mzzz
Well Known GateFan
Just post some general science stuff, whatever you want that is science related. Not enough science or people in this forum to really justify having new threads every time.
Quantum mechanics - for a long while, scientists were debating whether light was a wave or particle. There are many experiments giving empirical evidence for both cases: Huygens and Young's double slit interference patters, Maxwell's EM wave equations, JJ Thompson, blackbody radiation, Planck's works. Eventually Einstein figured out how it is both with his paper on the photoelectric effect. So more work expanded on light showing lots of ways how massless photons are able to have particle-like behaviour. So the natural question to ask, since physicists are all about symmetry, is whether particles/matter are able to have wave-like behaviour. The answer surprisingly turns out to be yes. More later (if you got this far).
Personal - I wish there were more general physicists and even cultural icons like Sagan and Feynman who get the public interested in science, but everyone chooses to specialize in some field or another. Even sci-fi used to get people interested in science, but now seems more people are interested in as much interpersonal strife as possible laced with their sci-fi shows. It's difficult enough for universities to churn out physicists as is since everyone prefers applied/practical fields such as engineering and such, but even harder to churn out physicists who want to learn enough of every subject to try and see how things converge/merge. I personally think, there's more to be gained with learning convergence of various fields rather than specialize and focus on just one particular field. This is more easily done with theoretical fields, but I refer you back to my point earlier about how most people tend to go for career/money over pushing the boundaries of knowledge. Think there's also the factor of how little people seem to care about such pursuits of knowledge and prefer to fund/support/care more about applied fields such as personal tech, entertainment, creature comforts, etc.
Another personal - we need another cold war. Doesn't have to be senseless bloody and genocide filled war, just a cold one. I mean, you have to admit, the cold war generated a lot of competition between the two sides. The space race and other technological races so to speak. Granted, most of it was done for military applications but there was a lot of interest and push for the rational sciences. And to me, I think as you start to learn more rational thinking, you begin to form a sort of increased wisdom about things and questioning things as opposed to blind obedience to ideologies. We also need more sci-fi, good sci-fi, space sci-fi, not sci-fi with characters who desperately need therapy/interpersonal relationship skills. Also, parents, please hit your kids. LOL, I know, I know, I shouldn't be saying that, but I mean it in a good way not the abusive way.
Quantum mechanics - for a long while, scientists were debating whether light was a wave or particle. There are many experiments giving empirical evidence for both cases: Huygens and Young's double slit interference patters, Maxwell's EM wave equations, JJ Thompson, blackbody radiation, Planck's works. Eventually Einstein figured out how it is both with his paper on the photoelectric effect. So more work expanded on light showing lots of ways how massless photons are able to have particle-like behaviour. So the natural question to ask, since physicists are all about symmetry, is whether particles/matter are able to have wave-like behaviour. The answer surprisingly turns out to be yes. More later (if you got this far).
Personal - I wish there were more general physicists and even cultural icons like Sagan and Feynman who get the public interested in science, but everyone chooses to specialize in some field or another. Even sci-fi used to get people interested in science, but now seems more people are interested in as much interpersonal strife as possible laced with their sci-fi shows. It's difficult enough for universities to churn out physicists as is since everyone prefers applied/practical fields such as engineering and such, but even harder to churn out physicists who want to learn enough of every subject to try and see how things converge/merge. I personally think, there's more to be gained with learning convergence of various fields rather than specialize and focus on just one particular field. This is more easily done with theoretical fields, but I refer you back to my point earlier about how most people tend to go for career/money over pushing the boundaries of knowledge. Think there's also the factor of how little people seem to care about such pursuits of knowledge and prefer to fund/support/care more about applied fields such as personal tech, entertainment, creature comforts, etc.
Another personal - we need another cold war. Doesn't have to be senseless bloody and genocide filled war, just a cold one. I mean, you have to admit, the cold war generated a lot of competition between the two sides. The space race and other technological races so to speak. Granted, most of it was done for military applications but there was a lot of interest and push for the rational sciences. And to me, I think as you start to learn more rational thinking, you begin to form a sort of increased wisdom about things and questioning things as opposed to blind obedience to ideologies. We also need more sci-fi, good sci-fi, space sci-fi, not sci-fi with characters who desperately need therapy/interpersonal relationship skills. Also, parents, please hit your kids. LOL, I know, I know, I shouldn't be saying that, but I mean it in a good way not the abusive way.
The incentive to further science MUST involve the public to a degree that it has some control over the process. Another excellent point you made was about science fiction. "Real" science fiction used to be a way to realize new technology and new society models using imagined (but science based) future capabilities. Today, it has morphed into a formulaic set of plot lines conforming to a dramatic format heavy on character development and relationships instead of science. There is no excitement being generated about science in such a genre. And if you are one of those new thinking physicists coming through school, I am rooting hard for you! Bring change. 
The incentive is not the pursuit of science or knowledge, but the pursuit of wealth and power. Great points.
