Forces of Nature

Originally posted by amannion
Correct!

Indulge me, if you will. Please forgive me, but what do you mean, exactly, by "natural process?"

Originally posted by FreakyKBH
Indulge me, if you will. Please forgive me, but what do you mean, exactly, by "natural process?"

If you don't mind me asking, what do you mean by "exactly"?

Originally posted by XanthosNZ
If you don't mind me asking, what do you mean by "exactly"?

Define the phrase. Exactly.

Originally posted by FreakyKBH
Indulge me, if you will. Please forgive me, but what do you mean, exactly, by "natural process?"

A process would be I guess a series of steps or events that occur. A natural process would be one that happens ... naturally!

Let's expand that a wee bit. Is there another natural process which could be so vaguely defined?

Originally posted by FreakyKBH
Let's expand that a wee bit. Is there another natural process which could be so vaguely defined?

What do you mean?
I haven't defined ANY natural process - just attempted (and poorly at that I might add) to define A natural process.

Originally posted by amannion
What do you mean?
I haven't defined ANY natural process - just attempted (and poorly at that I might add) to define A natural process.

Far be it from me to disagree with you...
Would you mind defining a natural process?

Originally posted by FreakyKBH
Far be it from me to disagree with you...
Would you mind defining a natural process?

I did exactly that about 5 minutes ago.
What are you playing at here?
If it's trying to bore us all to death with cyclical questions that make no sense then it's working.

I know that's it isn't it?
Bore all the atheists to death - then the world will be left for the religious to inherit.
Damn but you're good.


Anyway, back to the question.
Okay, I'll try again.
I think of a process as being something akin to an algorithm - a procedure if you like. There are a series of steps that are followed. The process may feed back on itself or it might not.
Now if you ask me who are these steps followed by, well in the case of a natural process - no-one. They occur 'naturally'.

Originally posted by amannion
I did exactly that about 5 minutes ago.
What are you playing at here?
If it's trying to bore us all to death with cyclical questions that make no sense then it's working.

I know that's it isn't it?
Bore all the atheists to death - then the world will be left for the religious to inherit.
Damn but you're good.


Anyway, back to the question.
Okay, ...[text shortened]... eps followed by, well in the case of a natural process - no-one. They occur 'naturally'.

No cycling here.

If you wouldn't mind indulging me just a bit further, with a smallish list of natural processes.

Originally posted by FreakyKBH
No cycling here.

If you wouldn't mind indulging me just a bit further, with a smallish list of natural processes.

Erosion
Photosynthesis
Crystallization
Oxidation

A tree growing.
Anything fractal in nature.
Shell formation of snails.

Just off the top of my head.

Originally posted by FreakyKBH
No cycling here.

If you wouldn't mind indulging me just a bit further, with a smallish list of natural processes.

I guess any biochemical reaction might be included in that list - photosythesis, respiration and so forth.
Cell division and replication - mitosis, meiosis, etc.
(Don't get me wring though, I'm not a biologist.)

Nucleosynthesis in stars might be considered a process.

The rock cycle could be called a process, as well as other geological processes - mountain building for example.

I can keep going if you like ...

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hang on just a minute there, fellers. All these are considered natural processes?

Originally posted by FreakyKBH
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hang on just a minute there, fellers. All these are considered natural processes?

They are natural aren't they?

Originally posted by FreakyKBH
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hang on just a minute there, fellers. All these are considered natural processes?

What else would they be?
Fairytales?