I'll begin to address topic 2 from Richard Budd's post:
(2) Describe in at least some detail the particular scientific principles
to
which the topic specifically refers (we know from physics space/time is
not
fixed in what way?---Are we talking traditional Newtonian physics? Are we
talking about relativity? Or Quantum theory? Or what?)
I'm attempting to argue that while theoretically time itself is not
fixed; as far as all practical purposes and the MOQ are concerned, time
is fixed.
Time is pretty much constant until you approach the speed of light. When
an object is travelling at the speed of light, time stops according to
Einstein's relativity. Until you approach the speed of light, time does
not slow down by an appreciable factor. Using relativity, the ratio of
time of a person traveling in space to the time measured by the
stationary clock of an observer is expressed (t prime over t).
The formula for calculating this ratio:
t' / t = square root [1- (v/c)^2]
The part inside the brackets is all under the radical sign. C is the
speed of light, and v is the velocity of the traveler. T prime is
traveler time, and t is stationary time.
To even change the ratio from the stationary object (ratio is 1.0) by one
percent (ratio becomes 0.99), the traveler would have to be going at
approximately 21,239 km/sec, which is around 45 million miles per hour.
This is about 7% the speed of light, and mankind has never even come
close to such a velocity.
Using the calculation with 330 miles per second, which is around the
speed at which Voyager 2 traveled, one comes to a ratio of 0.9999983194,
which is virtually no change from 1.
Therefore, for all practical purposes and just about anything to which we
would be applying the MOQ, time is fixed.
(Relativity information and time ratio formula taken from _Unconventional
Flying Objects_ by Paul R. Hill, Section 18-- "Time Requirements for
Interstellar Travel," pages 263-265.)
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Sat Aug 17 2002 - 16:03:31 BST