HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: vanloon@cwi.nl (Maarten van Loon)
Newsgroups: sci.physics
Subject: Christmas problem
Date: 23 Dec 92 09:37:14 GMT
Organization: CWI, Amsterdam

Hello everybody,

In a Christmas puzzle for engineers, the following two problems
were given. Since I am not a physician, maybe you guys can help
me. I already asked several physicians, but they all had different
opinions. Here they come:

1. A glass of water is standing on a balance.
   At a certain moment someone puts a thermometer in the glass,
   without touching the glass and still holding the thermometer
   in his (or her) hand. Question: does the balance show a
   heigher or lower weight or does it indicate the same weight?

2. An astronout takes a bottle filled half with whine with him
   in space. What does he see when he looks to the bottle in
   space?

Suggestions are welcome. I will fill in the answers which are
most often suggested.
By the way, the puzzle consists of more problems which I will
hopefully all solve by myself.

Merry Christmas and a happy 1993,
-- 
---------------------------------------------------------------------
| Maarten van Loon           |  Don't hurry, be happy               |
| email: vanloon@cwi.nl      |  Not knowing Bach = not really living|
Xref: sparky sci.physics:22020 sci.electronics:21842
From: quest@iowegia.uucp (Steve J. Quest)
Newsgroups: sci.physics,sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Lasers/collimated light in RGB? (full repost)
Date: Fri, 01 Jan 93 00:51:24 CST
Distribution: world
Organization: Iowegia Public Access Usenet/UUCP, Clive IA USA.

John,

        Since it is illegal these days to scan the audience with 
laser light- even if the beam is moving very quickly, the newest 
method is to collimate Xenon light, which can be filtered using 
Dichroic filters or reflected using Dielectric mirros to get the 
color effects you want.  This collimated Xenon light (from an 
intense Xenon CW lamp) is injected into a fiber optic cable, and 
transported to the beam head.  This way cool light is provided to 
the beam head- free from the heat of the lamp.  It is then scanned 
through the "fog" or directly into the audience...............sq


(the scanners used are inductive analog devices- they have 
feedback so the system knows at all times where the mirrors are.  
They are not capable of really fast movement, they tend to become 
affected by inertia above rep rates of > 20kc.)

Newsgroups: sci.physics
From: berryh@huey.udel.edu (John Berryhill, Ph.D.)
Subject: Re: APS Award for Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Research
Organization: little scraps of paper, mostly
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 05:43:23 GMT


Wow, a whole $1000, a certificate suitable for framing, and a resume' line.

And if you don't win, just remember - Hustler magazine will still pay
you $50 for a picture of your girlfriend naked.  And you don't have to
submit an essay or any nomination letters either.  What a bargain!
-- 
                                                John Berryhill, Ph.D.
Xref: sparky sci.physics:21669 alt.sci.physics.new-theories:2593 sci.skeptic:21641
From: mjh22@cl.cam.ac.uk (M.J. Hardcastle)
Newsgroups: sci.physics,alt.sci.physics.new-theories,sci.skeptic
Subject: Re: Physics - the Good, the Bad and the Bogus 1
Summary: silly question
Date: 23 Dec 92 16:27:29 GMT
Reply-To: mjh22@phx.cam.ac.uk
Organization: Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, UK

Hasn't Sarfatti pinched the title of this thread more or less from a Martin
Gardner book? Come to think of it, I remember one or two less than
complimentary remarks about one Jack Sarfatti in there...

Martin
From: diverson@phys.ksu.edu (David Iverson)
Newsgroups: sci.physics
Subject: Re: bubble in container
Date: 3 Jan 1993 01:34:40 GMT
Organization: Kansas State University
NNTP-Posting-Host: bohr.phys.ksu.edu

In <Bzs9I4.IqG@utdallas.edu> nariani@utdallas.edu (Sushil Nariani) writes:

>There's this inexpandible container which is completely full of water but
>for a small bubble at the bottom. If the bubble rises to the top, does the
>pressure on the sides of the container change?

