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Laws of the Universe

A list of 114 words by sionnach.

About

Gleaned from a variety of internet sites. It seems almost mandatory to include a version of this list on your website if you're a physicist or computer scientist in academia. To reduce the geekiness coefficient slightly, I've omitted many of the "laws" pertaining specifically to computer programming.

Comments

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  • bilby commented on the list laws-of-the-universe

    How about sionnach's law of buttered cats?

    July 5, 2008

  • rolig commented on the list laws-of-the-universe

    Don't forget Mona's Law (from Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City): "You can have a hot lover, a hot job and a hot apartment, but you can't have all three at the same time".

    August 1, 2008

  • yarb commented on the list laws-of-the-universe

    And Godwin's Law: "As a Usenet discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one."

    August 1, 2008

  • shevek commented on the list laws-of-the-universe

    Perhaps you might include the law of quantum aging?

    August 17, 2008

  • yarb commented on the list laws-of-the-universe

    Good list, excellent description. I think it's time for a moratorium on these laws (but not your recording of them).

    June 30, 2009

  • hernesheir commented on the list laws-of-the-universe

    Awesome list. So much more interesting than "In-laws of the Universe"!

    February 4, 2010

  • hernesheir commented on the list laws-of-the-universe

    anthropic principle

    weak anthropic principle

    The conditions necessary for the development of intelligent life will be met only in certain regions that are limited in space and time. That is, the region of the Universe in which we live is not necessarily representative of a purely random set of initial conditions; only those favorable to intelligent life would actually develop creatures who wonder what the initial conditions of the Universe were, and this process can only happen at certain times through the evolution of any given universe.

    strong anthropic principle

    A more forceful argument than the weak principle: It implies that if the laws of the Universe were not conducive to the development of intelligent creatures to ask about the initial conditions of the Universe, intelligent life would never have evolved to ask the question in the first place. In other words, the laws of the Universe are the way they are because if they weren't, no intelligent beings would be able to consider the laws of the Universe at all.

    February 4, 2010

  • ruzuzu commented on the list laws-of-the-universe

    I love this list, and I think it would be great if the computer programming laws were included.

    February 5, 2010

  • marky commented on the list laws-of-the-universe

    shhwweeet list. faved.

    February 7, 2010

  • mollusque commented on the list laws-of-the-universe

    Regarding zymurgy's law of evolving system dynamics and cans of worms: wouldn't a blender solve the problem?

    September 2, 2010

  • marky commented on the list laws-of-the-universe

    cool list!

    June 29, 2011