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Are they sure that energy does not follow a sinusoidal profile, coming down only to go up again, after several billion years?
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It is not the energy that is getting lower, but the usable energy. You can only make use of the difference between two potentials (e.g. hydroelectric power uses a water reservoir at the top of a mountain, and generates electricity from the flow downhill). What the article is saying is that the peaks and valleys are flattening out, not that energy is somehow "leaking" from the Universe.
I don't know why these scientists are surprised to discover that the Laws of Thermodynamics are universally applicable.
One of the cosmological theories compatible with General Relativity is a "rebounding Universe", where the Universe starts with a Big Bang, expands to an upper limit, contracts to a singularity, and repeats. In this model, the total amount of energy in the Universe would be constant, but the Universe would somehow be "recycled" (entropy would decrease to a minimum) at each Big Bang.
If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a tremendous whack.
--Winston Churchill
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Yes - considering the entire Universe as an isolated system, the total energy must be constant, as per its law of conservation. Only that it transforms. However, entropy is non-decreasing, as most processes are irreversible.
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Hot flash: The Laws of Thermodynamics are Universal!
If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a tremendous whack.
--Winston Churchill
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Don't worry. Our world view has changed many times, here are a couple of examples:
flat world
round earth
earth not the center of everything
sun not the center of everything
universe -> multiverse
universe is flat
universe is dying
Any bet this will change again.
What's next?
Kitty at my foot and I waAAAant to touch it...
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Power Puff Boy wrote: What's next?
earth 2.0
How do you know so much about swallows? Well, you have to know these things when you're a king, you know.
modified 31-Aug-21 21:01pm.
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Will we all get a free upgrade?
Kitty at my foot and I waAAAant to touch it...
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Only for the first year.. after that, you'll have to pay!
How do you know so much about swallows? Well, you have to know these things when you're a king, you know.
modified 31-Aug-21 21:01pm.
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I knew it was too good to be true.
Kitty at my foot and I waAAAant to touch it...
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We watch the sand trickle, anxious about it's steady flow.
But what we really fail to see is, that any minute, the glass might just burst into pieces.
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, waging all things in the balance of reason?
Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful?
--Zachris Topelius
Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies.
-- Sarah Hoyt
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In the philosophical words of Homer, "Well, it was a good ride while it lasted."
How do you know so much about swallows? Well, you have to know these things when you're a king, you know.
modified 31-Aug-21 21:01pm.
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Gosh, and I was thinking they found evidence for Proton decay... now this is nothing new or unexpected.
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I thought if they found evidence of proton decay they might not even have time to write a headline about it?
But yeah, not much new, but new measurements, so a bit more precision than before.
TTFN - Kent
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Oracle has come under considerable fire over the years for its restrictive license terms and aggressive audit program, but it appears at least some change is on the way. I wonder how many zeroes there are on that invoice
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Our company is operating well today, but we think we can make it cleaner and more accountable. So we are creating a new company, called Alphabet. World Domination: A-Z
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Alpha will rule the world, by playing a game of bet.
The sh*t I complain about
It's like there ain't a cloud in the sky and it's raining out - Eminem
~! Firewall !~
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Afzaal Ahmad Zeeshan wrote: Alpha will rule the world
It should have.
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W is for Whiskey, T is for Tango, E is for Elephant.
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, waging all things in the balance of reason?
Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful?
--Zachris Topelius
Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies.
-- Sarah Hoyt
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B should be Bacon instead of Bravo
M.D.V.
If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
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Windows 10 IoT Core is a new edition for Windows targeted towards small, embedded devices that may or may not have screens. Honey, I shrunk the OS
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Cuss Microsoft, until now I have had been making up my mind to memorize the term "Windows for IoT". A new one on the block now?
The sh*t I complain about
It's like there ain't a cloud in the sky and it's raining out - Eminem
~! Firewall !~
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Kent Sharkey wrote: Windows 10 IoT Core
That's dangerously close to "Windows 1DIOT Core"!
What were they thinking?
"If you don't fail at least 90 percent of the time, you're not aiming high enough."
Alan Kay.
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In a new research project, Microsoft has attempted to teach comedic values to computers. Using the New Yorker’s cartoon contest as fodder, the researchers came up with an algorithm to pick the funniest captions from thousands of reader submissions. Well, people have been laughing at Windows for a while now
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