>Sushil

The bubble will grow!

David "After being a grader for undergrad physics courses I have this
compunction to right correct answers to the wrong questions"  Iverson

--
diverson@phys.ksu.edu
Newsgroups: sci.physics
From: pratt@Sunburn.Stanford.EDU (Vaughan R. Pratt)
Subject: Re: sci.physics as group therapy for mad physicists
Organization: Computer Science Department,  Stanford University.
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1992 20:14:55 GMT

In article <C02H78.G66@well.sf.ca.us> sarfatti@well.sf.ca.us (Jack Sarfatti) writes:
>
>The Aussies seem to be a decent interesting bunch open to new ideas.

I always kick myself afterwards but it doesn't seem to do any good.
-- 
Vaughan Pratt				There's safety in certain numbers.
Newsgroups: sci.physics
From: sarfatti@well.sf.ca.us (Jack Sarfatti)
Subject: re: Boswell's flames
Organization: Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link
Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1992 19:48:32 GMT


Whew! For the record Boswell's or Gerard's main achievement in life is
writing phony pornographic letters for Penthouse Magazine - that's a fact.
He has no training whatsoever in math and science.
Newsgroups: sci.physics,sci.math
From: rivin@SAIL.Stanford.EDU (Igor Rivin)
Subject: Re: Why no Nobel Prize in Math?
Organization: Computer Science Department,  Stanford University.
Distribution: na
Date: Sat, 2 Jan 1993 22:55:39 GMT

In article <C06xJo.Grn@news.cso.uiuc.edu> levine@symcom.math.uiuc.edu (Lenore Levine) writes:
>dbriggs@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Daniel Briggs) writes:
>[...]
>
>>A friend of the household, before I moved in, was active with COYOTE in the
>>SF Bay Area.  I can't remember the acronym expansion, but it is (was?) an
>>organization to promote legalized prostitution.  Among other things, COYOTE
>>kept summary statistics of the sales activities of all their members, as
>>ammunition for their lobbying battles.  There was always a big correlation
>>between sales and a major convention in San Francisco.  Until the AMS had
>>a major meeting there, that is.  COYOTE had its worst weekly sales ever!
>
>Does that really mean that male mathematicians are less sexual? Or
>merely less interested in women who have no sincere romantic interest in
>them? 

Perhaps it just means that mathematicians are too cheap (especially
with the math book prices being what they are, and all...)


Newsgroups: sci.physics
From: abian@iastate.edu (Alexander Abian)
Subject: TIME HAS INERTIA   att:  ATEMS   and SARFATTI
Summary:  SPACE TENDS TO MAINTAIN NEUTRALITY
Keywords:  SPACE, TIME, ENERGY, Kreutzer Sonata
Organization: Iowa State University, Ames IA
Date: Mon, 28 Dec 1992 19:34:35 GMT


To readers of  TIME HAS INERTIA   att: ATEMS and SARFATTI  


   The greatest breakthru in Science and especially in Physics is
the fact that  according to my  (A1) - (A4)

  THE SPACE IS THE DILUTER OF EVERYTHING - IT  TENDS TO MAINTAIN
ITS STATUS QUO OF TOTAL NEUTRALITY VIA ITS  DILUTING AGENT -
                       THE TIME
HOWEVER, THE SPACE WILL NEVER ACHIEVE ITS TOTAL NEUTRALITY since
according to  (A2)

                   dE = -A E(t) dt
                  
and since  TIME WILL NEVER BE INFINITE  E(t)  WILL NEVER BE
ZERO AND THERE WILL ALWAYS REMAIN SOME ENERGY, i.e. Matter   
IN THE COSMOS. 

   In fact, Messrs ATEMS  and SARFATTI  
 
   ENERGY  IS NOTHING ELSE BUT  EXTREMELY DILUTED FORM OF MATTER

diluted by SPACE AND TIME.

   I can't continue ,  since I am emotionally exhausted, and I need
to listen to Beethoven"s Kreutzer Sonata (for violin and piano).


