A Galilean Dialogue
A Galilean Dialogue
2008-03-23T08:47:55
GEB is recommended reading if you want a book which you can finish in maybe a lifetime or two. Here is a passage: To show why order versus chaos is such a subtle and significant issue, and to tie it in with questions of location and reveleation of meaning, I would like to quote a beautiful and memorable passage from "Are Quanta Real" - A Galilean Dialogue, by the late J.M.Jauch: SALVIATI: Suppose I give you two sequences of numbers, such as: 7, 8, 5, 3, 9, 8, 1, 6, 3, 3, 9, 7, 4, 4, 8, 3, 0, 9, 6, 1, 5, 6, 6, 0, 8, 4 .... and: 1, -1/3, +1/5, -1/7, +1/9, -1/11, +1/13, -1/15 ... If I asked you, Simplicio, what the next number of the first sequence is, what would you say? SIMPLICIO: I could not tell you. I think it is a random sequence and that there is no law in it. SAVLVIATI: And, for the second sequence? SIMPLICIO: That would be easy. It must be +1/17 SALVIATI: Right. But what would you say if I told you that the first sequence is also constructed by a law and this law is in fact identical with the one you have discovered for the second sequence? Now, that is interesting ... can you find out this law?
Rajesh B R
Thu Mar 27 08:27:39 2008
The first series is the digits of the expression (PI / 4) which is (3.14159... / 4) ~ 0.78539816339744830961566084.... Sum to N (N is very much greater, approaching infinity) numbers of the second series leads to the same value given above.
Pramode C.E
Thu Mar 27 10:56:31 2008
Right!