What if Einstein was wrong?!

[Arjun Patel]

What if he was wrong. What would the world be like. What if we find out he is wrong. :'(

[CD]

Uhm isn't it supposed to be that gravity curves space, so the curvature is what gravity does as distinct from what it is  (which I don't think he knew either and that's probably where all this is going to fall to bits one day)

[CD]

I suppose one could be forgiven for being wrong on a technicality but still connected to the concepts logically.

[CD]

As the long as the gut instincts aren't generating a hypothesis, that would be more lab hours for the rest of us, no?

[CD]

I don't know Latch well enough to make a statement like that but,  I must say that lab time is life time and I don't to leave the lab, so much as I'd like it to be bigger, and with more equipment in it...so yeah, absolutement...

[Mikipedia Mae]

I just really don't think you can use an *instinct* to prove somebody wrong without a scientific paper... Just saying.

[Latch33570]

Thonoir I am NOT resistant to exploring evidence. Yes I do dismiss some things. I don't believe everything I read just because somebody with initials after their name says its true. For most issues you can find differing views and articles all done by people with initials after their name. For instance look at cold fusion or antigravity. At least I say when I am dismissing something and say when it is a guess or (WAG) wild ass guess. I don't pretend I know stuff because I read. That akin to being an armchair quarterback. I have been around enough to see facts disproved in time and are no longer facts. In the words of Cheech and Chong if it looks like it and smells like it don't step in it it might be BS. 

[Mikipedia Mae]

Well said.

[Mikipedia Mae]

Firstly, yes cold fusion was a massive flop, BUT they set about proving or disproving an hypothesis based on their own research and ingenuity. They did not say, I just really think we can do that in a test tube and leave it at that. No, you shouldn't believe everything you read just because an acredited scientist has written it, but you also shouldn't make assumptions that people will respect a comment you make without justifying it.

This thread may be discussing the possibility of Einstein being wrong, but we're also respecting the major contributions he's made to this world. Most if his work is unknown to the general public and do much of our everyday technology wouldn't exist without his discoveries. He wasn't just 'smart'', he had an amazing perspective and passion. Something you're clearly lacking if you can't appreciate this, which you mustn't if you make such flippant comments as 'I just don't think...' and 'of course he's wrong'.

If you can justify your ideas with insightful statements and evidence of deep thought and perspective, followed by some actual evidence. Then I will applaud you for such a valuable scientific contribution. If not, the world doesn't need any more people becoming experts on what they don't understand.

[John Eric Tiessen]

Well let us take a look down memory lane. Back during the 1800's people wondered "what if Newton was wrong?" Turns out that in many ways he was. He was wrong about the idea that you can simply add velocities together into infinity. Einstein showed that there is a limit! The speed of light! So you know what it means if Einstein is wrong? Only that our understanding of the universe isn't perfect. Which, as it happens, we already know that it isn't. When scientists discovered black holes they discovered something that Einstein's theory's couldn't explain. So clearly our understanding of the universe isn't complete. It it was then we would be able to explain why black holes occur and what is going on past the event horizon.

[CD]

Am I accurate in understanding that one of the difficulties in understanding what goes on beyond the event horizon is due to the lack of observability?   Suffering from the problem of the light gets 'sucked in' (from our POV on this side of the horizon anyway) by the black hole, so we can't even use non visible EM bands to get around it?  

On the other hand, isn't it also the case that how black holes work do not contradict current understanding of gravity at all?  Because it seems that this understanding stems from knowledge about gravity.  Gravity works like this - ok, what could reasonably produce that effect based on our knowledge - ahh, a super dense body with incredible mass....

[John Eric Tiessen]

Talk to a Black Hole Physicist, they admit that when math says that things go to infinity, they is something horribly wrong with our math. Also, since it is theoretically infinitesimally small quantum rules apply, which they then tried to apply, and which resulted in mathematical gibberish. By the way, are you stalking my posts? Seriously, its like every time I turn around you have commented on something that I have said. Would you like me to cite sources next time? Here I will give you a link to a video that describes WHY our understanding of physics is a little messed up.

Black holes and Einstein

The problem with Black Holes isn't that they can't exist according to theories about gravity, rather it is because we don't understand how they can form, or what makes them exist physically! We knew that gravity wells could exist in theory, but we don't understand how and our current theories fail us at this time.

Side note: Based on your response you seem to show little understanding about the theory of Black Holes or the physics problems surrounding them. They wouldn't be so interesting if they were fully understood would they? Also, are you just going to try and refute everything I say regardless of if you are versed in the theory or not? (Sorry if that sounds mean but it really bothers me when people don't do any research before debating something)

[John Eric Tiessen]

Please disregard the whole religious twist that the person who put the video up did. I feel that it is shameful to simply impose God on something that is not well understood. I made that clear in another post of mine that you took the liberty of questioning. The video is actually a clip from a documentary made by the Science Channel, I watched part of it last night. The name of the program was "Who's Afraid of Black Holes." It is very interesting and informative, I highly recommend it.