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Supermassive Black Holes Not So Big After All
An anonymous reader writes "Supermassive black holes are between 2 and 10 times less massive than previously thought, according to new calculations published by German astrophysicists (abstract)."
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You mean, they're only hundreds of millions to a billion times the mass of the sun, not several billion times the mass of the sun? Sheesh! Talk about phoning it in! Wake me up when they're serious about being 'super massive'!
Will MUSE release a followup called "Not So Supermassive - Black Hole"
"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - K
two times less massive: 1/2 * m
ten times less massive: 1/10 * m
Really, if you want to make it in the world out there, you've gotta get off of your high pedestal, and accept that the scientific world is only a small percentage of the "regular folk" out there. Theoretically, you're right, but practically, noone cares about theory so you're screwed.
Manuals are your last resort only
Certainty in a position gives people a stronger reason not to believe competing ideas. It's basic cognitive dissonance. Let's say I prepared for aliens to visit and destroy the world on a certain day. When that doesn't happen, I can either admit I was wrong or I am uncertain about whether these aliens even exist, or I can confidently believe that the aliens spared us because of our faith. It's easier to confidently believe that AGW is a big hoax than to admit the possibility that we're causing the climate to change. It's easier to believe that evolution is not real if it causes me to question my faith in the existence of God. People will do all kinds of mental gymnastics rather than admit a truth they find emotionally disturbing. Even the lamest excuse will do. The latest is the old "the science isn't settled" when there's the least little bit of uncertainty.
What a fool believes, he sees, no wise man has the power to reason away.
Welcome to the English language, you will notice that it is not actually a branch of Mathematics.
It's not even uncommon language in science, though maybe you'd be more precise when writing a paper. In this context, "times" is understood as colloquial shorthand for "by a factor of", and factors can be either multiplied or divided, depending on whether it's "greater" or "less" by that factor.
The translation from "two times less massive" to "less massive by a factor of two" is pretty straightforward and easily understood...
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
Well, it's nice to know that something in the Universe now sucks less.