Comments on: Intermission http://www.thebigquestions.com/2010/04/23/intermission/ The Big Questions | Tackling the Problems of Philosophy with Ideas from Mathematics, Economics, and Physics Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:01:21 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: dave http://www.thebigquestions.com/2010/04/23/intermission/comment-page-1/#comment-6185 dave Sun, 02 May 2010 01:32:50 +0000 http://www.thebigquestions.com/?p=3246#comment-6185 having gone both forward and backward in time upon this thread, i will cede any further discussion as a waste of my carbon footprint. having gone both forward and backward in time upon this thread, i will cede any further discussion as a waste of my carbon footprint.

]]> By: dave http://www.thebigquestions.com/2010/04/23/intermission/comment-page-1/#comment-6180 dave Sun, 02 May 2010 00:32:30 +0000 http://www.thebigquestions.com/?p=3246#comment-6180 lets say left is going to decay before right. from a mirrored frame of reference, right would decay before left. one decays before the other and thus they are different. ;] lets say left is going to decay before right.
from a mirrored frame of reference, right would decay before left.

one decays before the other and thus they are different. ;]

]]> By: Weekend Roundup at Steven Landsburg | The Big Questions: Tackling the Problems of Philosophy with Ideas from Mathematics, Economics, and Physics http://www.thebigquestions.com/2010/04/23/intermission/comment-page-1/#comment-6158 Weekend Roundup at Steven Landsburg | The Big Questions: Tackling the Problems of Philosophy with Ideas from Mathematics, Economics, and Physics Sat, 01 May 2010 13:24:24 +0000 http://www.thebigquestions.com/?p=3246#comment-6158 [...] I announced last week that I’d be taking a couple of days off, readers took the occasion to raise some [...] [...] I announced last week that I’d be taking a couple of days off, readers took the occasion to raise some [...]

]]> By: Just the Facts at Steven Landsburg | The Big Questions: Tackling the Problems of Philosophy with Ideas from Mathematics, Economics, and Physics http://www.thebigquestions.com/2010/04/23/intermission/comment-page-1/#comment-5964 Just the Facts at Steven Landsburg | The Big Questions: Tackling the Problems of Philosophy with Ideas from Mathematics, Economics, and Physics Wed, 28 Apr 2010 06:03:22 +0000 http://www.thebigquestions.com/?p=3246#comment-5964 [...] our brief intermission last week, commenters chose to revisit the question of whether arithmetic is invented or [...] [...] our brief intermission last week, commenters chose to revisit the question of whether arithmetic is invented or [...]

]]> By: Neil http://www.thebigquestions.com/2010/04/23/intermission/comment-page-1/#comment-5932 Neil Tue, 27 Apr 2010 14:51:07 +0000 http://www.thebigquestions.com/?p=3246#comment-5932 But they are all equally likely to decay so they are identical. But they are all equally likely to decay so they are identical.

]]> By: dave http://www.thebigquestions.com/2010/04/23/intermission/comment-page-1/#comment-5917 dave Tue, 27 Apr 2010 06:54:32 +0000 http://www.thebigquestions.com/?p=3246#comment-5917 the quarks cant be identical. neutrons beta decay to protons with a half-life of around 15 minutes. if you started with 3 neutrons in your box, how many would you have after 15 minutes? if the neutrons were identical, would they not decay at exactly the same time? the quarks cant be identical.

neutrons beta decay to protons with a half-life of around 15 minutes.

if you started with 3 neutrons in your box, how many would you have after 15 minutes?

if the neutrons were identical, would they not decay at exactly the same time?

]]> By: Neil http://www.thebigquestions.com/2010/04/23/intermission/comment-page-1/#comment-5908 Neil Tue, 27 Apr 2010 03:57:00 +0000 http://www.thebigquestions.com/?p=3246#comment-5908 Yes. As far as anyone can tell from the evidence, they are identical. If they weren't, it would mean another undiscovered flavor of quark, and that would overturn elementary particle physics as we know it. Doesn't mean it is impossible, just very, very unlikely. Yes. As far as anyone can tell from the evidence, they are identical. If they weren’t, it would mean another undiscovered flavor of quark, and that would overturn elementary particle physics as we know it. Doesn’t mean it is impossible, just very, very unlikely.

]]> By: dave http://www.thebigquestions.com/2010/04/23/intermission/comment-page-1/#comment-5906 dave Tue, 27 Apr 2010 03:00:05 +0000 http://www.thebigquestions.com/?p=3246#comment-5906 and theres the rub. are all down quarks equal? and theres the rub. are all down quarks equal?

]]> By: Neil http://www.thebigquestions.com/2010/04/23/intermission/comment-page-1/#comment-5905 Neil Tue, 27 Apr 2010 02:19:52 +0000 http://www.thebigquestions.com/?p=3246#comment-5905 According to the standard model and all observations, yes. All neutrons are made of two down and one up quarks. According to the standard model and all observations, yes. All neutrons are made of two down and one up quarks.

]]> By: dave http://www.thebigquestions.com/2010/04/23/intermission/comment-page-1/#comment-5901 dave Tue, 27 Apr 2010 01:17:02 +0000 http://www.thebigquestions.com/?p=3246#comment-5901 are neutrons really identical? are neutrons really identical?

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