Re: A. Einstein and science-fairs

[Bob Sciamanda <trebor@VELOCITY.NET>]

----- Original Message -----
From: Cliff Parker <cparker@EMPOWERING.COM>
To: <PHYS-L@lists.nau.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, October 06, 1999 6:02 PM
Subject: Re: A. Einstein and science-fairs
> . . .I have a
> problem with the idea expressed previously that the speed of light is
something that
> is defined and therefore can not be measured.  God does not check our
definitions or
> declarations to see how fast light should travel today. . . .
> Cliff Parker

There is nothing (outside of logical consistency and usefulness -
certainly not "correctness") to be checked about a definition, even by
God!  If God were to  "alter the value of the speed of light in m/sec" he
will not thereby have altered our definition of the speed of light (unless
he has indeed interfered with our "free will decision") , he will rather
have altered the definition of the meter and/or the second.

Bob

Bob Sciamanda (W3NLV)
Physics, Edinboro Univ of PA (em)
trebor@velocity.net
http://www.velocity.net/~trebor
"I have enormous respect for Stephen Hawking, but I sometimes think he
doesn't know the difference between a model and the real thing.  That's an
occupational disease of theoretical physicists."
-Freeman Dyson in "A Glorious Accident", W. Kayzer ed.