Okay, so she's not exactly using her fists… still it seemed like a nice way to transition back to our happy couple from the beginning of this episode.
Oh, and in case there are some astrophysicists among my readers (or you just like to let your imagination run free), I've got a question for you: A black hole is a finite mass compressed to infinite density, that's why it "dents" space infinitely, right? But if this is so, then why is its event horizon finite and not infinite? To elaborate: if you were to move, say, one inch away from the centre of the black hole, then the dent in space time should be "infinite minus X". Move another inch away, it should be "infinite minus 2X" etc., until you move far enough away until the effect is neglectable. The problem is: if you subtract any amount from an infinite amount, the result is still an infinite amount! That means, no matter how far you move away from a black hole, the dent should still be infinite. I grant that gravity waves - that is, the effect of gravity - take a certain amount of time to reach us from a black hole, but still, even then the event horizon should expand pretty fast, and any account of black holes I know have a finite event horizon, and thanks to Hawking radiation, the event horizon gradually dissipates. Strangely enough, I've never seen this problem adressed (I have to add, I don't read astrophysics journals though :P), although it seems pretty obvious to me. Or I'm just stupid and overlooking something.
REPLIES:
Nepath: True, that's what it is, my question is… how can that be? :-P
Jabali: Seven of Nine? Major Kira? Lt. Uhura? :-D
DAJB: I'll never understand black-hole-antirealists ;-D
mattchee & man in black: Thanks!
JNP: Thanks for the compliment, as always. Regarding our attempts at grasping infinity - if grasping infinity requires an infinite mind, then of course we're at a loss. Still, I think "grasping infinity" requires only grasping some attributes like "going on forever". I think I can envision pretty well what "going on forever" means, even if I can't actually go on forever. Going along a circle you'll never reach an end, so in that sense I think the metaphor is accurate, but comparing the kind of infinity that's connected with black holes with a circle… well, I'd debate that. Easiest counter-argument off the top of my head would be: If you were to erect signs while walking along a circle, indicating where you already were, you'd come across the same signs again and again. Falling down a black hole you'd never come across the same sign twice.
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