Advice sought please

[imamartian]

say for example, you're a budding amateur physicist. And after years of studying, you have your Eureka moment and think you may well have come up with the grand unified theory of relativity and quantum theories (i know that isn't very accurate - but this is just an analogy).

What do you do? Who do you contact? Do you trust your discovery to just one random scientist found on the 'net? or do you mail half a dozen scientists to cover yourself?

 

[conny]

Tell no-one!

That way only you know the secret.

 

[Trazor]

Arrange a press conference, all the world will then know it's you.

Let's hope you are correct, if not, the words stock and laughing come to mind.....

 

[Donkmeister]

The way one goes about it is to write a paper on your theory, then send it to one or more (usually more, to cover yourself against plagiarism!) scientific journals and an institute such as the Institute of Physics.

Any reputable journal will conduct "peer review" on any papers prior to publishing them, as reporting only on verifiable science is the basis of their reputation.

Just avoid any unfortunate acronyms... unlike the Chinese team who wrote a paper on copper nanotubes and abbreviated it to the element symbol for copper follower by "NT" for nanotubes...

So, come on, spill the beans: where was the Higgs boson hiding?!

 

[wotan]

say for example, you're a budding amateur physicist. And after years of studying, you have your Eureka moment and think you may well have come up with the grand unified theory of relativity and quantum theories (i know that isn't very accurate - but this is just an analogy).

What do you do? Who do you contact? Do you trust your discovery to just one random scientist found on the 'net? or do you mail half a dozen scientists to cover yourself?

When I was much younger, I occasionally woke in the middle of the night with what I thought was a brilliant idea, I used to hastily scribble notes on a jotter, problem was when I woke up, and looked, it was all garbage, that I could not understand
Maybe one day

 

[tim west]

I occasionally woke in the middle of the night with what I thought was a brilliant idea, I used to hastily scribble notes on a jotter, problem was when I woke up, and looked, it was all garbage, that I could not understand

Do you normally post in the middle of the night also

only joking!

 

[wotan]

]Do you normally post in the middle of the night also

Ignoring the innuendo, yes, frequently, I'm nocturnal.

 

[ColJack]

send the first copy of the "papers" to yourself by recorded delivery and leave it sealed then put it in a safe somewhere.. that way you have a dated copy as proof that you thought of it first should someone also come up with the same theory a bit later..

can you patent a theory?

 

[tim west]

send the first copy of the "papers" to yourself by recorded delivery and leave it sealed then put it in a safe somewhere.. that way you have a dated copy as proof that you thought of it first should someone also come up with the same theory a bit later..

can you patent a theory?

What if the theory involves time travel, your rival could just travel back in time and do the above and say that they thought of it first.

 

[BingoBongo]

say for example, you're a budding amateur physicist. And after years of studying, you have your Eureka moment and think you may well have come up with the grand unified theory of relativity and quantum theories (i know that isn't very accurate - but this is just an analogy).

What do you do? Who do you contact? Do you trust your discovery to just one random scientist found on the 'net? or do you mail half a dozen scientists to cover yourself?

Peter Jones or Theo,stay away from the moody burd that does nowt and moans at everything (i know thats all of em)

 

[imamartian]

The way one goes about it is to write a paper on your theory, then send it to one or more (usually more, to cover yourself against plagiarism!) scientific journals and an institute such as the Institute of Physics.

Thanks for the responses (well some of them )
So would an email, with the document attached, do the same job?

 

[sooey]

ffs, you've discovered the secret of everything and you want to skimp on the price of a stamp......


err, ok send it to me and I'll sort it out for you.