What Is the Boltzmann Brains Hypothesis

Boltzmann brains is a theoretical prediction of Boltzmanns explanation about the thermodynamic arrow of time. Though Ludwig Boltzmann himself never discussed this concept, they came about when cosmologists applied his ideas about random fluctuations to understand the universe as a whole. Boltzmann Brain Background Ludwig Boltzmann was one of the founders of the field of thermodynamics in the nineteenth century. One of the key concepts was the second law of thermodynamics, which says that the entropy of a closed system always increases. Since the universe is a closed system, we would expect the entropy to increase over time. This means that, given enough time, the most likely state of the universe is one where everything is the in thermodynamic equilibrium, but we clearly dont exist in a universe of this type since, after all, there is order all around us in various forms, not the least of which is the fact that we exist. With this in mind, we can apply the anthropic principle to inform our reasoning by taking into account that we do, in fact, exist. Here the logic gets a little confusing, so were going to borrow the words from a couple of more detailed looks at the situation. As described by cosmologist Sean Carroll in From Eternity to Here: Boltzmann invoked the anthropic principle (although he didnt call it that) to explain why we wouldnt find ourselves in one of the very common equilibrium phases: In equilibrium, life cannot exist. Clearly, what we want to do is find the most common conditions within such a universe that are hospitable to life. Or, if we want to be more careful, perhaps we should look for conditions that are not only hospitable to life, but hospitable to the particular kind of intelligent and self-aware life that we like to think we are....We can take this logic to its ultimate conclusion. If what we want is a single planet, we certainly dont need a hundred billion galaxies with a hundred billion stars each. And if what we want is a single person, we certainly dont need an entire planet. But if in fact what we want is a single intelligence, able to think about the world, we dont even need an entire person--we just need his or her brain.So the reductio ad absurdum of this scenario is that the overwhelm ing majority of intelligences in this multiverse will be lonely, disembodied brains, who fluctuate gradually out of the surrounding chaos and then gradually dissolve back into it. Such sad creatures have been dubbed Boltzmann brains by Andreas Albrecht and Lorenzo Sorbo.... In a 2004 paper, Albrecht and Sorbo discussed Boltzmann brains in their essay: A century ago Boltzmann considered a â€Å"cosmology† where the observed universe should be regarded as a rare ï ¬â€šuctuation out of some equilibrium state. The prediction of this point of view, quite generically, is that we live in a universe which maximizes the total entropy of the system consistent with existing observations. Other universes simply occur as much more rare ï ¬â€šuctuations. This means as much as possible of the system should be found in equilibrium as often as possible.From this point of view, it is very surprising that we ï ¬ nd the universe around us in such a low entropy state. In fact, the logical conclusion of this line of reasoning is utterly solipsistic. The most likely ï ¬â€šuctuation consistent with everything you know is simply your brain (complete with â€Å"memories† of the Hubble Deep ï ¬ elds, WMAP data, etc) ï ¬â€šuctuating brieï ¬â€šy out of chaos and then immediately equilibrating back into chaos again. This is sometimes cal led the â€Å"Boltzmann’s Brain† paradox. The point of these descriptions is not to suggest that Boltzmann brains actually exist. Sort of like the Schroedingers cat thought experiment, the point of this sort of thought experiment is to stretch things to their most extreme conclusion, as a means of showing the potential limitations and flaws of this way of thinking. The theoretical existence of Boltzmann brains allow you to use them rhetorically as an example of something absurd to manifest out of thermodynamic fluctuations, as when Carroll says There will be random fluctuations in the thermal radiation that lead to all sorts of unlikely events--including the spontaneous generation of galaxies, planets, and Boltzmann brains. Now that you understand Boltzmann brains as a concept, though, you have to proceed a bit to understanding the Boltzmann brain paradox that is caused by applying this thinking to this absurd degree. Again, as formulated by Carroll: Why do we find ourselves in a universe evolving gradually from a state of incredibly low entropy, rather than being isolated creatures that recently fluctuated from the surrounding chaos? Unfortunately, there is no clear explanation to resolve this ... thus why its still classified as a paradox. Carrolls book focuses on trying to resolve the questions it brings up about entropy in the universe and the cosmological arrow of time. Popular Culture and Boltzmann Brains Amusingly, Boltzmann Brains made it into popular culture in a couple of different ways. They showed up as a quick joke in a Dilbert comic and as the alien invader in a copy of The Incredible Hercules.

