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String Theory starts to unravel
Philadelphia Inquirer ^ | Dec 18, 2006 | Fred Bortz

Posted on 12/19/2006 10:31:24 PM PST by djf

I recently completed writing a high school/college-level history of physics in the 20th century. It was a great opportunity to catch up on developments in the field.

The biggest surprise turned out to be historical. For the first three-quarters of the century, progress in both theoretical and experimental physics steadily transformed our fundamental understanding of the physical universe. Then a multidimensional mathematical approach called string theory caught fire. To many physicists, it appeared to be the path to their science's holy grail, the "grand unification" of all known forces and fundamental particles into a single theory.

But, instead of continuing the advance of theoretical physics, the rise of string theory began a period filled with tantalizing near-miss formulations that continues until today. That is The Trouble With Physics, according to the title of a new book by Lee Smolin, a onetime physics wunderkind who in mid-career founded the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Ontario.

Smolin hasn't completely given up on string theory but is clearly pessimistic. His central argument is that it is time to start asking whether too many people are putting too much effort following ideas in string theory that seem promising at first but inevitably lead down blind alleys.

Smolin's assessment is downright rosy compared with the critique offered by Columbia University mathematician Peter Woit in Not Even Wrong: The Failure of String Theory and the Search for Unity in Physical Law. He draws his title from a famous remark by Wolfgang Pauli, who once described a particularly poorly written paper as "not even wrong." A wrong idea can be valuable if it ultimately leads one in a productive direction. String theory is not even wrong, Woit asserts, because each refinement seems to lead physicists further astray.

(Excerpt) Read more at philly.com ...


TOPICS: Science
KEYWORDS: physics; science; stringtheory
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"Not even wrong"

Luv it!!!

String theory is a 21st century tautology. Logically correct, physically meaningless.

1 posted on 12/19/2006 10:31:25 PM PST by djf
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To: djf

This is a knotty problem


2 posted on 12/19/2006 10:34:41 PM PST by woofie (For some people self hatred may be justified)
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To: djf

I'd rather KNOT give up on the string theory.


3 posted on 12/19/2006 10:35:47 PM PST by Lokibob (Spelling and typos are copyrighted. Please do not use.)
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To: djf
To many physicists, it appeared to be the path to their science's holy grail

Especially George Noori and Art Bell.

/S

4 posted on 12/19/2006 10:38:19 PM PST by atomic_dog
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To: woofie

A string was tied up in a knot, and the ends were all raggidy. When asked if he was the answer to the string theory, he replied "I'm a frayed knot".


5 posted on 12/19/2006 10:39:26 PM PST by Lokibob (Spelling and typos are copyrighted. Please do not use.)
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To: woofie

This thread is going no where.


6 posted on 12/19/2006 10:40:53 PM PST by Lokibob (Spelling and typos are copyrighted. Please do not use.)
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To: djf

So where does chaos theory stand?

/watch out for butterflies


7 posted on 12/19/2006 10:46:38 PM PST by ellery (The true danger is when liberty is nibbled away, for expedience, and by parts. - Edmund Burke)
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To: djf

The article didn't help me understand the issue, but the witty comments this thread has attracted where well worth the read. Thanks :-)


8 posted on 12/19/2006 10:58:50 PM PST by ConsistentLibertarian
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To: djf

the concept itself is rather threadbare


9 posted on 12/19/2006 11:06:42 PM PST by going hot (Happiness is a momma deuce)
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To: djf; SunkenCiv

Ping & while you're at it, could you add me to your stringy list?


10 posted on 12/19/2006 11:10:47 PM PST by GoLightly
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To: ConsistentLibertarian

Well, I know little of the theory itself. But I know ABOUT the theory.

Even the skeptics of string theory admit that in a sense it is correct, as a mathematical model.

But it seems there is a disconnect between the theory and physical reality. If we assume the theory is true, the universe goes on. If we assume it is untrue, the universe goes on. It is untestable by any of the current models.

Eddington described the situation and warned that we cannot fall into false knowledge. It is insufficient to describe the universe in terms like "the slithy toves did gyre and gimbel in the wabe"

I need to go back and reread "The Domain of Physical Science".

Where are the pragmatists when you need them?


11 posted on 12/19/2006 11:16:32 PM PST by djf (They have their place. We have our place. WAKE UP!! They want to turn our place into their place!!!)
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To: ConsistentLibertarian

I think Snoop Dog described it best...... "Shizzle is in da Phajizzile"


12 posted on 12/20/2006 12:58:13 AM PST by BossLady (Islamic Motto: We Love Our Women To Death........)
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To: djf

I'd read this article in more detail but I'm tied up this morning.


13 posted on 12/20/2006 2:16:16 AM PST by SamAdams76 (I'm 90 days from outliving Steve Irwin)
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To: djf

E=mc² (± 3)


14 posted on 12/20/2006 6:34:23 AM PST by robertpaulsen
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To: robertpaulsen

LOL!

Or thereabouts!


15 posted on 12/20/2006 6:37:47 AM PST by djf (They have their place. We have our place. WAKE UP!! They want to turn our place into their place!!!)
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To: GoLightly; AdmSmith; bvw; callisto; ckilmer; dandelion; FairOpinion; ganeshpuri89; gobucks; ...
Thanks GoLightly. It's another review of the two recent popular books about ST.

· String Theory ping list · join · view topics · view or post blog messages · bookmark ·

16 posted on 12/20/2006 10:31:47 AM PST by SunkenCiv (Don't bother, I haven't updated my profile since 11/16/06. https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: djf

String theory is where they put the really ugly math.


17 posted on 12/20/2006 10:34:38 AM PST by RightWhale (RTRA DLQS GSCW)
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To: RightWhale

I don't have the branes to figure it out.

Actually, I probably do, but my work on predicting next weeks lotto numbers will be far more profitable.


18 posted on 12/20/2006 10:50:31 AM PST by djf (The 16th amendment didn't authorize attacks on Americans)
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To: djf
See Common Sense Science.

Check out what they have to say about "String Theory".
19 posted on 12/20/2006 12:00:46 PM PST by Sopater (Creatio Ex Nihilo)
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To: djf
Like I said before, it may be the greatest case of mental m*sterbation...

My kind of String Theory..

20 posted on 12/20/2006 12:06:21 PM PST by Paradox (Let's really defeat Global Warming, build 100 new Nuclear Powerplants! {crickets....})
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