bramflakes comments on Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality discussion thread, February 2015, chapter 110 - Less Wrong

3 Post author: Gondolinian 24 February 2015 08:01PM

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Comment author: solipsist 24 February 2015 08:26:37PM *  2 points [-]

Scientists of LessWrong, I have Important Questions for you:

What would happen if Harry donned his invisibility cloak and stepped through the mirror?

(Physics)

  • Assuming CPT symmetry, Would the mirror universe be composed entirely of antimatter? Would the anti-nitrogen molecule annihilate with dust particles on Harry's cloak, emitting vast quantities of gamma rays?
  • If so, would the cloak shield Harry from the gamma rays, or would they be "duplicated" the way visible light photons are? If the gamma rays are duplicated, the temperature of Harry would increase very rapidly. Does the invisibility cloak emit black body radiation? At what point would Harry be visible due to black body radiation alone?
  • If Harry is not annihilate, what is the simplest experiment he could perform to take advantage of reverse-chiral weak interactions?
  • Assuming the mirror permits electric fields to travel through it, what would the effects be near the surface of the mirror? Would electron on air molecules near the surface of the mirror be torn off and stick with their reflected positrons? Would the mirror become a giant capacitor? If so, how many coulombs of charge would it hold?

(Chemistry)

  • Assuming the mirror universe is not composed of antimatter, what sorts of fun activities could Harry do with stereoisomers? For example, what schedule 1 drugs could Harry obtain on the cheap?

(Biology)

  • Assume Harry starts eating in the mirror universe. What sorts of nutritional difficulties will he encounter? For example, would he be able to metabolize proteins? Carbohydrates? Fats? Nucleic acids? Are there any essential amino acids Harry will be missing?
  • Would the mirror bacteria and fungi be able to metabolize Harry? Who would win in a fight: mirror bacteria or Harry's immune system?
Comment author: bramflakes 24 February 2015 08:30:47PM *  2 points [-]

If the mirror universe was antimatter, Harry would be annihilated instantly because his feet are touching the floor, even if the Cloak could shield everything else.

Comment author: Gondolinian 24 February 2015 09:22:08PM 0 points [-]

If the mirror universe was antimatter, Harry would be annihilated instantly because his feet are touching the floor, even if the Cloak could shield everything else.

Couldn't he crawl?

Comment author: bramflakes 24 February 2015 10:40:12PM 5 points [-]

He has to breathe.