bp@nyit.UUCP (Bruce Perens) (03/12/86)
Hi, Would one of you physics gurus please check out the April 1986 issue of Radio Electronics, page 53, article `Gravity Waves?', by Gregory Hodowanec, and tell me if this is an April Fool's article? The author contends that monopole gravity waves exist, and that they cause the 1/f noise in electronic circuits. He contends that gravitational effects propogate instantaneously. He goes into an odd cosmology called `Rhysmonic Cosmology'. He presents schematics for gravity wave detectors using not much more than op-amps and a capacitor as the detector. All of this sounds rather crack-pot to me, but I'm not qualified to understand his arguments. Would one of you please look at them? Many Thanks Bruce Perens nyit!bp
wmartin@brl-smoke.UUCP (03/14/86)
I would, without even reading the article, put in a strong vote for it being an "april fool" spoof. This is a pretty long-lived tradition in the electronics magazines. Remember the old "contra-polar energy" article from Popular Electronics back in the 50's or 60's? Will
weemba@brahms.BERKELEY.EDU (Matthew P. Wiener) (03/15/86)
In article <221@nyit.UUCP> bp@nyit.UUCP (Bruce Perens) writes: >Would one of you physics gurus please check out the April 1986 >issue of Radio Electronics, page 53, article `Gravity Waves?', >by Gregory Hodowanec, and tell me if this is an April Fool's >article? Your summary includes enough boners that your conclusion that it is an April Fool's Hoax is correct. > The author contends that monopole gravity waves exist, Not by any current theory. Standard general relativity, really the only theory in agreement with experiment, predicts that there won't even be dipole radiation. Quadrupole moments are the best one can detect. >and that they cause the 1/f noise in electronic circuits. Hahaha. Maybe it would help if you blew up some supernovas in your back yard or something. Gravitational radiation is WEAK. > He >contends that gravitational effects propogate instantaneously. They propagate at the speed of light. >He goes into an odd cosmology called `Rhysmonic Cosmology'. Odd is right. Try also fictitious. >He presents schematics for gravity wave detectors using not much >more than op-amps and a capacitor as the detector. And a vivid imagination. >All of this sounds rather crack-pot to me, but I'm not qualified >to understand his arguments. Would one of you please look at them? Known and putative gravitational waves near the earth cause vibrations on the order of magnitude of atoms or less. Without supercooling and shielding from extraneous vibrations, it is impossible to detect such waves, period. So it's either completely looney or a deliberate hoax. ucbvax!brahms!weemba Matthew P Wiener/UCB Math Dept/Berkeley CA 94720
morehous@hplabsc.UUCP (Chuck Morehouse) (03/19/86)
> and tell me if this is an April Fool's > article? The author contends that monopole gravity waves exist, > and that they cause the 1/f noise in electronic circuits. He > contends that gravitational effects propogate instantaneously. > > He presents schematics for gravity wave detectors using not much > more than op-amps and a capacitor as the detector. > All of this sounds rather crack-pot to me, but I'm not qualified > to understand his arguments. Would one of you please look at them? > Yup, crackpot. I suppose that he can replicate all the nice cosmological general relativity calculations with his Radio Shack theory? And as for 1/f noise, does he like the use of gravity to produce the 1/f frequence of the sound of falling rain? Also his Radio Shack gravity wave detector might do better with a little more mass. And perhaps it could do better at cryogenic temperatures to reduce thermal noise.