Philosophical (is it?) question

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Okay. Say we live in an infinite universe. Because it is infinite then it can be assumed that everything is happening at some point blah blah, stick a thousand monkeys in a room with a thousand type writers and they'll produce a literary masterpiece.

Does that mean that somewhere, sometime there exists a slinky can defy the laws of physics and travel up stairs instead of the normal down stairs?
 
yup.

edit: For that universe the physics would be different. At a guess...

edit 2: A single universe? Or many universes?
 
My guess slash answer is that just because it's infinite in size some things are still impossible even though the highly amazingly ultimately improbable things can and will happen. Like what glissando said!
 
Assuming that mavity is a constant throughout this infinite universe, then no, it's impossible. If mavity isn't constant, then all of the other laws governing our universe could also be different, in which case pretty much anything could in theory be possible.
 
Haha didn't think of that one. You'd need a PROPER rapidly moving star to make it go up the stairs like a slinky goes down...
 
Well for a start, how do you define "up" in space? You'd have to define it was "away from the strongest mavity source acting upon the body" - which is essentially what "up" and "down" are on earth - in which case the slinky would move towards the source of mavity, whether that was "up" or "down" in relation to the stairs, although obviously it wouldn't have the same effect as rolling a slinky down some stairs on earth. Think of it as suspending the stairs upside down in the air; when released from the bottom of the stairs, the slinky will fall straight to the ground, effectively going "up" the stairs but not in traditional slinky fashion.

Also, this isn't philosophy. Have a read, it's interesting :)
 
robmiller said:
Well for a start, how do you define "up" in space? You'd have to define it was "away from the strongest mavity source acting upon the body" - which is essentially what "up" and "down" are on earth - in which case the slinky would move towards the source of mavity, whether that was "up" or "down" in relation to the stairs, although obviously it wouldn't have the same effect as rolling a slinky down some stairs on earth. Think of it as suspending the stairs upside down in the air; when released from the bottom of the stairs, the slinky will fall straight to the ground, effectively going "up" the stairs but not in traditional slinky fashion.

Also, this isn't philosophy. Have a read, it's interesting :)
Click to expand...

Yep, think about it logically, Down is purely a concept Its not an actual 'thing' so even if your hypothetical slinky did go the wrong way along a flight of stairs by its very definition (following the local mavity) it would still be travelling down.
 
glissando said:
Just because it's infinite in size (if it is) doesn't mean everything has to be in it. The laws of physics could be the same throughout.
Click to expand...

Also, just becuase something might be spacially infinite - does not guaruntee it is infinite in all other ways
 
I think you're thinking of the concept that there are many (maybe parallel) universes (i dont know how there could be more than on UNIverse though, it sounds weird).

Some people have the idea that there is a universe for ever possible action you could ever make, something to do with fate/destiny maybe? I'm not sure. Anyway if you think like that then, yeh, i guess when some poor unsuspecting child gets a slinky for christmas and sits on the steps to try it out, he would/n't be suprised if it went up instead of down - depending on which universe he's in, ofcourse.

I do philosophy, and i don't think this topic of slinkies is very philosophical, more of a curious physicist's (sp?) nightmare.

Good morning btw, what made you ask this at 1am?
 
I think where you're getting this notion from is the fact that, in an infinite universe, everything that it is possible to happen, will happen.

If the laws of physics are the same everywhere, then clearly a slinky will never move against mavity, since that would violate the laws of physics.
 
The old Lab 7 at my school violated the laws of physics :)

They turned it into an art room to make it safe
 
I disagree. What if there was a particularly massive star hanging just above said stairs
Click to expand...

If this were the case, up to us would seem down to the slinky, so it depends what frame of reference you are in.

;)
Melm0 said:
The old Lab 7 at my school violated the laws of physics :)

They turned it into an art room to make it safe
Click to expand...

:mad:
 
Melm0 said:
I think you're thinking of the concept that there are many (maybe parallel) universes (i dont know how there could be more than on UNIverse though, it sounds weird).

Some people have the idea that there is a universe for ever possible action you could ever make, something to do with fate/destiny maybe? I'm not sure. Anyway if you think like that then, yeh, i guess when some poor unsuspecting child gets a slinky for christmas and sits on the steps to try it out, he would/n't be suprised if it went up instead of down - depending on which universe he's in, ofcourse.

I do philosophy, and i don't think this topic of slinkies is very philosophical, more of a curious physicist's (sp?) nightmare.

Good morning btw, what made you ask this at 1am?
Click to expand...

There is only one universe. You don't get universes. You get the multiverse. But that's not important. The laws of physics will be the same throughout a universe (well, there's no proof to the contrary). In another universe within the multiverse the laws could be completely different allowing slinkys to travel against mavity. But not in this one.
 
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