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Doug Centers
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 17 February 2014
Location: United States
Posts: 5473
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| Posted: 13 February 2016 at 7:33am | IP Logged | 1
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Ah, but here we go again. So who was watching before the Big Bang?Even if there is nothing, isn't nothing still something? ;-)
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Michael Murphy
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 06 June 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 339
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| Posted: 13 February 2016 at 10:04am | IP Logged | 2
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Do you think there are some things that humans just will never get, understand or comprehend?*************************************** That reminds of Richard Feynman's quote "If you think you understand quantum theory... you don't understand quantum theory"
Things that happen on extremely large and small scales are just so far removed from what the human brain evolved to understand that very few people, if any, can truly visualize some concepts. Even many scientists I have seen or read in interviews have admitted to understanding the math behind an idea but they can't visualize what the math is describing.
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Eric Sofer
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| Posted: 13 February 2016 at 10:16am | IP Logged | 3
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Doug Centers: "So who was watching before the Big Bang?"
I was. In my city, Jeopardy! immediately precedes it, and I try to catch that every night.
Because if you're speculating about what's prior to the Big Bang, you could well be in Jeopardy.
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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005
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| Posted: 13 February 2016 at 11:30am | IP Logged | 4
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Ah, but here we go again. So who was watching before the Big Bang?Even if there is nothing, isn't nothing still something? ;-) Let's ignore your smiley, and take a shot at answering that question Short answer: No. Longer answer: Many people have trouble with the concept of "nothing". An empty room has "nothing in it," but in fact it's quite a busy place, with air, dust, various kinds of energy particles passing thru. NASA has spent a goodly amount of time and effort on creating a perfect vacuum, most folks definition of "nothing." But a vacuum is something. It exists. When trying to imagine the "nothing" that was before the Big Bang, it's sort of natural to picture a big empty space, infinite in dimension. But a big empty space is also something. In the end it gets very Zen. The sound of one hand clapping.
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Robbie Parry
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 17 June 2007
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| Posted: 13 February 2016 at 11:43am | IP Logged | 5
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I could probably get my head to comprehend that (eventually).
I do remember one person, after I asked them what was happening before time began, said something like, "That's like asking to whom is the bachelor married?"
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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
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| Posted: 13 February 2016 at 2:18pm | IP Logged | 6
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It's a lot like trying to comprehend death. Our primitive ancestors cooked up all kinds of fantasies to explain the Big Nothing that lies "past the end" of life. It was more comforting that saying "Remember what it was like before you were conceived? It's like that."The human mind just does not like the idea of NOTHING.
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Doug Centers
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| Posted: 13 February 2016 at 2:40pm | IP Logged | 7
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So in relation to the "Big Bang", are we saying that "something" was created from "nothing"? (not being snarky just trying to wrap my head around it).
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John Byrne
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| Posted: 13 February 2016 at 2:46pm | IP Logged | 8
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are we saying that "something" was created from "nothing"? Yes. In fact, those who are inclined to think about such things say it is the natural inclination of "nothing" to become "something."
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Doug Centers
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| Posted: 13 February 2016 at 3:21pm | IP Logged | 9
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Interesting.The human brain starves for answers and like was said "nothing" is one answer our mind is not particular to.
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Robbie Parry
Byrne Robotics Member
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| Posted: 13 February 2016 at 7:10pm | IP Logged | 10
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Things that happen on extremely large and small scales are just so far removed from what the human brain evolved to understand that very few people, if any, can truly visualize some concepts. Even many scientists I have seen or read in interviews have admitted to understanding the math behind an idea but they can't visualize what the math is describing.
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This is why something like a picosecond baffles me.
Count to a second. Easy. Try and visualize half a second or a quarter of a second. Harder, but not impossible. Now imagine a picosecond, which is a trillionth of a second. How can one comprehend or imagine that? My brain can't do it. Never will be able to.
It was even harder when the article I read stated that the difference between a picosecond and a second is the same difference as between a second and thirty thousand years. What?!
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Roy Johnson
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 19 May 2013
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| Posted: 13 February 2016 at 7:15pm | IP Logged | 11
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QUOTE:
| This is why something like a picosecond baffles me. |
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That's why we use a great tool like math. Most people can't visualize more than 7 object in their mind's eye at a time, but it doesn't mean numbers greater than 7 don't exist.
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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
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| Posted: 13 February 2016 at 9:57pm | IP Logged | 12
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Most people can't visualize more than 7 object(s)... Whence cometh this number? For as long as I can remember* when I close my eyes I see myriad shifting scenes, almost like remote viewing, all of which contain far more than seven objects. ------------ * During the most bleak days of my divorce I went thru a period of weeks in which I saw only blackness when I closed my eyes. I was genuinely concerned the effect was permanent.
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