The reference frame

The term "reference frame" has two meanings in physics. First, there is the observational reference frame, where emphasis is on the state of one or more objects relative to the reference frame. Second we have the concept of a coordinate system, which is concerned with positions, not motion 1.

An inertial reference frame, in Newtonian mechanics is an observational reference frame in which Newton's first law is valid 2.

This is not a physics blog, however, and I intend to use the term reference frame primarily as the foundation for mental processes, in which incoming data is compared to the sum-total of past experience and is categorised in that context. For example, a child growing up in rural India will by necessity have a different set of experiences compared to a child growing up in suburban America, and by extension, their set of core values and beliefs may differ dramatically. Therefore, the two individuals may interpret the same event differently. More on this later.

Parking issues

Parking may be challenging at times, as illustrated below. Although the connection to the general theme of this blog may appear to be tenuous, consider this: the coordinate system used by the captains of these vessels to determine their position actually is a fixed reference frame, and this will lead us nicely to a more general discussion of reference frames, and why they are important.

Gallery

From time to time I will post some photographs. We humans have an innate appreciation for beautiful things. Why that might be so will be explored some time in the future. It has to do with symmetry, health and reproductive fitness, amongst others. I would just like to share an image here and there of things and places I consider beautiful. I fully realise that beauty is in the eye of the beholder; in fact here is a practical example of a frame of reference: our reference frames for what should be considered beautiful may overlap, but will likely be non-identical.

FOOTSTEPS

TABLE VIEW

Why deep concepts?

"Concept" is defined in the American Oxford Dictionary as "an abstract idea, a general notion". The Wikipedia article also defines concept as "a mental symbol", or "a unit of knowledge built from characteristics". In short, concepts are the hooks on which you hang your ideas, and thought heavily depends on concepts for structure. 

Deep concepts are thought constructs that are fundamental to a lot of other, more specific thought constructs. In some of the next posts I will explore notions of "time", "causality" and "good and evil" as examples of deep concepts that underlie our worldviews. 

So why are deep concepts important? Well, they really set the scene for us to develop a worldview, and in many cases shape our frame of reference.

For us, the deep concepts that form our frame of reference appear universally true, and many probably are. But not all, and the challenge is to find out which, and why not. But even if some deep concepts are not universally true, they may be useful, and even essential, in allowing us to model the world around us in our minds.

Introduction to this blog

Dear Reader

Everything you internalise is, by necessity, observed by you. The observations that make it all the way to be perceived by your conscious mind are heavily filtered, and integrated into your model of reality. This model in turns depends on your frame of reference. By way of examples I have come across over the past few years I would like share some reference frames with you. By doing this, I hope to share with you my absolute passion for accumulating knowledge about and insight into the world around us.

It is my intention to build my postings around several themes that are of interest to me. I list them here, without promise of expanding on any particular theme any time soon. I will probably change this list as time moves on.

• Deep concepts
• Microbes
• Computers and computation
• Physics
• (The new) biology
• Medicine in the 21st century
• Antarctica
• The universe and cosmology
• The ultimate reality
• Photography
• Publishing
• Literature
• Music and Noise

WARNING: Some of these musings are not for the faint-of-heart. You are certain to hold particular convictions about life, the universe, and everything, and you might find that I challenge some of those. Of course you are welcome to challenge me in turn, but please remain polite.