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Old February 5th 08, 01:31 AM posted to rec.radio.amateur.antenna
Mike Kaliski Mike Kaliski is offline
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First recorded activity by RadioBanter: May 2007
Posts: 182
Default Waves vs Particles


"AI4QJ" wrote in message
...

"Mike Kaliski" wrote in message
...

I personally feel (with very little justification) that wave particle
duality breaks down if velocities exceed the speed of light and in the
absence of one or the other, an object effectively disappears from our
perception (and perhaps in effect from our universe).


I believe that attempting to use FTL particles to explain certain
phenomena, or more likely, using certain phenomena to theorize FTL paricle
travel, is generally a practice reserved for non-physicists, science
fiction writers and the like. Almost any true, practicing physicist will
tell you that they and their colleagues don't believe in that stuff.
Sorry, the universe may be interesting but it isn't THAT interesting. Too
bad. The whole concept falls apart when causality comes into play. It is
not even a paradox; it is worse than that. If I initiate an event to cause
tachyons (or whatever you choose to call these FTL particles) to exist,
then the particles must have existed (and must be observed) before that
causation event which produced them was initiated. So what if you fully
intend to cause the event and then change your mind at the last moment and
decide not to cause it. How does your FTL particle know that you will not
push the button so it knows to refrain from existing? So, although there
is room in the special relativity theory for particles than can go no
slower than light (the other side of the hyperbola), causation prohibits
them from existing in the real world. If you were to believe in some
supreme controlling authoritiy who could predict whenever you would push
the button and make the particle appear, then it could be true. I am a bit
too agnostic for that, however...it would be the only expalantion for the
effect occuring prior to causation . This is reminiscent of the
faith-based science that certain English majors use here when saying "just
believe me, it's true; RF and acoustic waves interact. Why, it's a matter
of public knowledge!".

73 de AI4QJ

Sadly true!

The problem with FTL is that causality is a big issue. Some would have us
believe that the universe splits into two at every such event so that both
alternatives exist. That really does make the mind boggle.

My only suggestion to the causality problem is that time does not
necessarily progress in the same manner at quantum scales as it appears to
do for macro objects. It having been proven that the space time continuum is
warped by gravitation, with even the earth having a measurable effect, it
seems logical that time reversal or suspension at quantum scales would not
be beyond probability.

We just do not have the tools at present to prove any hypothesis, hence all
the theories... :-)

Cheers

Mike G0ULI