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This must mean we are on the verge of a paradigm shift in physics to explain this wizard free energy bull-shit then.

givinguflac 10y ago
Agreed we don't really understand it well yet, but it's more of a loophole in our current understanding, vs "wizard free energy bull-shit." It's, sort of, a rounding error in the universe. But I agree, there's obviously things we don't understand yet.
lucozade 10y ago
As far as i understand it, there no free energy being claimed i.e. they still need to power the drive. What's being claimed is a drive that creates thrust without a reaction (in the Newtonian sense). If true, from a physics point of view, this is huge. Less clear about its immediate practical implications other than it may make a useful thruster for spacecraft. To put it in its historical context, its hardly unprecedented that we pass the bounds where Newtonian physics is an adequate model. It's definitely not the equivalent of a perpetual motion machine.
- leephillips 10y ago
  Energy-momentum conservation is more fundamental than Newtonian physics. It's part of the structure of spacetime. http://arstechnica.com/science/2015/05/the-female-mathematician-who-changed-the-course-of-physics-but-couldnt-get-a-job/ http://arstechnica.com/science/2015/05/the-female-mathematic...
  - lucozade 10y ago
    There's possibly another, more subtle, interpretation. It may be that the structure of spacetime does not necessarily exhibit this conservation. However, all scientifically observable phenomenon must, by definition, exhibit space, time and rotational invariants. Otherwise they can't be scientifically observable i.e. by repeatable experiments. From Noether's theorem, this means that the scientifically observable phenomena must exhibit at least energy, momentum and angular momentum conservation. Either in the laws that govern the phenomena or the consequences of a, potentially violating, law that do conserve. It's an interesting take on the duality, at least it is to me.
    - leephillips 10y ago
      I think there are some interesting ideas here, thanks.
andygates 10y ago
See, your conventional free energy bullshit needs a wizard, and we all know what that means: cranky experts on-premises, HR issues, eesh. Wizard-free bullshit is the way forward. Just click and believe [tm].

Agreed we don't really understand it well yet, but it's more of a loophole in our current understanding, vs "wizard free energy bull-shit." It's, sort of, a rounding error in the universe. But I agree, there's obviously things we don't understand yet.

lucozade 10y ago

As far as i understand it, there no free energy being claimed i.e. they still need to power the drive. What's being claimed is a drive that creates thrust without a reaction (in the Newtonian sense). If true, from a physics point of view, this is huge. Less clear about its immediate practical implications other than it may make a useful thruster for spacecraft. To put it in its historical context, its hardly unprecedented that we pass the bounds where Newtonian physics is an adequate model. It's definitely not the equivalent of a perpetual motion machine.

leephillips 10y ago
Energy-momentum conservation is more fundamental than Newtonian physics. It's part of the structure of spacetime. http://arstechnica.com/science/2015/05/the-female-mathematician-who-changed-the-course-of-physics-but-couldnt-get-a-job/ http://arstechnica.com/science/2015/05/the-female-mathematic...
- lucozade 10y ago
  There's possibly another, more subtle, interpretation. It may be that the structure of spacetime does not necessarily exhibit this conservation. However, all scientifically observable phenomenon must, by definition, exhibit space, time and rotational invariants. Otherwise they can't be scientifically observable i.e. by repeatable experiments. From Noether's theorem, this means that the scientifically observable phenomena must exhibit at least energy, momentum and angular momentum conservation. Either in the laws that govern the phenomena or the consequences of a, potentially violating, law that do conserve. It's an interesting take on the duality, at least it is to me.
  - leephillips 10y ago
    I think there are some interesting ideas here, thanks.

andygates 10y ago

See, your conventional free energy bullshit needs a wizard, and we all know what that means: cranky experts on-premises, HR issues, eesh. Wizard-free bullshit is the way forward. Just click and believe [tm].