Death of Stephen Hawking

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#1976966 15-Mar-2018 09:41

Dammit, we're not going to get his opinion on this bizarre new observation:

All disk galaxies rotate once every billion years

“It’s not Swiss watch precision, but regardless of whether a galaxy is very big or very small, if you could sit on the extreme edge of its disk as it spins, it would take you about a billion years to go all the way round.”

Yet another counter-intuitive coincidence to make some wonder if our existence is for the purpose of being observers of some kind of weird experiment.

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#1976968 15-Mar-2018 09:44

Fred99:

Dammit, we're not going to get his opinion on this bizarre new observation:

All disk galaxies rotate once every billion years

“It’s not Swiss watch precision, but regardless of whether a galaxy is very big or very small, if you could sit on the extreme edge of its disk as it spins, it would take you about a billion years to go all the way round.”

Yet another counter-intuitive coincidence to make some wonder if our existence is for the purpose of being observers of some kind of weird experiment.

Well, if you are the observers, you are very patient. Humans haven't been around a billion years and it's a long time to see what happens to us :)

Fred99

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#1976977 15-Mar-2018 10:04

You don't need to observe a clock for an hour to determine the time it'll take the hour hand to rotate full circle.

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#1976979 15-Mar-2018 10:07

Fred99:

You don't need to observe a clock for an hour to determine the time it'll take the hour hand to rotate full circle.

Don't have to watch it, but still have to wait.

Fred99

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#1976988 15-Mar-2018 10:23

networkn:

Fred99:

You don't need to observe a clock for an hour to determine the time it'll take the hour hand to rotate full circle.

Don't have to watch it, but still have to wait.

What for?

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#1976993 15-Mar-2018 10:32

Very sad. A remarkable and inspiring person.

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#1976996 15-Mar-2018 10:45

http://www.hawking.org.uk/the-computer.html

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#1977007 15-Mar-2018 11:11

Starscream122:

http://www.hawking.org.uk/the-computer.html

Thanks

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#1977008 15-Mar-2018 11:11

Fred99:

You don't need to observe a clock for an hour to determine the time it'll take the hour hand to rotate full circle.

Not necessarily so.

A lot of things can happen in the hour.

Battery might get weak.

Some dude might come and change the time.

Magnet might interfere if it were a digital type clock.

Someone might step on the clock.

Assuming nothing changes, then yes.

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#1977108 15-Mar-2018 12:45

Batman:

Fred99:

You don't need to observe a clock for an hour to determine the time it'll take the hour hand to rotate full circle.

Not necessarily so.

A lot of things can happen in the hour.

Battery might get weak.

Some dude might come and change the time.

Magnet might interfere if it were a digital type clock.

Someone might step on the clock.

Assuming nothing changes, then yes.

You forgot the "hand of God" - unless you were disrespectfully referring to the omniscient and omnipresent white gentleman as "some dude".

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#1977209 15-Mar-2018 14:40

We like to think we know it all, but whether or not all galaxies spin a full circle in a billion years ... I'd like to think we don't know for absolute certainty.

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#1977217 15-Mar-2018 15:18

Cambridge University video tribute:

He always seemed to show good humour. Here is his poker game with Cmdr Data, Einstein and Newton (Star Trek TNG)

It's dusty here...

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#1977222 15-Mar-2018 15:25

Those allergies playing up again big fella?

I found out by opening reddit whilst waiting for my food at a restaurant. Had to take a moment to compose myself. I still don't really understand my reaction, I wasn't especially attached to the guy perse, but still feel we lost something enormous.

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#1977227 15-Mar-2018 15:32

Batman:

We like to think we know it all, but whether or not all galaxies spin a full circle in a billion years ... I'd like to think we don't know for absolute certainty.

They just observed that all HI selected disk galaxies in the low redshift universe (ie relatively close) were measured to have a relatively constant time for rotation of stars at the periphery of the galaxy around the centre, about a billion years. I presume that they can measure this rotational speed by looking at red/blue shift on either side, then estimate diameter by overall red shift as a measure of distance.

I guess if they found an exception, that might make it easier to uncover the "rule", as there may be other clues in that exception, but AFAIK they didn't.

If we thought we knew it all, they wouldn't have been looking.

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#1977229 15-Mar-2018 15:35

Maybe I am missing the point, but what do we gain from an understanding of this? The likelyhood of humans surviving the next 2000 years is remote to say the least, let alone any number multiples higher.

If those resources were spent on renewable energy etc, surely it would be of greater value?

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