Physicists Detect Gravitational Waves, Proving Einstein Right

Re:Physicists Detect Gravitational Waves, Proving Einstein R... by brudgers on Thursday February 11, 2016 @03:06PM (#11082789)

I read the article. I am in the habit of calling periodic changes in dimension "resonance." I consider it rather consistent with the use of "wave" in the discussion and hence a handy way of describing what the instruments measured rather than what the theory suggests as the first cause.

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Re:Physicists Detect Gravitational Waves, Proving Einstein R... by nanofortnight on Thursday February 11, 2016 @04:30PM (#11083423)

Resonance is quite a bad term if that's what you use it for. Resonance would require some amount of positive feedback. Vibration or oscillation would be a much better terms for simple periodic changes.

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Re:Physicists Detect Gravitational Waves, Proving Einstein R... by brudgers on Thursday February 11, 2016 @09:56PM (#11085011)

It's consistent with vibration caused by a wave which is why it seemed appropriate to me in this context...even if I think the claim of waves is an over-reach, I am not being deliberately argumentative.

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Re:Physicists Detect Gravitational Waves, Proving Einstein R... by gaur on Thursday February 11, 2016 @03:12PM (#11082822)

The instruments are intentionally constructed to be as insensitive as possible to earth motion.

Implicit in the detection claim is that the signal does not originate from earth motion.

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