    With best regards and wishes     Alexander Abian
-- 
   The tendency of maintaining the status-quo, Reaction to provocation and
                The tendency of maintaining again a status-quo.  
    TIME HAS INERTIA  and some energy is lost to move Time forward  
  E = mcc  (Einstein)    must be replaced by    E = m(0) exp(-At) (Abian)
Newsgroups: sci.physics
From: sarfatti@well.sf.ca.us (Jack Sarfatti)
Subject: re: Baez's offer 
Organization: Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1992 06:23:03 GMT


Baez writes:
 If you require me to explain general covariance
again I will, albeit grumpily.

Why don't you? It can't hurt.
From: toon@moene.indiv.nluug.nl (Toon Moene)
Newsgroups: sci.physics
Subject: Re: When your sun forges iron...
Date: 23 Dec 92 22:29:28 GMT
Organization: Moene Computational Physics, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

In article <1992Dec21.192223.4855@galois.mit.edu> jbaez@riesz.mit.edu  
(John C. Baez) writes:
[ ... what a star does when it has formed - a sizeable amount of -
      iron; does it split, or fuse to form higher number elements ? ...]
> 
> But don't you mean fusion, not fission?  I am no nuclear physicist but
> my hunch would be that at high pressures iron might want to fuse into
> larger nuclei, not break into smaller ones.  Is there anyone out there
> who can explain to me which one is right, and more importantly, why?

There's a nice little 'cold war' story by the late Isaac Asimov: 'The  
goose with the golden eggs' explaining :-) how fusion of Fe would lead to  
Au.  The major problem is the absorption of the resulting radiation by the  
goose's liver :-)

PS: I hope I've inserted enough smiley's this time ...

--
Toon Moene (toon@moene.indiv.nluug.nl)
Kantershof 269, 1104 GN  Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Tel.: + 31 20 6982029; Fax: + 31 20 6003411
No Disclaimers; a NeXT at home protects against this occupational hazard.
From: marco@sys6626.bison.mb.ca (John Perry)
Newsgroups: sci.physics
Subject: Re: Reluctant call moder(and sci.physics.research-NOT!)
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 92 23:04:00 CST
Organization: System 6626 BBS, Winnipeg Manitoba Canada

merritt@macro.bu.edu (Sean Merritt) writes:

> When I was a grad student the department set aside a class room for
> tutoring undergrads. When times were slow we go to the chalk board
> and "play" with physics and I learned more from my fellow grad
> students at that chalkboard than I did from any Prof. When
> undergrads did come they too were interested in what we were discussing.
> I see this group more like the chalk board in that classroom
> than a "public restroom wall.". I also see no need for the
> creation of another group as I feel USENET is already too
> diluted by schisms. Most new groups are created because a
> certain sect wants to silence others. On the rare happy occasion
> a new gorup is created to accomadte a truly new subject of
> interest. I believe that your "middle ground" exist in the
> minds of many of the readers in this group already.

This is one of the more sensible points made in this newsgroup in a long 
time. I suggest everyone consider its contents.

    *********************************************************************
    *   John Perry, Winnipeg, Manitoba    |       GEnie: J.PERRY13      *
    * INTERNET: marco@sys6626.bison.mb.ca | Data Phone: (204) 772-7349  *
    ********************************************************************* 
Newsgroups: sci.physics,alt.sci.physics.new-theories
From: sarfatti@well.sf.ca.us (Jack Sarfatti)
Subject: re: forces from virtual spin 2 & spin 1 quanta
Organization: Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link
Date: Sat, 26 Dec 1992 04:16:25 GMT


I remember seeing a proof of this by Chris Isham in an ICTP pre-print in
early 1970's - but I forget how it goes. If Isham at Imperial College U
London has e-mail some one should ask him. Does anyone have a simple
picture to explain attractive force between unlike electric charges as
exchange of virtual spacelike photon? Let's see if Feynman discusses this
in his classic papers on QED

From: sichase@csa3.lbl.gov (SCOTT I CHASE)
Subject: Re: Spin-2 ===> Attractive Force ??
Date: 23 Dec 1992 13:08 PST
Organization: Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory - Berkeley, CA, USA
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: 128.3.254.198
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

In article <92350.133819CCB104@psuvm.psu.edu> , CCB104@psuvm.psu.edu
writes:
>Why are spin-2 "exchange particles" supposed to imply attractive---rather
>than EITHER attractive or repulsive, as with electromagnetism---forces? In
>other words, why can't spin-2 "exchange particles" represent repulsive
>forces?

