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Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: Lizzie_Zoom on 22 February 2013, 15:28:06

Title: BBC Horizon - How Small Is the Universe?
Post by: Lizzie_Zoom on 22 February 2013, 15:28:06
Did anyone else see Horizon last night on BBC Four?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006mgxf

It was absolutely fascinating in it's look into the research going on to establish how small our universe is. That is studying the smallest objects of the universe, atoms.  If you, like me, are very interested in quantum physics this was the programme to watch. Only over the last ten years have scientist been able to actually see atoms, but now new instruments are magnifying these by billionths and can study individual atoms.  They are fascinating 'things' that form everything we know and have parts in turn being investigated to see how they relate to the main neutron of the atom. But it is the fact that scientist believe there are even smaller bodies in the universe than the atom, with theories of a fourth or even fifth dimension due to the special nature of their existence and form; wonderful stuff!

Once again I have now heard from a scientist about the tremendous, ground breaking, revaluation, revealed by using the Magic Telescope (http://magic.mppmu.mpg.de/ ) which captures gamma ray blasts caused by colliding stars or collapsing black holes. It is that again scientist have detected the possibility that the speed of light varies, with shortly after the telescope opened it detected a gamma ray burst that although transpiring at the same time took 5 seconds from beginning to end for the detectors to receive, thus meaning each part of the gamma ray burst  travelled at different light speeds.

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) of CERN (http://public.web.cern.ch/public/en/lhc/lhc-en.html) two years ago also detected during one of it's experiments part of an atom, neutrinos, travelling faster than light.

This all suggests the rules of physics may have to be redrawn as light may vary in speed and individual parts of atoms that form all things on earth may be able to travel faster than the speed of light. The possibilities if that is true are endless.

As I always say "We know nothing yet!" 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)
Title: Re: BBC Horizon - How Small Is the Universe?
Post by: Rog on 22 February 2013, 16:01:49
Well, IF Prof Brian Cox had been involved I would have seen it, in fact would not have any choice in the matter as swmbo thinks he's a tasty bit of stuff     :o  !

BUT as it wasn't him, no.

I did watch Spurs Vs Lyon though . . . . . same sort of thing  ::)
Title: Re: BBC Horizon - How Small Is the Universe?
Post by: Field Marshal Dr. Opti on 22 February 2013, 17:37:29
I watched it, Lizzie. It's a repeat, but well worth watching all the same. :-* :-* :-* :-*
Title: Re: BBC Horizon - How Small Is the Universe?
Post by: Lizzie_Zoom on 22 February 2013, 17:44:56
I watched it, Lizzie. It's a repeat, but well worth watching all the same. :-* :-* :-* :-*

Yes, I have just caught up with it Opti.  First shown on BBC2 I believe, but I missed it :y :y
Title: Re: BBC Horizon - How Small Is the Universe?
Post by: Field Marshal Dr. Opti on 22 February 2013, 17:55:19
It's brain-bending stuff. Personally, I'm in favour of the "multiple universe theory" :y :y :y. If I'd been blessed with a higher I.Q I'd know exactly what that entails. ;)

 
Title: Re: BBC Horizon - How Small Is the Universe?
Post by: ozzycat on 22 February 2013, 18:00:50
 :y :y :y ill watch it on iplayer tonite  didnt realise it was on last night :D :D :D
Title: Re: BBC Horizon - How Small Is the Universe?
Post by: Lizzie_Zoom on 22 February 2013, 18:02:25
It's brain-bending stuff. Personally, I'm in favour of the "multiple universe theory" :y :y :y. If I'd been blessed with a higher I.Q I'd know exactly what that entails. ;)

So am I and I do understand what that could mean with life on many levels continuing at the same time, but in different dimensions, on varying scales, and numerous factors of time.  We know atoms can bounce around the universe so "life" can take different forms at the same time.  However I noted that one very esteemed scientist explained that he could talk about space time but never really say what it really is. I believe however that time and dimension can move in different directions and does not resemble anything we recognise currently.  I just wish I had been keen on mathematics at school!!

Discoveries and more discoveries to come over the next 50 / 100 years, let alone centuries!! :y :y :y :y
Title: Re: BBC Horizon - How Small Is the Universe?
Post by: Field Marshal Dr. Opti on 22 February 2013, 18:35:53
It's brain-bending stuff. Personally, I'm in favour of the "multiple universe theory" :y :y :y. If I'd been blessed with a higher I.Q I'd know exactly what that entails. ;)

So am I and I do understand what that could mean with life on many levels continuing at the same time, but in different dimensions, on varying scales, and numerous factors of time.  We know atoms can bounce around the universe so "life" can take different forms at the same time.  However I noted that one very esteemed scientist explained that he could talk about space time but never really say what it really is. I believe however that time and dimension can move in different directions and does not resemble anything we recognise currently. I just wish I had been keen on mathematics at school!!

