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REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS
What is science?
Thursday, February 10, 2011 1:21 AM
CANTTAKESKY
Quote:Originally posted by citizen: I'd suggest that "someone" doesn't understand what is meant by perpetual motion. Perpetual motion is where a closed system creates more energy than it has applied to it.
Quote:Perpetual motion describes hypothetical machines that operate or produce useful work indefinitely and, more generally, hypothetical machines that produce more work or energy than they consume, whether they might operate indefinitely or not.
Thursday, February 10, 2011 3:13 AM
KANEMAN
Thursday, February 10, 2011 3:29 AM
HARDWARE
Quote:Originally posted by citizen: And yet all those things are now accepted by the "scientific establishment", proving that science is sceptical but that "radical new ideas" will gain traction if there's something to them. Or in other words, your list only goes to show that science works more or less pretty well and exactly how it's supposed to, that my original statements you're arguing against are correct and that the only thing falling on it's face is your argument :p.
Thursday, February 10, 2011 6:48 AM
CITIZEN
Quote:Originally posted by canttakesky: Quote:Originally posted by citizen: I'd suggest that "someone" doesn't understand what is meant by perpetual motion. Perpetual motion is where a closed system creates more energy than it has applied to it. I see. So you are defining perpetual motion in such a manner as to be contrary to the Second Law of Thermodynamics. This is what Wiki says: Quote:Perpetual motion describes hypothetical machines that operate or produce useful work indefinitely and, more generally, hypothetical machines that produce more work or energy than they consume, whether they might operate indefinitely or not. I would have gone with just the first part: "hypothetical machines that operate or produce useful work indefinitely"--whether they produce more work or energy or not. But that is just me.
Quote:Originally posted by canttakesky: What would you say if someone said nuclear reactions (say, the sun) are an example of perpetual motion, as you defined it: producing more energy than it has applied to it?
Quote:Originally posted by Hardware: My original idea as stated was that science rejects ideas that fly in the face of the establishment. You leapt to the defense of science.
Quote:Originally posted by Hardware: I provided proof to support my assertion.
Quote:Originally posted by Hardware: You are now trying to lay claim to the very thing you said did not happen.
Quote:Originally posted by Hardware: Stop moving the goalposts. Oh, wait. You're doing exactly what the science establishment does.
Quote:Originally posted by Hardware: Science is measurable and repeatable.
Quote:Originally posted by Hardware: Science establishment reproduces bad ideas rejecting new ideas with measurable repeatable results.
Thursday, February 10, 2011 8:37 AM
Quote:Originally posted by CITIZEN: Either way the definition I used is spot on, a machine that once set going doesn't stop even if no further force is applied to it.
Thursday, February 10, 2011 8:48 AM
BYTEMITE
Quote:The second law of thermodynamics is an expression of the tendency that over time, differences in temperature, pressure, and chemical potential equilibrate in an isolated physical system. From the state of thermodynamic equilibrium, the law deduced the principle of the increase of entropy and explains the phenomenon of irreversibility in nature. The second law declares the impossibility of machines that generate usable energy from the abundant internal energy of nature by processes called perpetual motion of the second kind.
Quote:While the laws of physics are incomplete and stating that physical things are absolutely impossible is un-scientific, "impossible" is used in common parlance to describe those things which absolutely cannot occur within the context of our current formulation of physical laws.
Quote:Any proposed perpetual motion design offers a potentially instructive challenge to physicists: one is almost completely certain that it can't work, so one must explain how it fails to work.
Thursday, February 10, 2011 8:55 AM
Quote:Originally posted by canttakesky: Quote:Originally posted by CITIZEN: Either way the definition I used is spot on, a machine that once set going doesn't stop even if no further force is applied to it. Well, no. In the case of a revolving planet, one person might say that was perpetual motion while you would say that doesn't meet your definition because it doesn't violate the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics. So the two definitions are not one and the same. The second definition can be, but is not necessarily, implied by the first.
Thursday, February 10, 2011 9:02 AM
Quote:Originally posted by canttakesky: Quote:Originally posted by CITIZEN: Either way the definition I used is spot on, a machine that once set going doesn't stop even if no further force is applied to it. Well, no. Let's revisit the 2 definitions: 1. Perpetual motion describes hypothetical entities that operate or produce useful work indefinitely. 2. Perpetual motion is where a closed system creates more energy than it has applied to it. In the case of a revolving planet, one person might say that was perpetual motion (#1) while you would say that doesn't meet your definition because it isn't a closed system that violates the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics (#2). So the two definitions are not one and the same. They operate on different assumptions (e.g. closed vs open system). The second CAN be, but is not necessarily, implied by the first. ------- Everything I say is just my opinion, not fact.
