Levitt and Dubner are scheduled to appear on the Charlie Rose show tonight, talking about the importance of applying economics to “trivial” subjects; how Levitt learned to stop fearing death; and about SuperFreakonomics in general. The show airs on PBS at 11 p.m. in most cities, but check your local listings. After tonight’s broadcast, the segment will be posted to the Charlie Rose website, where it will be available for streaming. [%comments]
Tonight on Charlie Rose
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I just caught the show -it was great! It’s nice to know someone is asking those questions.
On the question of children shooting each other at schools in Chicago…or shooting each other anywhere in Chicago, I’d like to see the question of the guns in kids hands looked at from a different perspective. Maybe you could figure out from the stats why kids in little towns have guns in the house, know where they are and by high-school often own their own yet they aren’t shooting each other? I’ve seen it over and over. Lots of little towns here have the same things going on-weapons for hunting in the homes-often not locked. Little towns where women might still leave their purses on the seat of the car, everyone knows everyone and guns are for hunting-not killing other kids.
It was also great fun hearing you guys have been “hated equally”. I’ve never heard anyone else use that term but it’s my favorite. I’ve been telling people I hate everyone equally for years. Sometimes for no other reason than to try to get them to look at the question/answer from another side, perspective or dimension. It’s great, keep asking/answering, never stop questioning!!!!!!
Dear Professor Levitt;
I enjoyed your interview on Charlie Rose.
If you are looking for more strange ideas, I’m your man.
In the late 19 th. and early 20 th. centuries, theoretical physicists considered the existence of a particle based ether a proven fact.
In 1905, Einstein published his first relativity paper. At that time he believed that his mathematics didn’t require an ether.
Einstein employed Maxwell’s wave equations in developing his theories.
In developing these equations, Maxwell assumed space was permeated with a particle based ether. He had to give his ether specific magnetic and electrical properties to make his equations work.
The following quote is from a letter Einstein wrote to a fellow professor in March, 1949:
“You can imagine that I look back on my life’s work with calm satisfaction. But from nearby it looks quite different. There is not a single concept of which I am convinced that it will stand firm, and feel uncertain whether I am in general on the right track.”.
I have written several articles suggesting that the ether may be a matrix of protons and unpaired electrons (possibly Bose- Einstein condensed hydrogen). this subject, but, of course,
The articles were not accepted by establishment journals. If you make the mistake of requesting one, I will email you two.
Paul E. Rowe
Dear Professor Levitt:
My previous comment suggested that the ether of classical physics might be Bose- Einsein condensed (BEC) hydrogen. I have written articles that attempt to explain many observations on this basis. This note includes an explanation for the forces one feels while manipulating separated bar magnets.
BEC hydrogen is a concentrated matrix of protons and electrons. Both liquid and solid sodium chloride are made up of positive sodium ions and negative chloride ions. No sodium ion touches another sodium ionand no chloride ion touches another chloride ion. Salt is electrically neutral, but has a definite dielectric constant.
Similarly, BEC hydrogen is a matrix of protons and electrons. Since the electrons do not touch each other they are unpaired. Materials that contain unpaired electrons are paramagnetic and their unpaired electrons become oriented in the vicinity of permanent magnets. BEC hydrogen is expected to have dielectric and paramagnetic properties as required by Maxwell’s equations.
I have never heard a reasonable explanation for the forces between permanent magnets separated by void. Have you?
Such forces are expected between magnets separated by the proposed ether.
There are many other observations that must be explained before any ether can be accepted.
My other articles are attempts to do this.
Paul E. Rowe:
Dear Professor Levitt;
I have recently paid to have a book, “An Attempt to Restore Classical physics”, published. The following are exerpted from the book:
“Introduction
Based on the results of my experiments and extensive searches in the stacks of the MIT Science Library, I believe that the ether of classical physics is a concentrated matrix of protons and unpaired electrons. It may also be the “Dark Matter” for which scientists are searching. It may be Bose-Einstein condensed hydrogen. This book attempts to explain many scientific observations on this basis.”
“Background
During World War II, German shells were found to be much more powerful than similar American shells. Analysis of unexploded German shells revealed they contained mixtures of aluminum flake and high explosive. Experiments revealed that the presence of aluminum increased the time that pressure from the explosion persisted, when the explosion took place in air. The effect was called “after burning”. When exploded in vacuum, aluminum reduced the power of the shel s compaired to high explosive filled shells. Some experimenters thought that molten aluminum, dispersed by the explosion, combined with air to form aluminum oxide and that this reaction produced energy that heated air in the target.
When I detonated shells containing only high explosives, in vacuum, I obtained the amount of gas expected based on the chemical composition of the explosive. On , similarly, detonating shells containg explosive- aluminum mixtures, in vacuum, I obtained much more gas than was theoretically possible, based on the known ingredients in the shell. Increasing the aluminum concentration above that required to completely react with the explosive increased the amount of gas produced.
I tested similar mixtures. Combustion, in vacuum, of highly purified aluminum powder and CP (Chemically Pure) cupric oxide produced the gas most readily. Again, much more than the calculated quantity of gas was produced. increasing the percentagee of aluminum produced more gas. The quantity of gas produced from 10 grams of mixture produced volumes of gas easily measure by a mercury manometer. The pressure obtained after sparking mixtures of this gas and air convinced me that the original gas was hydrogen. Could the hydrogen have been produced from vacuum,when very hot molten aluminum droplets were dispersed in vacuum? If so, the hydrogen produced during explosions, in air, would be expected to resct with oxygen of the air to produce heat and increase the power of the explosion. Coud the sparks observed while grinding some metals, in air, be caused by reaction of similarly produced hydrogen with oxygen of the air?
Is there something in vacuum which can be converted into hydrogen, under the proper conditions?
This book is my effort to explain the results of these and other experiments.”
“Discussion
Jams Clek Maxwell developed equations that predict various properties of electromgnetic radiation based on the following assumptions:
A medium for light transmission is present in vacuum.
The medium is made up of touchimg material particles.
The medium has specific magnetic and dielectric properties.
Much of Albert Einstein’s work is based on Maxwell’s equations and, therefore, on Maxwell’s assumptions.
The following are attempts to explain observed phenomena based on the existence of an ether of protons and unpaired electrons.”