Taking a new view on quantum reality to task (1)
Carlo Rovelli states that quantum objects have no reality when they aren’t interacting with other objects 13 March, p 36. How do quantum objects not interact gravitationally with other things?
Perhaps quantum objects are always real; it is just difficult to observe their gravitational effects. What’s more, given the long wavelength of the photons that make up the cosmic microwave background (CMB), a quantum object in space would find it difficult not to be interacting simultaneously with many CMB photons.
Taking a new view on quantum reality to task (2)
Rovelli mentions the elegance of quantum theory without the usual wave function that it incorporates. He mentions an equation that was added to classical physics and that supports his take on quantum theory: xp 鈥� px = i魔, where x is the position and p is the momentum of the system, with the result depending on the order in which you multiply these terms, and where i is the square root of -1 and 魔 is the Planck constant.
If this is rearranged to give 魔=(xp 鈥� px)/i, the Planck constant is then an illogicality divided by an impossibility. This says it all.
Taking a new view on quantum reality to task (3)
Rovelli seems to claim that nothing truly exists, except in relation to other things. He is, I believe, attempting to provide a way of dealing with currently unanswerable questions arising from our observations at the quantum level, by saying that if there is no interaction with an object, the object doesn’t exist.
If the accepted definition of the word “exist” is used, this means that if an interaction occurs, the object of that interaction is created by the interaction. But where does the energy come from? Where does the information to build the object come from? I think that the use of the word “exist” in this context is misleading. What is needed is a word that reflects the state of the object as “unknown”.
Taking a new view on quantum reality to task (4)
If we assume that the chair on the cover of the issue featuring Rovelli’s article doesn’t exist, then we must also assume that he doesn’t exist. If this is the case, then who wrote the article?
We aren't immune to tsunamis in the UK
Further to the look at the decade since the Fukushima nuclear accident 13 March, p 18. The UK government has commissioned nuclear plants at Hinkley Point, Bradwell and Sizewell, all on the coast and thus vulnerable to tsunamis.
This is no idle speculation. published in 2001 found that volcanic activity on the Atlantic island of La Palma left a fracture that could break, resulting in a large landslide into the sea that could cause a major tsunami. In a few hours, these waves would strike the English coast, with the possibility of three Fukushimas in one day.
Blowing hot and cold over Carney's climate thinking (1)
I was pleased to see the brilliant interview with Mark Carney 20 March, p 44. I wish he was still governor of the Bank of England, as he could perhaps persuade the UK government that we need a better carbon-pricing mechanism, like the carbon fee and dividend policy of Canada.
This involves introducing an escalating fee on fossil fuels soon after they have been extracted. The funds raised are then redistributed to the population. Business competitiveness issues are mitigated by imposing import fees on competitor products entering the country and through rebates to exporting businesses.
A well-designed scheme could have social and environmental benefits, distributing the revenues equitably and stimulating investment in low-carbon technologies.
Blowing hot and cold over Carney's climate thinking (2)
I was disappointed with the interview with Carney, though I suppose I shouldn’t have been; after all, this was a capitalist offering capitalist solutions to numerous capitalist problems, of which climate change was but one.
The piece contained a number of concepts meant to address climate change that contributors to New 杏吧原创, both staff members and occasional writers, have debunked over the years, such as carbon trading and the oxymoron of “sustainable growth”.
Capitalism is about return on investment, which can only come about by growth, and continual, perpetual growth is globally impossible.
In this neck of the woods, friendship is long-distance
Among other interesting facts that Robin Dunbar mentioned in his look at the science of friendship is that people were unwilling to spend more than 30 minutes travelling to see a friend 6 March, p 36.
Were the population samples on which this claim is based drawn from a university campus or inner-city areas? That certainly wouldn’t apply in rural Australia. Perhaps it is related to the travel time required for other activities, such as work or shopping, and isn’t a universal constant.
If you tell yourself you are younger, you may feel it (1)
Your article suggests that biological age can be influenced by your state of mind 20 March, p 36. I agree that a positive outlook is beneficial, but would add that autosuggestion can also be useful. When I turned 70, I decided I would rather be 35. I now think of myself as 35, and feel much happier as a consequence.
If you tell yourself you are younger, you may feel it (2)
You report strong evidence of a correlation between mental attitude and biological age, but is there any evidence of causality? Causality in the other direction is plausible: if your physical and mental fitness is good, you are likely to feel younger, and the converse likewise.
Spring has sprung a long time before the equinox
Abigail Beall gave us a clear, logical explanation as to why day and night aren’t of equal length at the equinox 20 March, p 51. What seems illogical to me, though, is why spring and autumn start at the equinox 鈥� and, even more oddly, that the summer solstice is called midsummer’s day and the winter solstice midwinter.
Spring started for me on 3 February, evidenced by leaf buds being visible, catkins being out and birds starting to pair. Based on a 13-week seasonal period, for me, spring will end on 4 May.