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Goodbye Aberration: Physicist Solves 2,000-Year-Old Optical Problem

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Re: Goodbye Aberration: Physicist Solves 2,000-Year-Old Optical Problem

#131

Post by xondono »

kennyadam wrote: post #22
xondono wrote: post #19

I have not checked the actual paper, but according to the article itself: > Moreover, the solution involved aspherical elements , which are harder to manufacture in a precise way and are thus more costly. > Their findings were published in the article General Formula for Bi-Aspheric Singlet Lens Design Free of Spherical Aberration, in the journal Applied Optics. I’m no expert in optics, but that does not sound like t…

Haven't read the paper, not an expert... but you still feel qualified to dismiss it?

I have not read the original paper, I'm not an expert in optics, but the article clearly makes an argument that seems contradictory:

- Current solution is expensive because it uses aspherical elements.

- New solution promises cost reduction.

- New solution uses aspherical elements as well.

Either there's some hidden detail that the article fails to mention, or it's claims are overstated. If you actually know about optics, I'd be glad to know which is the true or if I'm missing anything here, otherwise I would appreciate to keep your snarkiness to yourself.

Re: Goodbye Aberration: Physicist Solves 2,000-Year-Old Optical Problem

#132

Post by Eyes »

aalleavitch wrote: post #113
VMG wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The point of economics is that it keeps us alive so we can do math The most hacker news comment I read all year

I love it, though. Perhaps the more general statement “the point of economics is that it keeps us alive so we can appreciate beauty” would be more universally agreed to.

The specificity gives it a funny edge though. If I were a math student I'd print it and put it on my wall.

Re: Goodbye Aberration: Physicist Solves 2,000-Year-Old Optical Problem

#133

Post by [deleted] »

VMG wrote: post #102
kragen wrote: post #94

There are various people speculating on the economic significance of this solution, which, to me, is rather missing the point. It's like measuring the significance of the excavation of Tutankhamen's† tomb by the tourist revenues of museums. The point of economics is that it keeps us alive so we can do math and also think in other ways; the point of consciousness is not to make money. I don't think there is any econom…

> The point of economics is that it keeps us alive so we can do math The most hacker news comment I read all year

[deleted]

Re: Goodbye Aberration: Physicist Solves 2,000-Year-Old Optical Problem

#134

Post by Koshkin »

kragen wrote: post #111
VMG wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No. But there are things besides money and math. Like photography!

I thought the point of photography was primarily so that you (people, in general, not necessarily just you individually) could look at the photos, i.e., experience them consciously, and secondarily to consciously experience the process of photography itself. But perhaps you have a different reason for considering photography worthwhile, other than the conscious experience of the photographs and of the photography pro…

I just like the smell of the chemicals (yes, I know).

Re: Goodbye Aberration: Physicist Solves 2,000-Year-Old Optical Problem

#135

Post by saalweachter »

ttul wrote: post #33
zaroth wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Gave me shivers reading it. Beautiful example of the incredible mystery of the human mind. Poof! And the solution materialized. Of course, all the groundwork had been laid. All the neurons primed. Just incredible. And that formula. Damn.

That was my thought. Why is it so damn complex? You’d think the solution would be simpler.

I mean, if it was simpler it wouldn't have taken 2000 years.

Re: Goodbye Aberration: Physicist Solves 2,000-Year-Old Optical Problem

#136

Post by kosievdmerwe »

joeberon wrote: post #21

Slightly related: One thing I've learnt in Physics is that there are still a huge number of practical and fundamental problems to be solved. You might expect everything easy will already be done by now but that's just not true. Hence we still manage to write so many papers! In fact many Physicists have too many papers they want to write and not enough time to write them. This was a huge surprise for me coming in to m…

I believe that even if humanity were given a book that perfectly describes physics on the smallest levels, there'll still be hundreds of years of work to find useful approximations and abstractions.

That's of course nevermind the effort involved in grokking the book. Especially, if particles are more subdivided than we think/know they are.

Think of it as knowing the rules of the game vs developing strategies for it.

Re: Goodbye Aberration: Physicist Solves 2,000-Year-Old Optical Problem

#137

Post by kosievdmerwe »

kragen wrote: post #94

There are various people speculating on the economic significance of this solution, which, to me, is rather missing the point. It's like measuring the significance of the excavation of Tutankhamen's† tomb by the tourist revenues of museums. The point of economics is that it keeps us alive so we can do math and also think in other ways; the point of consciousness is not to make money. I don't think there is any econom…

Next question: give a formula that describes the best lens taking into account manufacturing tolerance on the lens faces.

Re: Goodbye Aberration: Physicist Solves 2,000-Year-Old Optical Problem

#138

Post by sebastianconcpt »

kragen wrote: post #94

There are various people speculating on the economic significance of this solution, which, to me, is rather missing the point. It's like measuring the significance of the excavation of Tutankhamen's† tomb by the tourist revenues of museums. The point of economics is that it keeps us alive so we can do math and also think in other ways; the point of consciousness is not to make money. I don't think there is any econom…

>The point of economics is that it keeps us alive so we can do math

Well yes, life continuity is not something to subestimate. Thinking derives from perceiving and acting in the world. I agree that the achievement was finding the _closed-form solution_. But it will have a beautiful impact in wealth creation, now and in the future, no doubt. Can't be seen now and who knows when and to what extent this could disrupt optics for the better. Maybe not too much or maybe four decades from now this make possible to start using devices that we can't recognize now. Holodeck, yeah I'm watching you!

Re: Goodbye Aberration: Physicist Solves 2,000-Year-Old Optical Problem

#139

Post by michaelcampbell »

saalweachter wrote: post #135
ttul wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That was my thought. Why is it so damn complex? You’d think the solution would be simpler.

I mean, if it was simpler it wouldn't have taken 2000 years.

I don't see the correlation here. Is every equation henceforth discovered guaranteed to be more complex than any before it? I hope not.

Re: Goodbye Aberration: Physicist Solves 2,000-Year-Old Optical Problem

#140

Post by fny »

zaroth wrote: post #29
mykowebhn wrote: post #25

> After months of working on solving the problem, Rafael González recalls, “I remember one morning I was making myself a slice of bread with Nutella, when suddenly, I said out loud: Mothers! It is there!” > He then ran to his computer and started programming the idea. When he executed the solution and saw that it worked, he says he jumped all over the place. It is unclear whether he finished eating the Nutella bread.…

Gave me shivers reading it. Beautiful example of the incredible mystery of the human mind. Poof! And the solution materialized. Of course, all the groundwork had been laid. All the neurons primed. Just incredible. And that formula. Damn.

That formula is just a Mathematica dump. If you read the paper, which is unfortunately paywalled, you'll see the result is the solution to a complex system of equations, which are far easier to digest than the result you see there.
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