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Is It False That Overnight Everything Has Doubled In Size


LaurieAG

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In 1964 G. Schlesinger asked Is it false that Overnight everything has doubled in size.

If the universe is detectably expanding then someone must have developed a true answer. What type of observational constant or other immutable yardstick could be used to detect this?

 

This link points to a bit of light reading in google books ;) .

 

http://books.google.com.au/books?id=CPM8AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA134&lpg=PA134&dq=%22overnight+everything+has+doubled+in+size%22&source=bl&ots=N3l0xTnZ6n&sig=V3hX7NZIypp10eyfMwZ9nrUfLFQ&hl=en&sa=X&ei=1VdDT_zgB8WXiQf_ruXSBA&sqi=2&ved=0CEwQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=%22overnight%20everything%20has%20doubled%20in%20size%22&f=false

 

p 162, The issue is whether we can specify logically possible observable occurrences relevant to the falsifiability of the ND (Night Doubling) Conjecture not the compatibility of such occurrences within the time invariance of the actual laws of nature.

I take it that falsifying the 'Is it False' bit is actually proving that the remainder of the conjecture is actually true.

Edited by LaurieAG
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I would say it is false because of the photon zero mass state. If the photon always remains zero mass then that is our origin of measurement. We don't really need to complicate mass with some double, half, and fix.
You cannot use this argument because the OP question asked what if every"thing" doubled in size, and the photon is not a "thing", thus everything else other than photo could double in size and the photo remain at zero mass and there would be no detectable change overnight.

 

Consider this variation of the OP question. It also could be possible that everything constantly doubles in size at Planck time scale (not just overnight) in direct proportion to all other things, how does one falsify this possibility ?

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Hi Moontanman,

 

I think this is easily falsified, if everything doubles in size we would lose sight of everything in the universe for how ever long it took light to catch up with the expansion...

If the speed of light did not double along with everything else, (E * 2) = (M * 2) * c^2, then the answers stay the same but the size of the unit of measure of c (meters) would double so c would in effect, relative to our current c, double as well with respect to the undoubled universal state.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Center_of_the_Universe

 

The cosmological principle is an extension of the Copernican principle which states that the universe is homogeneous (the same observational evidence is available to observers at different locations in the universe) and isotropic (the same observational evidence is available by looking in any direction in the universe). A homogeneous, isotropic universe does not have a center.
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Hi Moontanman,

 

 

If the speed of light did not double along with everything else, (E * 2) = (M * 2) * c^2, then the answers stay the same but the size of the unit of measure of c (meters) would double so c would in effect, relative to our current c, double as well with respect to the undoubled universal state.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Center_of_the_Universe

 

 

I'm not sure how that link supports the idea that c would double as well but even if c did double the expansion of the universe, ie double over night, would still mean that red shift should also double over night at the very least, it would also seem indicate that suddenly much of the universe is outside our view until the photons catch up. ...

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Guest MacPhee

You cannot use this argument because the OP question asked what if every"thing" doubled in size, and the photon is not a "thing", thus everything else other than photo could double in size and the photo remain at zero mass and there would be no detectable change overnight.

 

Consider this variation of the OP question. It also could be possible that everything constantly doubles in size at Planck time scale (not just overnight) in direct proportion to all other things, how does one falsify this possibility ?

 

Could you help me please, by clarifying your statement that the photon isn't a "thing".

 

Do you mean that photons are just imaginary - like lines of latitude and longitude. These are just imaginary lines drawn on a map, such as "Latitude 40 degrees North". A ship that sails across that latitude, doesn't see a big black line on the sea. The line has no physical existence. It doesn't impinge in any way on the ship.

 

Surely photons can't be in that category - they do impinge on things. Like when photons of light make plants grow. Therefore photons must exist as some kind of "thing", or physical entity. The entity might be a particle, or a wave. But whatever it is, it must have some physical dimensions to it.

 

And if it has dimensions, why can't the dimensions increase - for example by doubling?

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