Quote:If you're extracting energy from the system (i.e. useful work) for the machine to carry on running it would have to be generating more energy that was put into it in the first place.
Thursday, February 10, 2011 10:37 AM
DREAMTROVE
Quote:In 1908 U.S. inventor, businessman and engine builder Glenn Curtiss flew an aileron-controlled aircraft. However Curtiss had previously been a member of the Aerial Experiment Association, headed by Alexander Graham Bell. The Association had previously developed ailerons for their aircraft.[3] The AEA members were later dismayed when Curtiss dropped out of their organization, patented their innovation and reportedly sold the patent to the United States Government.
Thursday, February 10, 2011 11:15 AM
Quote:Perpetual motion within the confines of a closed system has been done with nanotechnology. One could argue that it's drawing energy from the fabric of space-time, but that's as much as saying that the concept closed system doesn't exist.
Thursday, February 10, 2011 12:15 PM
Quote:Originally posted by dreamtrove: .... but that's as much as saying that the concept closed system doesn't exist.
Thursday, February 10, 2011 1:27 PM
Friday, February 11, 2011 2:56 AM
Quote:Originally posted by CITIZEN: The definition you keep pushing for is wrong,
Friday, February 11, 2011 4:15 AM
Quote:Originally posted by canttakesky: 4. The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics is a pretty damn good model, but it is NOT religious dogma or the inspired Holy Scriptures of the God of Omni-Science. It has limitations and assumptions; it is subject to correction, change, improvement.
Quote:Originally posted by canttakesky: 5. What I am pushing for is a different attitude about what science is: exploratory, uncertain, carefully qualifying assumptions, open to correction.
Friday, February 11, 2011 2:59 PM
KIRKULES
Friday, February 11, 2011 3:31 PM
Friday, February 11, 2011 3:52 PM
Friday, February 11, 2011 6:30 PM
Quote:Originally posted by CITIZEN: Which limitations and assumptions are you talking about preceisly?
Quote:All laws of thermodynamics but the first are statistical and simply describe the tendencies of macroscopic systems. They are only strictly valid in the thermodynamic limit when a system has many states. For microscopic systems with few particles the assumptions of thermodynamics become meaningless.
Quote:Thermodynamics describes the behavior of systems containing a large number of particles. These systems are characterized by their temperature, volume, number and the type of particles. The state of the system is then further described by its total energy and a variety of other parameters including the entropy. Such a characterization of a system is much simpler than trying to keep track of each particle individually, hence its usefulness. In addition, such a characterization is general in nature so that it can be applied to mechanical, electrical and chemical systems. The term thermodynamics is somewhat misleading as one deals primarily with systems in thermal equilibrium. These systems have constant temperature, volume and number of particles and their macroscopic parameters do not change over time, so that the dynamics are limited to the microscopic dynamics of the particles within the system.
Quote:One of the basic assumptions of thermodynamics is the idea that we can arbitrarily divide the universe into a system and its surroundings.
Friday, February 11, 2011 6:43 PM
Quote:Originally posted by Kirkules: The laws of Physics are the pillars of all science, those that call them into question without evidence are claiming knowledge superior to Newton and Einstein without showing any evidence.
Friday, February 11, 2011 11:49 PM
Quote:Originally posted by canttakesky: ... Quote:One of the basic assumptions of thermodynamics is the idea that we can arbitrarily divide the universe into a system and its surroundings. And so on and so forth.
Quote:Originally posted by canttakesky: I am saying, EVERYTHING in science, including laws, axioms, and postulates, have an inherent uncertainty that makes it possible for self-correction. In other words, nothing in science is absolute.
Saturday, February 12, 2011 12:06 AM
Quote:Originally posted by Bytemite: Quantum Mechanics showed Einstein up. There are some who think Newton's Laws and his derived gravitation force between two objects are a smidgen off and need correction, and they're entirely respectable physicists who think that Dark Matter and Dark Energy are weak explanations for observed discrepancies in measurements - weak explanations that no one has yet been able to provide evidence for. Even laws are not immune to our ever-improving understanding of the universe. Laws are meant to be broken.