Discoveries and more discoveries to come over the next 50 / 100 years, let alone centuries!! :y :y :y :y


....if Johnnie has 3 cakes and his sister Jill has two cakes....... ;D ;D ;D Now that's what I call maths, Lizzie. :-* :-* :-*
Title: Re: BBC Horizon - How Small Is the Universe?
Post by: Lizzie_Zoom on 22 February 2013, 18:56:49
It's brain-bending stuff. Personally, I'm in favour of the "multiple universe theory" :y :y :y. If I'd been blessed with a higher I.Q I'd know exactly what that entails. ;)

So am I and I do understand what that could mean with life on many levels continuing at the same time, but in different dimensions, on varying scales, and numerous factors of time.  We know atoms can bounce around the universe so "life" can take different forms at the same time.  However I noted that one very esteemed scientist explained that he could talk about space time but never really say what it really is. I believe however that time and dimension can move in different directions and does not resemble anything we recognise currently. I just wish I had been keen on mathematics at school!!

Discoveries and more discoveries to come over the next 50 / 100 years, let alone centuries!! :y :y :y :y


....if Johnnie has 3 cakes and his sister Jill has two cakes....... ;D ;D ;D Now that's what I call maths, Lizzie. :-* :-* :-*

Yep, and that is my limit Opti! ;D ;D ;D ;D  I wanted so much to understand algebra, but it was always the pull of history, English and domestic science lessons that won the day! :D :D ;)
Title: Re: BBC Horizon - How Small Is the Universe?
Post by: Rods2 on 22 February 2013, 19:28:06
It's brain-bending stuff. Personally, I'm in favour of the "multiple universe theory" :y :y :y. If I'd been blessed with a higher I.Q I'd know exactly what that entails. ;)

So am I and I do understand what that could mean with life on many levels continuing at the same time, but in different dimensions, on varying scales, and numerous factors of time.  We know atoms can bounce around the universe so "life" can take different forms at the same time.  However I noted that one very esteemed scientist explained that he could talk about space time but never really say what it really is. I believe however that time and dimension can move in different directions and does not resemble anything we recognise currently. I just wish I had been keen on mathematics at school!!

Discoveries and more discoveries to come over the next 50 / 100 years, let alone centuries!! :y :y :y :y


....if Johnnie has 3 cakes and his sister Jill has two cakes....... ;D ;D ;D Now that's what I call maths, Lizzie. :-* :-* :-*

= 0 as Opti has eaten them all  :P :P ;D ;D ;D ;D

I studied maths to quite a high level as part of my engineering qualifications. The most difficult which I didn't enjoy was standard solutions to partial differential equations, which are used a lot in complex control systems. At that point I decided after the end of year exams that was enough. Over the years I've forgotten 90% of what I learned and can only remember what I use from day to day.
Title: Re: BBC Horizon - How Small Is the Universe?
Post by: cam2502 on 23 February 2013, 09:46:53
Maybe they knew something we didn't.......

The American tv show Sliders was based on the concept of multiple "earths" . Each "earth" was different to the last, maybe your best friend who was a vet in one world would be a cop in the next, and may not know you.
The next world they slid to would perhaps be 100 years behind the previous one. They "slid" between worlds by using a wormhole, but never knew how far or at what time the next world would be.
Fantastic show.
Title: Re: BBC Horizon - How Small Is the Universe?
Post by: TheBoy on 23 February 2013, 09:51:50
A lot of it had been previously covered in other (Horizon maybe?) programmes over the years.  I recall the one on String Theory made my head hurt (still does ;D), and I think I did post about it at the time.

I do enjoy science documentaries (but not the medical science ones) :y
Title: Re: BBC Horizon - How Small Is the Universe?
Post by: Lizzie_Zoom on 24 February 2013, 16:00:05
A lot of it had been previously covered in other (Horizon maybe?) programmes over the years.  I recall the one on String Theory made my head hurt (still does ;D), and I think I did post about it at the time.

I do enjoy science documentaries (but not the medical science ones) :y

Oh yes, that does take some working out! :D :D :D ;)
Title: Re: BBC Horizon - How Small Is the Universe?
Post by: Abiton on 24 February 2013, 16:35:31
Those interested in science in Britain and/or Brian Cox may like to watch the video here: http://royalsociety.org/events/2013/brian-cox/

Title: Re: BBC Horizon - How Small Is the Universe?
Post by: Lizzie_Zoom on 24 February 2013, 17:01:55
Those interested in science in Britain and/or Brian Cox may like to watch the video here: http://royalsociety.org/events/2013/brian-cox/


 :y :y :y