acuity over hearing...
 
  • #20
Would you rather live your entire life in a virtual reality where all your wishes are granted or in the real world?
 
  • #21
Greg Bernhardt said:
Would you rather live your entire life in a virtual reality where all your wishes are granted or in the real world?
Real world so I can help others

Would you rather invent a highly economic fusion reactor or invent a safe super sonic passenger plane
 
  • #22
where all my wishes are granted! of course. :woot: that leads you to things like getting punched in the face just to feel alive, and because I would get what I wanted there would be no real damage except for temporary pain and the rush, sweet sweet rush haha.
 
  • #23
Stephenk53 said:
Real world so I can help others

Would you rather invent a highly economic fusion reactor or invent a safe super sonic passenger plane

Definitely a fusion reactor - the positive impact on the environment would be enormous.

Supposing you could survive for at least a few weeks, in equal comfort, but will die eventually due to running out of oxygen, would you rather

1. Explore the frozen surface of Saturn's moon Titan beneath a tenuous methane-rich sky
2. Explore the hellish boiling surface of Venus beneath a crushing CO2-rich sky
 
  • #24
Real world!

Would you rather stay as a kid or grow old?
 
  • #25
stay as a perfect 6'7" beautiful 18 year old with unlimited brain capacity. :smile:
 

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