So, my mind was utterly blown twice today, thanks to physics courses I'm taking.

1. A system contains more information if you know less about it.
This is basically saying that if you don't really know what the correct solution is, you have more information than if you know what the solution is.
Knowing that 1 + 1 = 2 is less knowledge than knowing 1 + 1 = 1 + 1, because you cannot easily go back from 2 = 1 + 1, without guessing.

This is one reason why quantum computers will be so useful, because we cannot say what state they exist in, and so they carry the information for multiple states. (1 + 1 = 1 + 1)


2. 1 kilogram = 7.424*10^-28 meters

Obviously, at first glance, this is ridiculous. Until you realize that most things can be defined according to universal constants, which because they are universal, apply everywhere. A second can be defined as a length in which light can travel, because the speed of light (in a vacuum) is a constant. The concept applies for many other things. (Which universal constants can help define.) The kilograms to meters conversion is done by means of the gravitational constant G, divided by the speed of light squared, or G/c^2.

What's blown your mind recently / can you top that?

Ecstasy, and drugs in general. They blow my mind.

This.
Mathematics will always impress me... it's all so... elegant!
Anyways, my 3rd course of physics sometimes amaze me too, but it's pretty rare (only because my fucking teacher sucks).

This still seems to nullify me each time I watch it.

NOOOOEEE IMPOSSIBLE!!!!

What I think is neat, is something I came up with one day in Algebra 2 class. I'm not sure if this has been done before, it probably has, but I've never heard of this in the math world.

Let us say that you wanted to find out what 13 squared is, but you do know what 12 squared is. You do not have a calculator, nor the math knowledge to automatically figure it out... (Which means you are an idiot, but w/e)

First, you take 144 (12^2), and add (12x2). Now add 1. You now have 169, which is 13 squared.
Aha. See where I'm going?

Now you want to find 14 squared, so you would take 169, add (13x2), add 1, and you will get 196.

Finding 2 squared using 1 squared. 1 + (1x2) + 1 = 4
Finding 3 squared using 2 squared. 4 + (2x2) + 1 = 9
Finding 4 squared using 3 squared. 9 + (3x2) + 1 = 16
Finding 5 squared using 4 squared. 16 + (4x2) + 1 = 25
This can be repeated an infinite number of times to get any number that will be a whole number squared... keep in mind that I came up with this out of boredom in math class.

That's like saying you can multiply anything you want by a million so long as you assume 1,000,000=1.
Because G is not equal to c^2!

this in fact is... interesting...
I'll try it out with paper/pencil later on to make sure this wasn't a fake.

You're so cool and edgy.

That was good, Tux.

Makes me wish Bill Nye was still on television.

http://www.youtube.com/watch#playnext=1&playnext_from=TL&videos=HvbVBZo40F0&v=-pJ_l8m2zYo

That. Especially @ 1:36 - end

Now use mathmatical induction to prove it

Actually you don't have to:

so you're claiming: n^2 = (n-1)^2 + 2(n-1) + 1

or, we can say n = n - 1 + 1
then n^2 = (n-1 + 1)^2, and we can think of it as
((n-1)+1)^2
if we simply multiply that out, we get
(n-1)^2 + (n-1) + (n-1) + 1,
= (n-1)^2 + 2(n-1) + 1

voila, proven.

...and this is why I no longer care about null.

I swear he was on CNN a couple weeks ago. Awesome link, Tux.

The 64 v 65 thing isn't real and can't be duplicated. The slope of the 65 diagonal isn't constant; it's 1/3 in the middle and 2/5 everywhere else. It looks straight, but either the squares are of different widths in the middle or your brain is broken. What, did you think math broke?

Also, tux had a very nice link.

I've broken physics before when I've played billiards with friends. Its about that time we call it quits for the night.

I'm not sure this exactly counts, but here we go:

Link