Saturday, February 12, 2011 2:12 AM
Quote:Originally posted by CITIZEN: Just because we don't know everything, just because our current theories aren't perfect, doesn't mean that we know nothing or that anything is possible.
Saturday, February 12, 2011 2:56 AM
Quote:Originally posted by canttakesky: And I would tell you, "No, I don't believe those things. But thank you for asking instead of just assuming."
Quote:Originally posted by canttakesky: You are saying that I am taking the first part too far into the second part.
Quote:I never asked you to provide evidence for the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics either. I asked you to provide just one piece of evidence (from the mountain you claimed exists) that perpetual motion is impossible. Your answer was you defined it as a violation of the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics.
Quote:Having said that, there are some things in science that are just so well supported there's not much point in giving things that claim to overthrow them much time. I'd put perpetual motion firmly in that category, because for it to work you have to prove the laws of thermodynamics are wrong, and to prove the laws of thermodynamics are wrong you pretty much have to prove all scientific evidence ever collected isn't only wrong, but never existed in the first place, that science doesn't really exist, and that everything from Aristotle to Hawking has been a delusion dreamed by a blue frog named Gerald. I.e. the mountain of evidence against perpetual motion is so steep, dismissing it out of hand at this stage isn't pathological scepticism.
Saturday, February 12, 2011 4:17 AM
Quote:Originally posted by CITIZEN: As usual when someone tries to discuss science with you, it ends up in pointless idiotic semantics and sophistry.
Saturday, February 12, 2011 4:33 AM
Quote:Originally posted by canttakesky: Quote:Originally posted by CITIZEN: As usual when someone tries to discuss science with you, it ends up in pointless idiotic semantics and sophistry. It ends up with my pointing out that the person you are arguing with is made of straw, and not the real me.
Saturday, February 12, 2011 4:43 AM
Quote:Originally posted by citizen: Yeah, you're right, it also ends up with you lying about what other people say.
Saturday, February 12, 2011 4:53 AM
Quote:Originally posted by canttakesky: I never lied about your position or accused you of holding a position that wasn't explicitly stated.
Saturday, February 12, 2011 5:08 AM
Saturday, February 12, 2011 6:38 AM
FREMDFIRMA
Saturday, February 12, 2011 7:06 AM
Quote:Originally posted by Fremdfirma: Damn near every advancement we ever had, socially, medically, scientifically - started as an act of heresy, and I think if the human race has any saving grace whatsoever, it is that very ability, the driving NEED to question what *IS*, even in the face of other humans scorn and persecution - because without that one thing, I think we'd still be painting on the cave walls. So here's to Heresy!
Saturday, February 12, 2011 8:10 AM
Quote:Originally posted by Fremdfirma: Meh, at one time it was scientific law, unassailable "fact" that the earth was flat.
Quote:Originally posted by Fremdfirma: At one time, it was scientific law, unassailable "fact" that the sun revolved around the earth.
Quote:Originally posted by Fremdfirma: Hell, take the "law" of gravity, it's a working theory that isn't even *complete* till you add ON THIS PLANET, and under certain circumstances, like the work of Townsend Brown, and certain spatial phenomenae, so far as my understanding of it, might not even apply universally even so.
Saturday, February 12, 2011 8:54 AM
Quote:Originally posted by CITIZEN: There was never a scientific law that said the Earth was flat. Even if there had been consensus within "science" that the Earth was flat, that would have been a THEORY and not a LAW.... A law describes an observed effect. Saying "the sun rises in the morning and sets on the other side of the sky in the evening" would be a scientific law. Describing why that event occurs would be a theory.
Quote:There was never a scientific law that the sun orbited the Earth. It's true that Geocentricism was (sort of) a scientific theory at one time, but it was a THEORY and not a LAW.