I don't have a simple answer for you.  But I can tell you that the
theorem is more general - even-spin exchange bosons are only attractive,
while odd-spin exchange bosons can mediate attractive forces as well.
Another example is the residual strong interaction - the spin-0 pion
mediates an attractive component, but a spin-1 particle (such as the rho)
is required to get the repulsive hard core.

I'm not sure I've ever seen a simple proof of this theorem.  I have to
dig through some of my old notes to see what I can come up with.  However,
I will need some time, since I still have more than 500 old sci.physics
postings to wade through.

-Scott
From: mwj@beta.lanl.gov (William Johnson)
Subject: Re: Call for volunteers to moderate sci.physics.research
Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1992 19:55:30 GMT

In article <MATT.92Dec22165232@physics2.berkeley.edu> matt@physics.berkeley.edu writes:
>Well, it looks like the initial response to the idea of creating
>sci.physics.research has been mostly favorable.  Before we put it to a
>vote, though, we have to tell people what they're voting for---and one
>thing that means is that we have to decide, before the vote, who the
>moderators will be.
[...]
>If you're willing to be one of the moderators, then, could you drop me
>a note by email, and also post a brief message on the Net about what
>sorts of standards you would use?  Even if you've done this already,
>I'd appreciate it if you do so again---the focus of the discussion has
>changed a bit since we started talking about this.

I mentioned to Matt via e-mail at the beginning of this that I'd probably be
available to co-moderate, and will post my credentials if anyone's interested.
As for standards, I would probably be somewhat more strict than some; my
proposed principles are:
	1) NO ad-hominem attacks.  NONE.  No matter how content-rich the
	article with the ad-hominem stuff, it will be returned to the poster
	for editing.  Otherwise, most subjects involving physics are fair
	game, at least for inquiries.
	2) Many questions ("How do I solve this problem?") will be accepted
	with the understanding that followups will be redirected to the poster
	via e-mail rather than posted to the group.  In turn, followups will
	be held to a somewhat higher standard than are the questions
	themselves and will be expected to convey information of sufficiently
	widespread interest as to justify the bandwidth.
	3) Tolerance of marginal issues (is SSC worth the money?, etc.) will
	be geared to traffic volume.  The objective will be a group with maybe
	10 to 20 postings a day; if there are less, there won't be enough
	interest, and if there are more, the desired "culling" of the currently
	over-busy sci.physics won't have been done right.
	4) If traffic gets high (see last point), preference will be given to
	requests for information and news items.
	5) Finally, crossposting will be discouraged.

-- 
Bill Johnson				| My suggestion for an Official
Los Alamos National Laboratory		| Usenet Motto: "If you have nothing
Los Alamos, New Mexico USA		| to say, then come on in, this is the
!cmcl2!lanl!mwj (mwj@lanl.gov)		| place for you, tell us all about it!"
From: jmgreen@pilot.njin.net (Jim Green)
Newsgroups: sci.physics
Subject: TPT & AJP
Date: 2 Jan 93 01:05:46 GMT
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.



Our department is missing several copies of The Physics Teacher and of
American Journal of Physics.  Do you suppose the is a pile of these
journals in some dark closet just waiting for a home??????