Dissertation, Alcohol Abuse - 13244 Words

Dissertation Alcohol Abuse Carolien Wesselink 76121 Table of Contents Introduction - Background 3 - Statement of the Problem 4 - Objectives of dissertation research 5 - Specific research questions 5 - Assumptions and limitations 6 - Definition of Terms 7 Literature Review - Alcohol Policy: Political Statements 8 - Alcohol Policy: The preventive Approach 9 - Influences on Behavior 11 - Alcohol Trends 13 - Conceptual Framework 14 Methodology - Brief overview 16 - Research Design 16 - Methods for data collection 16 - Data Analysis 17 - Appendices (Survey, Interview) 18 Analysis -Introduction 20 -Analysis of Survey 20 -Analysis†¦show more content†¦And if someone wants to sell alcohol outside the bar he or she needs a special drinking permit (ALCA – Act, article 3). The ‘ALCA - Act’ is made to prevent drank abuse, therefore age limits are set. To persons younger than 16 years no alcohol can be sold or served (ALCA – Act, article 20.1). Strong liquors (15% or more) are not allowed until the age of 18 years old (ALCA – Act, article 20.2). It is forbidden to let drunk people into a bar, cafà © or club. Also pouring in drinks for already drunk people is forbidden. Meaning that the owner of a bar, cafà © or club has to prevent people from getting drunk in their catering establishment (ALCA – Act, article 21). Making advertisements for a catering establishment is not forbidden, however there are certain rules for the making of advertisements for alcohol. These rules are stated in the ‘Advertising Code for Alcoholic Beverages ’ 1985. In this code is stated that 40% of all television commercials and all other audiovisual advertisements have to be provided with a slogan which is: ‘Geniet, maar drink met mate’ (ACAB – Act, article 31.2). This is a very well known slogan in the Netherlands, it means you can enjoy a drink, however do not overdo it. 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NoLag product Free Essays

For the different budgets related to the NoLag product of JetSet Travel, Inc. (JTI), I would expect to see different items. Below are said budgets and items. We will write a custom essay sample on NoLag product or any similar topic only for you Order Now But I would like to define what budget is first. Horngren, Datar and Foster (2002) defined budget as the â€Å"[quantitative] expression of a proposed plan of action by management for a specified period and is an aid to coordinating what needs to be done to implement that plan (p. 835). Sales budget. This is usually the staring point for budgeting. The budgeted sales for a future period determines the production and inventory levels which also determine the manufacturing costs of JTI as well as its nonmanufacturing costs for its NoLag product. Items seen in the sales budget are the budgeted selling price for the product, budgeted number of units to be sold, and of course, the budgeted total revenues fro the product. With respect to costs behavior, the items shown in the NoLag sales budget are all variable. That is, these items changes in total in proportion to the number of products to be sold. Purchase budget. This budget identifies the direct materials to be purchased which depends on the budgeted usage of direct materials. Items seen in this budget are the direct materials needed, and under each material the following are specified: Direct materials usage for the period, Target ending inventory for the direct material, Beginning inventory for the direct material, Cost per unit of each of the direct material requirement, and Budgeted direct materials purchases for the period The direct material cost, specifically the direct materials purchase cost is a variable cost. The amount changes relative to the number of direct materials budgeted. Operating expenses budget. This budget included the nonmanufacturing costs related to the NoLag product value chain. Included in this budget are research and development, marketing, distribution, customer-service, and administrative costs. The research and development costs’ behavior – fixed or variable – depends on how management allocates funds to it. If management decides that 10 percent of the total sales budget is to be allocated to research and development, then it is variable – it varies according to the sales budget. The rest of the items under the operating expenses budget exhibit the same characteristics. For example, marketing costs are usually budgeted as a percentage of the sales budget. Capital expenditures budget. This is composed of the investing requirements of JTI with regard to the manufacture of the NoLag product. The expenses here are fixed which includes budgeted purchase amount of new equipments. Cash budgets. The cash budget, according to Horngren, Datar and Foster (2002), â€Å"is a schedule of expected cash receipts and disbursements† (p. 197). Generally, the cash budget has several main sections. Beginning cash balance AND cash receipts. These will form part of the cash available for financing requirements of JTI. Cash receipts come from collections from customers and sales of the NoLag product. Cash disbursements are composed of direct materials purchases, direct labor and other wage and salary outlays, interest on long-term borrowing, income tax payments, and other costs and disbursements. Short-term financing requirements. JTI needs short-term financing requirements if its total cash receipts for the period are less than its total cash disbursements. Ending cash balance. Include considerations for the variable aspects of this product and its sales References Horngren, C. T., Datar, S. M. Foster, G. (2002). Cost accounting: A managerial emphasis. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. APA 1    How to cite NoLag product, Essay examples