Slashdot Mirror
Neutrino Data Could Spell Trouble For Relativity
Science News has an exploration of the deeper implications of neutrino oscillation, one experimental confirmation of which we discussed last month. "The new findings could even signal a tiny breakdown of Einstein's theory of special relativity. ... MINOS [for Main Injector Neutrino Oscillation Search] found that during a 735-kilometer journey from Fermilab to the Soudan Underground Laboratory in Minnesota, about 37 percent of muon antineutrinos disappeared — presumably morphing into one of the other neutrino types — compared with just 19 percent of muon neutrinos. ... That difference in transformation rates suggests a difference in mass between antineutrinos and neutrinos. ... With the amount of data collected so far, there's just a 5% probability that the two types of particles weigh the same."
Let me try to find a lay-person analogy.
A chef theorized that there was a counter-part to bacon. We'll call it turkey bacon. We traditionally thought that Turkey Bacon was the direct opposite of Pig Bacon. Where Pig Bacon was delicious, Turkey Bacon was healthy. We decided to do some research on how Turkey bacon and pig bacon is received by the consumer. Recent taste test show that turkey bacon is not, in fact equally as healthy as pig bacon is tasty. This ruins the grand unified theorem of HTB (healthy tasty breakfast).
The only remaining explanation is there might, in fact, be a third type of bacon... i.e. a cow bacon or chicken bacon. If we discover this new type of bacon, it might completely revolutionize the Bacon Lettuce Tomato sandwich.
amirite?
Should I be preparing for Unforeseen Consequences?
Drunk-modding again? =p /. actually cited a PRL ref correctly to prove his point - will wonders never cease? I think I'm gonna cry.
Someone please fix this to informative or insightful. Someone on
I think we need to reroute power through the main deflector dish to correctly mask the neutrino particle dispersion.
Well, you see, the modder had to preserve Slashdot CRM ( Correctness, Relevance, Modding) Invariance which states that Comment Correctness, Comment Relevance, and Comment Modding, when assigned a boolean value (e.g if the Comment is factually correct, it is assigned the value of 1, else 0) of 1 or 0, then multiplied together, must never be 1. So, since we had a correct, relevant comment, the modding must be incorrect to preserve the Invariance.
""there's a 5 percent probability that the two types of particles weigh the same." Except, that would require a Bayesian statistical analysis and a prior. "
Hallowed are the Ori
An instant link to xkcd is required here. I hate doing this (linking to xkcd), but you brought it on yourself :)
From that great font of modern knowledge, "the CPT theorem states that any Lorentz invariant local quantum field theory with a Hermitian Hamiltonian must have CPT symmetry.".
I guess people are more willing to give up Lorentz invariance,than QFTs requiring their Hamiltonians to be unitary..
Wow, if only this applied to programming.
It works in science because everyone wants to fix existing theories, not spew out new crap as fast as they can. Except string theorists.
mathematics is just applied logic, and logic is just applied philosophy... ... and philosophy is just applied physics ...
Kirk: "Everything Harry tells you is a lie. Remember that! Everything Harry tells you is a lie!"
Harry: "Now listen to this carefully, Norman: I AM LYING!"
Norman: "You say you are lying, but if everything you say is a lie then you are telling the truth, but you cannot tell the truth because everything you say is a lie, but... you lie, you tell the truth, but you cannot for you l... Illogical! Illogical! Please explain! You are Human! Only Humans can explain their behavior! Please explain!"
beeeeeeeeeep......thump.
That's what you just did to my brain by closing the loop. Thanks! :-)
http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Induced_self-destruction
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzVxsYzXI_Y
Tiller's Rule: Never use a word in written form that you've only heard and never read. You will end up looking foolish.
Anyway I guess (sorry if I don't) I see your point but I don't think you are seeing your parent's, and (unless I missed it) your point is wrong (as in 'non sequitur', not as in 'not true' (which it might be))
Do you think in Lisp?
Tiller's Rule: Never use a word in written form that you've only heard and never read. You will end up looking foolish.
Relativity is just a model.
Just like Camelot.
I've lost all my marbles except one & It's fun to test angular & centripetal acceleration in my skull