Re: COLLISION 2

[John Denker <jsd@MONMOUTH.COM>]

At 09:11 AM 11/29/99 -0500, Michael N. Monce wrote:

>         A photon leaves the sun with h-nu of energy, travels through
> space, strikes the surface of the earth and is absorbed by an atom.

Then at 01:36 PM 11/29/99 -0700, Jim Green replied:
>
> As to photons:  If I believed that there is really such a real particle  as
> a photon, I might be able to discuss it, but I currently assume that a
> photon is one of those vagaries of physics language that we use because we
> really don't understand what we are talking about.

Hmmm, "what _we_ are talking about"???  Please speak for yourself, Kemosabe.

When I read M.M.'s note, I knew exactly what he was talking about -- and I
certainly assume *he* knew what he was talking about.

He nicely described a physical process that happens every day, in
laboratory settings as well as cosmic settings.  You can't make the process
stop happening.

Saying "I don't understand X, therefore X does not exist" is a pretty lame
argument.  It has been repeatedly used to argue against local conservation
of energy.  Extending it to argue against photons is a further step in the
wrong direction.