Please email me if you know of such homeless waifs.  TX   Jim Green
-- 
_______________________________________________________________________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Name:  James M. Green                         )*(     
Email: jmgreen@pilot.njin.net                (***)         "The Lord may be
Smail: Stockton State College NAMS          )*(*)*(       subtle, but
       Pomona, NJ  08240-9988              (* (*) *)           he is not mean."
ICBM:  39.49333 N  74.53083 W               )*(*)*(               
FAX:   609/652-4958                          (***)               A. Einstein
Voice: 609/652-4558                           )*(     
_______________________________________________|_______________________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: bhoughto@sedona.intel.com (Blair P. Houghton)
Newsgroups: sci.physics
Subject: Re: TIME HAS INERTIA  -     Libelous Statements by  Gunnar and Hall
Date: 22 Dec 1992 17:45:43 GMT
Organization: Intel Corp., Chandler, Arizona
NNTP-Posting-Host: stealth.intel.com
Keywords: LIBEL IS PUNISHABLE BY LAW

In article <abian.724811082@pv343f.vincent.iastate.edu> abian@iastate.edu (Alexander Abian) writes:
>  Mr. Abian,
>  "Please disregard any statement I may have made.  All postings of
>  mine on this subject have been cancelled, and no one will be able 
>  to read them. 
>  I will have no further comment on this subject of any nature.
>  Have a good day.    
>                         dale bass "

The thickness of the padding on Corky's pious knees is
apparently exceeded only by that of the blast shield he
rotates in place to cover his butt.

Of course, he doesn't understand that Abian would never
have gotten the idea that he was being insulted unless
Corky had used his tactless moronicity to manifest his
guilty conscience.

				--Blair
				  "Corky Bass, the Aegis-class
				   cruiser of sci.physics."
From: grayt@Software.Mitel.COM (Tom Gray)
Newsgroups: sci.physics
Subject: Re: ABIAN HAS TIME AND INERTIA
Keywords: inappropriate proof
Date: 24 Dec 92 15:08:40 GMT
Organization: Mitel. Kanata (Ontario). Canada.

In article <1992Dec21.183539.26053@cid.aes.doe.CA> ynecgan@cid.aes.doe.CA (Greg Neill) writes:
>
>
>
>  I would like to ask how the above principle allows for the existence
>of laser beams?  Surely Space would cause the light comprising the beam
>to be 'diluted' and the coherent structure of the beam would be lost
>almost immediately?  Light from all sources would be forced,
>asymptotically, into the spherical mode of dilution.
>

I am not defending Abian or displaying a deep knowlege of physics, but
you have just described Huygen's principle. At every point lignt will
propogate as a spherical wave. A plane wave will be constructed from the
interference of the spherical waves emanating from eqch point in the
plane.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
-- 
i.sinature
Newsgroups: sci.physics,alt.sci.physics.new-theories,sci.skeptic,alt.paranormal,alt.alien.visitors,alt.conspiracy
From: mckay@alcor.concordia.ca (John McKay)
Newsgroups: sci.physics
Subject: Re: Does space-time intersect itself?
Date: 27 Dec 92 15:05:19 GMT
Organization: Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec
Originator: mckay@alcor.concordia.ca


How well-known is Goedel's paper on "Cylindrical Universes"?
He finds solutions to Einstein's field equations for which the
world lines are closed curves.
A strange paper from a strange man.

Newsgroups: sci.physics,alt.sci.physics.new-theories
From: dwr2560@venus.tamu.edu (RING, DAVID WAYNE)
Newsgroups: sci.physics
Subject: Re: bubble in container
Date: 29 Dec 1992 15:37 CST
Organization: Texas A&M University, Academic Computing Services
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: venus.tamu.edu
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    

dseeman@novell.com (Daniel Seeman) writes...
>But the sinking part is really not central to the problem.  One could just
>anchor the bubble to the bottom of the container, fill the container with water,
>and close it.  With the help of a friendly gremlin (that lives inside the con-
>tainer, of course ;-) the bubble would get bursted.   After the system returns
>to equilibrium, what are the differences between the initial and final pressures
>in the container?

