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RE: speed of light
And what does this have to do with the number of angles that can dance on
the head of a pin?
-- John
-----Original Message-----
From: Strickert, Rick [mailto:rstrickert@signaturescience.com]
Sent: Friday, January 04, 2002 11:12 AM
To: radsafe
Subject: RE: speed of light
The note about a possible change in the speed of light may have come
from reports in the NYTimes
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/15/science/15PHYS.html) or USA Today
(http://www.usatoday.com/news/healthscience/science/astro/2001-08-15-spe
ed-of-light.htm), related to the reported change in the fine structure
constant.
According to a claim in a recent article, "Further Evidence for
Cosmological Evolution of the Fine Structure Constant" (J. K. Webb, M.
T. Murphy, V. V. Flambaum, V. A. Dzuba, J. D. Barrow, C. W. Churchill,
J. X. Prochaska, and A. M. Wolfe, Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 091301, print
issue of 27 August 2001), the (dimensionless) fine-structure constant is
about 0.001 per cent larger now than it was a billion years ago.
Another web site provides much information and background on the data
reported by the astronomers -
http://www.astro.psu.edu/users/cwc/fsc.html
Some scientists see problems with the claim
(http://focus.aps.org/v8/st9.html). However, if confirmed, the change in
the fine structure constant over time would be a major discovery.
How this would affect a dimensioned constant like the speed of light (in
vacuum) remains to be seen. No changes in that constant have yet been
observed.
Rick
Richard G. Strickert, Ph.D.
Principal Scientist
Signature Science LLC
8329 North Mopac Blvd.
Austin, TX 78759
(512) 533-2009 (Phone)
(512) 533-9563 (Fax)
rstrickert@signaturescience.com
http://www.signaturescience.com
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