General relativity survives gruelling pulsar test -- Einstein at least 99.95% right

EurekAlert (AAAS) ^ | 13 September 2006 | Staff

[balrog666]

You left the "(Warning: Science Thread)" off of the title.

[deathrace2000]

So at 2000 light-years away, the measured physical event happened when Jesus was changing water into wine, and we are only now seeing the results! So, can the US Army turn it into a bomb? Can we drop one of those 20k neutron-star suckers on Iran?

[RadioAstronomer]

So is West Virginia a really good place to hide radio telescopes from the noise of civilization

Indeed it is. The same for Owens Valley, Goldstone, and the VLA. :-)

[js1138]

You are correct. Like weather, it's micromanaged by space aliens or other unnamed intelligent entities.

[tallhappy]

You are correct. Like weather, it's micromanaged by space aliens or other unnamed intelligent entities.

You believe that?

[Procyon]

Actually it's E=mc².

M and C are lowercase and the ASCII superscript 2 is ²

[El Gato]

Well he got the E=MC2 part right.

That's from special, not general, relativity. Special is much easier to understand. Even I can understand it. :)

But I take heart in this:

"Do not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics. I can assure you mine are still greater." -- Albert Einstein

[RadioAstronomer]

GR is fun. :-)

Gravitation (Meisner Thorne & Wheeler)

[El Gato]

It is not .5 % it is .05 % and, yes he is wrong on that part of his theory:)

Not necessarily, it's probably within the measurement error.

However from such small disagreements with theory are new theories made.

No one has yet succeeded in merging general relativity with quantum mechanics. The resulting error could be in that 0.05% somewhere, or not.

[El Gato]

Can we drop one of those 20k neutron-star suckers on Iran?

If we could, it would be kind of hard on the rest of us too.

[RadioAstronomer]

Also:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0471925675/ref=sib_dp_pt/103-6910865-9258266

:-)

[calex59]

Calex59 said It is not .5 % it is .05 % and, yes he is wrong on that part of his theory:)

El Gato said Not necessarily, it's probably within the measurement error.

Some people have no sense of humor. Are you one of them?

[RightWingAtheist]

Great stuff, actually. Not that it'll shut up the cranks, tho :/

One sad part of the story: Dennis Walsh, who led the team which discovered gravitational lensing, died last year after a long struggle with Parkinson's Disease. It's too bad he didn't live long enough to see the full fruits of his labors

[RadioAstronomer]

I hear ya. Sigh.

And indeed it is great stuff!

[VadeRetro]

Various cultists won't like this story, not that it will actually change their minds.

[AFreeBird]

Can we drop one of those 20k neutron-star suckers on Iran?

Umm and vaporize the planet in the process? Sure... go for it.

[evad]

Actually it's E=mc².

Thanks guys..I'm feelin' dumber by the minute.

[El Gato]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0471925675/ref=sib_dp_pt/103-6910865-9258266

$110. I'll find it in the library. :) (My wife is a college professor, so I have access to a pretty decent library).

But thanks for the link anyway.

Just checked the on line catalog, they have it. :)

Gravitation and cosmology: principles and applications of the general theory of relativity
Weinberg, Steven, 1933-
Publisher: Wiley
Pub date: [1972]
Pages: xxviii, 657 p.
ISBN: 0471925675
Item info: 1 copy available in STACKS.
1 copy total in all locations.
Holdings
Call number Copies Material Location
QC6.W47 1 BOOK Circulating Collection (STACKS) - 2nd floor

[Moonman62]

I am waiting with great anticipation of the data from the Gravity Probe-B.

The estimate for an announcement is April of 2007.

[El Gato]

Umm and vaporize the planet in the process? Sure... go for it.

The neutron star probably wouldn't even burp. Maybe a tiny little hiccup, maybe.