Let's see if we can make the paradox a little clearer. Start with the
sealed jar of incompressible fluid. Our gremlin builds a small sphere
near the bottom of the container which naturally will contain a bit of
fluid. Then through a tube he drains the sphere and fills it with
air at the local fluid pressure. He then breaks the sphere and lets the
bubble rise to the top, increasing the pressure everywhere. When the
bubble reaches the top he reverses the procedure, surrounding it with
a sphere, filling it with fluid, and breaking the sphere.

The final state has the same fluid in the same volume but different
pressure. In fact one can repeat the procedure ad infinitum to get
as high a pressure as one likes.

:-)

Dave Ring
dwr2560@zeus.tamu.edu
From: an1060@anon.penet.fi
Newsgroups: sci.physics
Subject: SuperStrings
Date: 26 Dec 92 16:52:09 GMT
Organization: Anonymous contact service
X-Anonymously-To: sci.physics

X-Anon-To: sci.physics

 
Hello,
 
I have the following 2-volume set for sale:
 
 
SuperString Theory, by Green, Schwarz, & Witten, 1987.
  Vol. 1 (list price $39.50)
  Vol. 2 (list price $54.50)
 
Both volumes are in new condition with their jackets.
 
Asking $85 or best offer (make me an offer)!!!
 
Please respond to:  mantell@ams.sunysb.edu
 
Abe
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
To find out more about the anon service, send mail to help@anon.penet.fi.
Due to the double-blind system, any replies to this message will be anonymized,
and an anonymous id will be allocated automatically. You have been warned.
Newsgroups: sci.physics,alt.conspiracy,alt.sci.physics.new-theories,sci.skeptic,alt.paranormal
From: sarfatti@well.sf.ca.us (Jack Sarfatti)
Subject: PSI WARS
Organization: Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link
Date: Thu, 24 Dec 1992 19:19:12 GMT


Re:From: rdnelson@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Roger D. Nelson)
Subject: Re: Dale Bass on The Good, the Bad, and The Bogus
Originator: news@nimaster
Organization: Princeton University
Date: Thu, 24 Dec 1992 08:45:08 GMT

In article <Bzqt7u.4pA@well.sf.ca.us> sarfatti@well.sf.ca.us (Jack Sarfatti)
wri

tes:
[Quote from
>                              dale bass
deleted]
[Most of response from Sarfatti deleted]

>elite of physics accepted money and favors from Erhard - so if you bring
>up Erhard you open a Pandora's Box in the physics community. More later
>if there interest in this.

Unfortunately, I am sure there is "interest in this".  But I hope both
Dale Bass and Jack Sarfatti might restrain themselves and set a good
example for others by using these precious (or expensive) electrons,
minutes, and exertions of mind to discuss the interesting physics that
appeared to be a rarely interesting thread aborning, and set aside for
the moment their (or, rather, Gardner's) opinions on Sarfatti's
character and whatnot.

Cheers?  Roger

Yes, Roger I agree with you. Henceforth, I suggest that the history of
the physics elite's involvment with Werner Erhard etc be posted to
sci.conspiracy rather than sci.physics.

I agree with the person who pointed out that Dale Bass is an agent
provocateur in that he, more than anyone else, it was claimed, responded
to Abian and made him into Frankenstein etc.

For the record I am not against a moderated sci.physics.research and
volunteer to be one of the moderators (though not for my own stuff) I
am quite capable of being objective e.g., my call to Budnik to explain his
"delays" more clearly.

I still challenge the conventional guys to explain , according to standard
QM what happens when an electron is passed through a Stern-Gerlach magnet,
a spin-flip coil in one path turned on and then the two paths recombined
by a second Stern Gerlach magnet into one path - what is the proper
description of the output state given a pure input state? Similarly, for
a photon with polarizing beam splitters and a half wave plate in one path.
This experiment is key to seeing whehter quantum mechanics really is unitary
in the complete sense , or whether it allows a minimal "off-diagonal"
violation of unitarity that still conserves probability. The question is, is
the output state a pure state if the input is pure, or is it a mixed state
due to correlations with the photon field in the spin-flip coil etc.