Examining Gravity Waves

Joseph "JoeDaMac" Haake writes "Sometime within the next two years, researchers will detect the first signals of gravity waves -- those weak blips from the far edges of the universe passing through our bodies every second. Predicted by Einstein's theory of general relativity, gravity waves are expected to reveal, ultimately, previously unattainable mysteries of the universe."

Comments

What if they don't find the gravity waves?

[PD]

In a perverse sort of way, I'm hoping that this experiment generates all the wrong data. Data that is completely the opposite of what people expect.

Think of all the fun that would be! Think of the chaos, the pontificating, the explanations, the TV specials! Think of all the dissertations that would generate! Yes sir, that would be wonderful.

Re:What if they don't find the gravity waves?

[frawaradaR]

Then we'd have to remove der liebe Herr Einstein from the pedestal of science, and put someone else there, someone who "saw clearly where everyone else saw nothing".

Praise and honor to that new generation of phycisists, and shame on those old school amateurs!

There would be new popular books on how "close" we are to have a GUT explaining "everything". Super egos like Stephen Hawking would say: "I told you so" (even though he didn't).

A bunch of Nobel prizes currently in an undetermined Schrödinger state will await those who are lucky enough to be where the action is.

Unfortunately, the Chinese and Japanese scientists that will provide the framework of the New Theory will not end up on the cover of Time (that will instead be Steve Ballmer or some other American/Western savior of the world).

Re:What if they don't find the gravity waves?

[Tablizer]

You can't buy t-shirts or posters with Newton. You can with Einstein.

Because Einstein had really weird *wild* hair. Newton looks like any other bloke from that era.

Ask people if they know a physical formula, and they'll say E=mc^2, not F=GMm/r^2 or F=ma.

The second one is too hard to be catchy. The third looks like an abbreviation for "fuck mamma", and some might be offended or think it is graffity gang-talk short-hand.

It could also be that Einny is associated with nukes, while Newty is only associated with things like catapults. Nukes are more awe inspiring and intimidating that catapults. (However, isn't Iraq possibly building a nuclear catapult according to German sources?)