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British Scientists Reverse Casimir Effect
An anonymous reader writes "The Telegraph reports that Scientists at the University of St. Andrews have developed a technique to cause the Casimir effect to repel instead of attract. This discovery could lead to near frictionless machines or in theory even levitation."
Gasp, that means we will have to repel one of the laws of seance.
How says science cannot be uplifting.... literally.
This could be put to immediate use in the USA, where much bad legislation needs to be repealed and they need to attract fewer blockheads to a career in politics.
Rich And Stupid is not so bad as Working For Rich And Stupid.
I'm not a big fan of knitwear at the best of times.
At the bottom of the
So was it only me that heard Sir Alec Guinness read that line out?
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What is this? a spelling contest or a discussion about a new scientific discovery?
/. is populated purely by obsessive pedants with nothing better to do.
Sheesh. Anybody would think
oh..
Oh, well, then I guess we're not going to leave it up the guys who made the original lenses on the Hubble, now are we?
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"dry glue" effect that enables a gecko to walk across a ceiling.
"Spider-pig, Spider-pig,
Does whatever a Spider-pig does."
-- Boycott Shell
It's a "lift" you insensitive clod...
Wouldn't that be repugnant, then?
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
I did not know this guy => http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casimir_(dinosaur) had a physics degree.
I assume it involves a cat with a piece of buttered toast strapped to its back...
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No, the OP was right. They're repealing attraction. Don't know why they took so long, Slashdotters repealed attraction years ago.
I hate printers.
I've already patented using this technology on skateboard decks, and no, Back to the Future doesn't count as prior art! I didn't get the idea from there at all!
which is totally what she said
I've always wondered about what would happen if/when a time machine is discovered. You can patent it only for so many years, but with free travel possible in the temporal dimension, just thinking about a profitable business model makes my head hurt.
Cheers!
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I hereby theorize that cramming peanuts into your arsehole will cause levitation.
There, now that I've officially theorized this, I can say, "In theory, cramming peanuts into your arsehole will cause levitation." and it's perfectly true.
Well, it appears it's in the process of trying to revoke the law of gravity
which is totally what she said
I am a physicist, but these subjects are often beyond me. Still, let me try a short explanation.
That's fine. The non-physicists here will gleefully take up the slack.
FTA: "The force is due to neither electrical charge or gravity, for example, but the fluctuations in all-pervasive energy fields in the intervening empty space between the objects and is one reason atoms stick together, also explaining a "dry glue" effect that enables a gecko to walk across a ceiling." ... and now that scientists have figured out how to reverse the Casimir effect, this will soon enable geckos to walk on the floor.
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That would repel from the floor, but not from another cat with another slice of buttered toast strapped to its back (which is what this can potentially do).
From what I remember of the buttered toast cat, doesn't it end up spinning just above the floor as the cat tries to land feet-first and the toast tries to land butter-side down? If so then why is no-one wrapping these cats in wire, putting them between magnets and throwing them off surfaces en-mass to generate electricity while they spin?
Only works with live cats. The cost of feeding and care for the cats makes this uneconomical. ;-)
"What happens if all the molecules in your body suddenly repels eachother?"
Okay, that's a good safety tip. Don't cross the streams!
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I assure you, Ladies and Gentlemen of the audience, this gigantic crate is levitating! Between it and the stage are entire nanometers of magic.
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It's all well and good until you have to take the cat down for maintenance. Have you ever seen a cat that's been wrapped in wire, strapped to a piece of buttered toast, and spun for 3 days? Let's just say it's not happy.
Actually, the cat will freeze in midair suspended on its side, because in that case, the direction of spin that requires the least work to get the cat/toast to the correct position are in opposite directions with an equal magnitude. So, sadly, it will hit static equilibrium, so you'll just have a crazy floating cat, not a crazy floating power-generating cat.
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Check out my e-bay auctions...I will sell you a pair of cat wiring gauntlets - guaranteed to protected you from the savage beasts.
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>>> the whole world is not American you know
That depends on who is defining "world".
Don't worry, that's a cyclic effect that primarily appears when posting AC. In your case, it's probably just your sinuses. No need to go off on a tangent. Have a slice of pie and call me in the morning. I'm sure you're feel radiant by then.
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Hallelujah. My username is finally getting the credit it deserves.
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