If your car could travel at the speed of light, would your headlights work? (Steven Wright)
Thinking about the musings from DAY 84: Rest…Relax…Reflect....
I would submit to you that as science moved into the 21st century, the discoveries made would once again radically change not only the fields of science, but the way humanity views these topics as well. I would further submit to you that in particular, the discoveries made in the fields of physics and evolution should make one stop and think and wonder about the validity of science itself.
In my Advanced Placement World History and European History classes, when the time came to wrap up the Scientific Revolution, I would refer to the scientific discoveries of the early 21st century as the Scientific Revolution – Part 3.
In the Scientific Revolution – Part 3, for example, it is well known that in the field of physics, the ‘c’ in E = mc2 represents a mathematical constant regarding the speed of light. According to Einstein’s famous equation, nothing in the universe can travel faster than 186,282 miles per second, (299,792 km/s).
Not even light.
It is understood that this constant speed represents a limit that cannot be broken.
Until of course…it breaks.
In the 1990’s, researchers at the Rowland Institute for Science in Cambridge, Massachusetts, were able to slow a light beam down from 186,282 miles a second to 38 miles an hour:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/02/990223083631.htm
In 2011, researchers outside of Rome clocked particles, known as neutrinos, traveling faster than the speed of light. These neutrinos in fact were clocked 60 nanoseconds faster, (60 billionths of a second), then light:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-science-light-idUSTRE78L4FH20110922
In January 2015, researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have conducted experiments can slow down…speed up…and block light:
https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=134106
Also in 2015, scientists at the University of Glasgow in Scotland were able to slow light down inside a vacuum:
https://www.sciencealert.com/physicists-have-found-a-way-to-slow-light-down-by-twisting-it
And in 2016, a team from the University of Philippines’ National Institute of Physics have a new way to slow down light, by twisting it:
https://www.nature.com/articles/srep26842
These discoveries in the 1990’s, 2011, 2015 and 2016, have put Einstein’s theory of relativity and force into question, as the scientific field of physics is now forced to rewrite its standard model regarding the speed of light, and how it moves in our universe.
Humanity has come a long way regarding the universe and our place in it.
Remember the chronological flow of these scientific discoveries:
Ptolemy’s Geocentric Model…
To the discoveries known as the Heliocentric Theory of the Universe, along with Newtonian Physics, made during the time period that I refer to as: Scientific Revolution – Part 1…
To Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, E = mc2, discovered during the time period that I refer to as: the Scientific Revolution – Part 2…
To the various discoveries happening from the 1990’s to 2016, during the time period that I refer to as: the Scientific Revolution – Part 3.
I would submit to you that after taking all of this in there is only one conclusion that we can make regarding the scientific fields related to our place in the universe…
It is constantly changing over time.
At least in the field of astronomy and physics.
Are there any other fields of science that have changed over time?
Yes there are.
So, what are these other fields of science that have changed over time?
That will be covered next time.
Do not feel discouraged if you cannot come to a conclusion regarding the scientific validity in the fields of astronomy and physics. Do not feel discouraged if you still need more evidence before coming to a solid conclusion. Instead, understand that connection to the universe, in the fields of astronomy and physics, is becoming more clear without even realizing it.
3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.. (Hebrews 11:3 KJV)
Was today’s blog a little confusing at times? Was the content perhaps a little overwhelming? Did you feel lost not understanding some or most of the subject matter?
Those feelings are totally understandable and it is ok to have one or more of those feelings. Remember that you are reading DAY 85: The Scientific Revolution – Part 3 – E = Mc2 +/- 1.
If you haven’t been in class since the first day of school…or when the project began…or when the contract was first signed, etc., these feelings make perfect and logistical sense.
Please feel free to go back to where all of this began: