Actually it is amazing how great are the variations on what folks think that F@H really is. I get asked all kinds of questions but most of them are pretty good.
For those that like to understand the science behind F@H will be thrilled to know that there is real science behind it.
I remember how often that Greenies thought that we could completely model nuclear weapons via computer simulations, and that there would never be a need for testing. Pulling back the covers on a complex project like F@H shows how difficult it really is to simulate ANY complex system, be it nuclear weapons or cellular biology.
One nanosecond of protein folding can take years of computing resources. That is for a single protein, simulating a single interaction, and with major allowances for water modeling on the molecule.
Any first-year physics student could successfully model the particle system of the brain of your average Greenie, though. It's just one, single particle -- unique in the world of quantum physics -- called a "moron".
It has no spin; the rest of the universe revolves around it.
It has an infinitely negative charge.
It oscillates between two excitation states: shrill, and outraged.
It repels all other known matter, but demonstrates the capability to make spectacular quantum leaps that allow it to escape the cranial cavity of its host. In this condition, we describe the host as having "lost it".
But, seriously, thanks for the in-depth post. I was always a quick study with the conceptual aspects; it was the hairy math that kept me up nights.