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The Elegant Universe: String Theory
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The PBS Nova episode that explains the problem with Einstein's general theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. RT 50:10.
Oct 14, 2007 5:52 AM
Re: The Elegant Universe: String Theory
I remember seeing this on PBS a couple years ago and am now reading the book.
Truely one of the most facinating books since "The Godparticle"
Thanks MAC for the link
Truely one of the most facinating books since "The Godparticle"
Thanks MAC for the link
By: savantegarde
Re: The Elegant Universe: String Theory
Also, isn't there a part 2 to this that is unaccounted for?
By: savantegarde
Re: The Elegant Universe: String Theory
Ok they lost me at the begining. Why are quantum theory and relative theory incompatable?
The whole running the projector backwards thing, does nothing to explain why the aren't compatable, it just says the projector jammed.
The whole running the projector backwards thing, does nothing to explain why the aren't compatable, it just says the projector jammed.
By: cheezsteak
Re: The Elegant Universe: String Theory
I watched further. And im sorry for jumping there. But still, my basic understanding is that all energy is created by gravity. Gravity is essentialy Mass screwing with the fourth dimension. Their expalination of this is very clear, except the fabric of time isn't a 2-D surface, its a 4-D surface. I know they know that, it's just how their explaining, how would you draw a 4th dimensional object? I digress, To quantum mechanics, these irregularities are brief dents in the same fabric. but instead they are very tiny but too deep. But what are atoms, and subatomic particles, but very tiny high concentrations of matter. Wouldn't they create these irregualrities? Can't this strong force just be an atoms gravitational pull? These irregularities don't affect large gravitational pull, because their too small. And if atoms make dents in space/time fabric, and planets are just large amounts of these atoms, then these dents that planets make are just a bunch of the small dents combined.
Wow sorry for that stream of thought. My theisis is: That our large scale models are the same as our small scale models, but the large scale does the same as the small scale but at a very slow pace that it is understandable, while the small go at such a high pace that it seems incomprehensable.
I know I'm a noob and most likley wrong somewhere but if one of you actualy is a physicist and understands this please explain to me, because I am interested.
Wow sorry for that stream of thought. My theisis is: That our large scale models are the same as our small scale models, but the large scale does the same as the small scale but at a very slow pace that it is understandable, while the small go at such a high pace that it seems incomprehensable.
I know I'm a noob and most likley wrong somewhere but if one of you actualy is a physicist and understands this please explain to me, because I am interested.
By: cheezsteak
Re: The Elegant Universe: String Theory
I dont have time to watch this video right now but I did read the book and I know a small amount abut physics. There are actually three different working theories right now Newtonian (the simplest and most elegant, applies to human scale.) Einsteinian for understanding the deep voids of the universe and how light can bend, and quantum which this computer is built on. Things on a quantum level work very differently then on a Newtonian level. It isn't just faster there is probability involved, your not going to suddenly warp to the chair next to you but electrons do. They randomly complete disappear and reappear else ware!
There are 4 dimensions as far as we know xyz and time. There is no use trying to imagine anything more because it is inconceivable to humans, although that doesn't mean more don't exist. And I have no idea how to go about proving another dimension can exist.
Something else that is very important to science is the theory of Occam's razor. "All things being equal, the simplest solution tends to be the right one". The universe is elegant and if there is a god he put some thought into it before he made it.
Einstein had always hoped for a universal field theory that would describe the universe as a whole. This is what string theory tries to do. I don't know if we ever find it but if we do it will be the most important discovery of all time. You could theoretically create an algorithm that would describe the universe being born, fast forward it and predict the future, hopefully we will have photon computing by then.
There are 4 dimensions as far as we know xyz and time. There is no use trying to imagine anything more because it is inconceivable to humans, although that doesn't mean more don't exist. And I have no idea how to go about proving another dimension can exist.
Something else that is very important to science is the theory of Occam's razor. "All things being equal, the simplest solution tends to be the right one". The universe is elegant and if there is a god he put some thought into it before he made it.
Einstein had always hoped for a universal field theory that would describe the universe as a whole. This is what string theory tries to do. I don't know if we ever find it but if we do it will be the most important discovery of all time. You could theoretically create an algorithm that would describe the universe being born, fast forward it and predict the future, hopefully we will have photon computing by then.
By: djgiga
Re: The Elegant Universe: String Theory
By the way if you have science questions this is the greatest web site ever:
http://www.madsci.org/
where real scientists will answer your questions not just amateurs like me.
http://www.madsci.org/
where real scientists will answer your questions not just amateurs like me.
By: djgiga
