RingoKid writes:
...if Gravity probe B (GP-B) proves certain predictions concerning General Relativity were a figment of Einstein's fertile imagination, then...
...it would probably lose the great man some cred, put a lot of clever people out of a job and make some people's life work irrelevant but what does it mean for the average man in the street and what are some of the far reaching implications stated in the following excerpt from the GP-B website???
Einstein's credibility is secure, and will not be affected by the progress in science taking us beyond what he proposed. Science, by its very nature, continues to progress; and the contributions of the past, of geniuses like Leonardo Da Vinci, and Isaac Newton, and Albert Einstein, will continue to be celebrated, honoured and used; even if those contributions turn out to be subsumed or superseded in subsequent developments.
Clever people are not put out of a job by new discoveries. Their jobs become more important; not less. The job of a scientist or engineer is not predicated on the knowledge of the day; it is expected that a professional will be able to keep up with new developments. The experts in old theories are the very ones who are best positioned to grasp and appreciate and apply new knowledge that replaces those old theories. Someone who has no grasp of Einstein's work is at a real handicap in dealing with further extensions or replacements or refinements.
The life work of a scientist is rarely made completely irrelevant by new developments. It can happen; but usually this is when a scientist is pursuing new ideas that don't pan out. The people whose work is most likely to become "irrelevant" are those who are actively proposing a specific new idea to replace Einstein's models. It is more common for major new ideas to turn out to be incorrect than for them to become established as the new foundation for physics. However, this is not "irrelevant"; it is essential to how science works. An idea proposed and rejected is still useful basic scientific research, even if nothing comes of it at all. Rejection sometimes involves finding useful new data, which can still be used by others in other contexts; but even if the only result is "Well, that idea was wrong"; this is still useful and relevant research.
The impact for the man-in-the-street will be pretty much nothing, in the short term, unless they are interested in physics or cosmology. There is a chance of new possibilities for applied knowledge with any new advances in physics; but this is not really something we can predict.
On the other hand, simply solving the problems of building and launching the probe is a major exercise in engineering research and development. There is a definite potential for spin-off applications which may be useful to people who have no idea where they originated. This is described in a page at the site you reference:
Spin-off Technology from Gravity Probe B.
The impact on cosmology, for those who are fascinated with learning as much about the universe as we can manage, could turn out to be profound.
Finally (and not wanting to be a wet blanket, but this has to be said):
The most likely consequence, in my opinion, is strong confirmation of Einstein's relativity and the further cementing of this as a pivotal and reliable scientific basis for research in theoretical cosmology.
But let's wait and see. Any new test has potential for surprises.
Cheers -- Sylas
This message has been edited by Sylas, 05-12-2004 02:11 AM
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