An interesting side effect of having an email that is associated with a University physics department is that occasionally you will be sent messages (along with the rest of your department) from some “Independent researcher” with grand claims of having solved ALL the “problems” and “inconsistencies” that abound in modern physics using just simple straightforward algebra and a “reinterpretation” of some basic physical model.
Recently I received one such message and was too tempted by the language not to follow the corresponding link. Twenty minutes and 15 billion flash animated images later I was left with my head in a daze and a deep regret for having wasted so much time. I thought it would be interesting to share this email though:
The hungarian physicist Gabor Fekete refuted all theories of the modern physics. He many times proves the atoms consist of many photon, roentgen-photon and gamma-photon particles. The real mass change of the atoms happens by mass of photon, roentgen-photon and gamma-photon particles, that is the mass not depends on the speed. The proton-antiproton pairs are contrary ionized hydrogen atoms. The electron-positron pairs are contrary ionized gas atoms. The photons, roentgen-photons and gamma-photons alike have positive and negative elementary charges. New interpretation of spectra of hydrogen: 120 strengthening points of 4 photons in the atom of hydrogen. The vibratory motion of positive and negative elementary charges pose the electromagnetic field of photons, roentgen-photons and gamma-photons. His particle model gives back 4 geometrical, 15 dynamical and 48 electrodynamical parameters about any photon, roentgen-photon and gamma-photon particles. He presents during the working the electromagnetic field of photons, roentgen-photons and gamma-photons. He also presents during the working the electromagnetic oscillation of 4 photon covers of atom of hydrogen. He uses to the provings solely the mathematical apparatus of dynamics and electrodynamics, which give back with 8 numeral exactitude the results of experimental physics. More information to be found on his website
Right, so the wording was so crazy sounding I couldn’t help but click on it…I don’t even know what half the words in this paragraph mean!!
I remember once hearing a story from the famous physicists Richard Feynman who was talking about getting such letters and how annoyed he was because often they would suggest something at a layman’s approach to someone who had been spending his entire life thinking about it.
It wasn’t that the idea was bad or dumb, but instead that it was like walking up to someone working on a car, and maybe this person has been trying to fix the car for many hours, and you say “Well did you put gas into it?”
OF COURSE I PUT GAS INTO IT…WOULD I HAVE WASTED MY HOURS AND LABOR IF THERE WAS NO GAS IN IT! But somewhere in that persons mind they do a check…”Is there gas in my tank…man that would be crazy if there wasn’t gas…nope, I’m sure of it definitely gas in the tank”
I think that is why I continue to read these things and check those emails…just because I like to check to make sure there is still gas in the tank. In the end though…while these ideas are mostly poorly formed hodge podge crazy speak…they are just something fun to read, knowing other people are out in the world thinking about these deep ideas too.
Prof. Jonathan is absolutely right. But you all would agree that a 10% of these mails account something valuable. Maybe I could term this as a psychology paper titling ‘Observations on unprecedented attacks to a physicist’s mind’.
ummm….10% may be something generous…and thanks for the “Prof.” in the title…one day I aspire towards that…but for now it is just Jonathan…no professor title…yet