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| bio | website | markbetnel.com |
|---|---|---|
| location | Rhode Island | |
| age | 37 | |
| visits | member for | 2 years, 4 months |
| seen | Apr 1 at 2:56 | |
| stats | profile views | 36 |
Newly minted PhD in computational biophysics.
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Oct 18 |
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What facts and examples should I use in a debate with a Relativity Denier? 1. Be kind. Be generous. Don't be insulting. At least appear to consider your opponent's arguments, and help him/her make them stronger if possible. This will make a big impression on people who will assume you think they are stupid. 2. Know your audience. For example, if your opponent and the audience are not Catholic, making reference to anything the Vatican has said will not help you. 3. Don't get into what God could or could not know -- that's a rabbit hole of no escape. Instead focus on what we can know in the here below, from "limited" reference frames. Good luck :) |
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Sep 13 |
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Light in the absence of colloids? Were there lights on the exterior of the lander? |
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Jul 26 |
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How can I explain the scientific basis of the constant speed of light to a C-Decay proponent? I think it's a good thing to attempt, but be clear about your goals. Sean Carroll at Cosmic Variance for example has been doing a lot of writing on this, and has managed to convince some creationists that the argument from design doesn't work. Progress like that might eventually get us creationists who can accept AGW or even a metaphorical interpretation of Genesis, but it probably won't make more atheists (if that's your goal). |
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Jun 25 |
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Where does this equation originate from? (found in the Big Bang Theory) The physics consultant for the show has a blog at thebigblogtheory.wordpress.com which often discusses the details of the ideas talked about in the show -- though not for this particular episode. |
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May 27 |
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What can the D-Wave quantum computer do? "Here we use quantum annealing to find the ground state of an artificial Ising spin system comprising an array of eight superconducting flux quantum bits with programmable spin–spin couplings." -- from the abstract of their recent Nature paper (nature.com/nature/journal/v473/n7346/full/nature10012.html). It seems unlikely to me that their commercial product actually uses 16-fold more qubits. |
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May 10 |
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What happens if you try to freeze water in an water tight container Hard to tell from the final photo, but did the ice inside the grenade form a hollow sphere? |
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Jan 7 |
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How Does Mass Leave the Body When you Lose Weight? Not to be crude, but the answer's excretion. You might lose a tiny bit of mass from perspiration, but weigh yourself right after a meal -- your mass isn't going to change until your next trip to the lavatory. (Unless you've got a nuclear powered gut) |
