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Commotion with Corrosion
This is not another boring science topic that will put you off
to sleep. Trust me, I'll make this as simple and as interesting
read as possible.
Corrosion's dictionary meaning is synonymous to a list of words
like rusting, corroding,...
Do You Neglect The Power Of Your Mind?
James Allen, who wrote the masterpiece, As a Man Thinketh, talks about the vital power of the mind in creating success. "All that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the direct results of his own thoughts. In a justly ordered...
Primes: Randomness and Prime Twin Proof
Primes: Randomness and Prime Twin Proof Martin C. Winer martin_winer@hotmail.com Referring sites: I’m greatly appreciative of sites that have found my work interesting and have linked to me: Most Notably, I appreciate: Google Directory ...
The Finite Element Method: A Four-Article Series - Part 1
The following four-article series was published in a newsletter
of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) .
It serves as an introduction to the recent analysis discipline
known as the finite element method . The author is
an...
Whiskey: An Antidote For Cancer?
Some scientists believe that whiskey may be one of the keys to preventing the Big C For a quite a number of years, liquor has been known not only to bring destructive intoxication and addiction upon its patrons, but also as deterrent to a healthy...
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"WE DON'T know what we are talking about" - Nobel Laureate David Gross
Science has reached an enormous impasse. From biology to
physics, astronomy to genetics, the scientific community is
reaching the limits of understanding which often presage a
complete rethinking of long-accepted theories. So characteristic
of this new apex of modern arrogance is the inability to
comprehend the obvious in physics: That we don't know what we
are talking about.
Last December ('05), physicists held the 23rd Solvay Conference
in Brussels, Belgium. Amongst the many topics covered in the
conference was the subject matter of string theory. This theory
combines the apparently irreconcilable domains of quantum
physics and relativity. David Gross a Nobel Laureate made some
startling statements about the state of physics including: "We
don't know what we are talking about" whilst referring to string
theory as well as "The state of physics today is like it was
when we were mystified by radioactivity."
The Nobel Laureate is a heavyweight in this field having earned
a prize for work on the strong nuclear force and he indicated
that what is happening today is very similar to what happened at
the 1911 Solvay meeting. Back then, radioactivity had recently
been discovered and mass energy conservation was under assault
because of its discovery. Quantum theory would be needed to
solve these problems. Gross further commented that in 1911 "They
were missing something absolutely fundamental," as well as "we
are missing perhaps something as profound as they were back
then."
Coming from a scientist with establishment credentials this is a
damning statement about the state of current theoretical models
and most notably string theory. This theoretical model is a
means by which physicists replace the more commonly known
particles of particle physics with one dimensional objects which
are known as strings. These bizarre objects were first detected
in 1968 through the insight and work of Gabriele Veneziano who
was trying to comprehend the strong nuclear force.
Whilst meditating on the strong nuclear force Veneziano detected
a similarity between the Euler Beta Function, named for the
famed mathematician Leonhard Euler, and the strong force.
Applying the aforementioned Beta Function to the strong force he
was able to validate a direct correlation between the two.
Interestingly enough, no one knew why Euler's Beta worked so
well in mapping the strong nuclear force data. A proposed
solution to this dilemma would follow a few years later.
Almost two years later (1970), the scientists Nambu, Nielsen and
Susskind provided a mathematical description which described the
physical phenomena of why Euler's Beta served as a graphical
outline for the strong nuclear force. By modeling the strong
nuclear forces as one dimensional strings they were able to show
why it all seemed to work so well. However, several troubling
inconsistencies were immediately seen on the horizon.
The new
theory had attached to it many implications that were in direct
violation of empirical analyses. In other words, routine
experimentation did not back up the new theory.
Needless to say, physicists romantic fascination with string
theory ended almost as fast as it had begun only to be
resuscitated a few years later by another 'discovery.' The
worker of the miraculous salvation of the sweet dreams of modern
physicists was known as the graviton. This elementary particle
allegedly communicates gravitational forces throughout the
universe.
The graviton is of course a 'hypothetical' particle that appears
in what are known as quantum gravity systems. Unfortunately, the
graviton has never ever been detected; it is as previously
indicated a 'mythical' particle that fills the minds of the
theorist with dreams of golden Nobel Prizes and perhaps there
name on the periodic table of elements.
But back to the historical record. In 1974, the scientists
Schwarz, Scherk and Yoneya reexamined strings so that the
textures or patterns of strings and their associated vibrational
properties were connected to the aforementioned 'graviton.' As a
result of these investigations was born what is now called
'bosonic string theory' which is the 'in vogue' version of this
theory. Having both open and closed strings as well as many new
important problems which gave rise to unforeseen instabilities.
These problematical instabilities leading to many new
difficulties which render the previous thinking as confused as
we were when we started this discussion. Of course this all
started from undetectable gravitons which arise from other
theories equally untenable and inexplicable and so on. Thus was
born string theory which was hoped would provide a complete
picture of the basic fundamental principles of the universe.
Scientists had believed that once the shortcomings of particle
physics had been left behind by the adoption of the exotic
string theory, that a grand unified theory of everything would
be an easily ascertainable goal. However, what they could not
anticipate is that the theory that they hoped would produce a
theory of everything would leave them more confused and
frustrated than they were before they departed from particle
physics.
The end result of string theory is that we know less and less
and are becoming more and more confused. Of course, the argument
could be made that further investigations will yield more
relevant data whereby we will tweak the model to an eventual
perfecting of our understanding of it. Or perhaps 'We don't know
what we are talking about.'
About the author:
Michael Strauss is an engineer who has an interest in this
subject matter. To contact the author visit: www.relativitycollapse.c
om or www.relativitycollapse.n
et
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