Quote:As used in science, I think that it is important to realize that, in spite of the differences (see below), these terms share some things in common. Both are based on tested hypotheses; both are supported by a large body of empirical data; both help unify a particular field; both are widely accepted by the vast majority (if not all) scientists within a discipline. Furthermore, both scientific laws and scientific theories could be shown to be wrong at some time if there are data to suggest so. Some scientists will tell you that the difference between them is that a law describes what nature does under certain conditions, and will predict what will happen as long as those conditions are met. A theory explains how nature works. Others delineate law and theory based on mathematics -- Laws are often times mathematically defined (once again, a description of how nature behaves) whereas theories are often non-mathematical. Looking at things this was helps to explain, in part, why physics and chemistry have lots of "laws" whereas biology has few laws (and more theories). In biology, it is very difficult to describe all the complexities of life with "simple" (relatively speaking!) mathematical terms. Regardless of which definitions one uses to distinguish between a law and a theory, scientists would agree that a theory is NOT a "transitory law, a law in waiting". There is NO hierarchy being implied by scientists who use these words. That is, a law is neither "better than" nor "above" a theory. From this view, laws and theories "do" different things and have different roles to play in science. Furthermore, notice that with any of the above definitions of law, neither scientists nor nature "conform" to the law. In science, a law is not something that is dictated to scientists or nature; it is not something that a scientist or nature has to do under threat of some penalty if they don't conform.
Saturday, February 12, 2011 9:33 AM
Quote:Originally posted by canttakesky: They never used that nomenclature of "scientific law," but the certainty of a scientific law was there.
Quote:Originally posted by canttakesky: "Earth is flat" was based on universal, empirical observations across the entire planet over millenia.
Quote:Originally posted by canttakesky: Its predictive value of well, finding flat Earth no matter where you go, was extremely reliable. There was no doubt a consensus amongst scholars of the time.
Quote:Originally posted by canttakesky: As you say, describing the Earth as flat would be the equivalent of a scientific law.
Quote:Originally posted by canttakesky: Describing WHY the Earth was flat would be a theory.
Quote:Well, in your own words, describing the observation that the sun orbits the Earth would be a law. Describing WHY the sun orbited the Earth would be a theory.
Quote:The geocentric theory is the belief that the Earth is the center of the universe and that all other objects orbit around it. This outdated and disproved theory is often attributed to Ptolemy.
Quote:In astronomy, the geocentric model (also known as "geocentrism", or the Ptolemaic view of the whole universe), is the superseded theory, that the Earth is the center of the universe, and that all other objects orbit around it.
Quote:Originally posted by canttakesky: Here is a good article on laws vs. theories that reflects my thoughts on the topic very well. I can't say it better than this guy and highly recommend reading the entire article. I've taken the liberty of underscoring certain passages.
Quote:Furthermore, both scientific laws and scientific theories could be shown to be wrong at some time if there are data to suggest so.
Quote:Originally posted by Citizen: The only way to overturn a scientific law is to prove that the experimental evidence is wrong, that the observed effect didn't, in fact happen.
Quote:Secondly, Newton's Law of gravity was off, and was adjusted, because better tools of observation have shown that his observations were out by an order of magnitude.
Quote:There is NO hierarchy being implied by scientists who use these words. That is, a law is neither "better than" nor "above" a theory.
Quote:Originally posted by Citizen: I don't know why but for some reason many people seem to think that a theory will, at some point, graduate to being a law. This isn't so, Laws and theories are two entirely different things.
Saturday, February 12, 2011 9:53 AM
Quote:Quote:Originally posted by canttakesky: As you say, describing the Earth as flat would be the equivalent of a scientific law. Well, it didn't take long for "me" to start putting words in "your" mouth again did it? Where, pray tell, did I say any such thing?
Quote:The law, at best would be "the Earth looks flat".
Saturday, February 12, 2011 10:30 AM
Quote:Originally posted by canttakesky: Quote:Quote:Originally posted by canttakesky: As you say, describing the Earth as flat would be the equivalent of a scientific law. Well, it didn't take long for "me" to start putting words in "your" mouth again did it? Where, pray tell, did I say any such thing? "A law describes an observed effect. Saying 'the sun rises in the morning and sets on the other side of the sky in the evening' would be a scientific law. Describing why that event occurs would be a theory."
Quote:I thought you didn't like to argue semantics.
Quote:The Earth "looks" flat. "Describing the Earth as flat." Whatever. The concept of a flattish, flat-looking Earth is a description of an observed effect (in your own words), and therefore should qualify by your definition, as a law and not a theory. An explanation of WHY the Earth appears flat (such as it was a platter lying on the back of a chain of turtles), that would be a theory, in your own words.
Saturday, February 12, 2011 12:13 PM
Quote:Originally posted by citizen: Read the quote again. I asked where I said that the "Earth is flat is a scientific law", and you quote me saying "the sun rises in the morning".
Tuesday, March 7, 2023 4:28 PM
JAYNEZTOWN
Saturday, July 20, 2024 6:16 AM
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