Read the article to find out more about each questions.
Why this universe?
What is everything made of?
How does complexity happen?
Will string theory ever be proved correct?
What is the singularity?
What is reality really?
How far can physics take us?
Yeap, “Why this universe?” or “What are the odds of so many physical properties being just right for life to form?” Makes me think that with infinite time and space, THIS universe cannot be the only one that has ever existed? The finely tuned universe==about as likely as the bank robber on being caught saying its the first law he has ever broken.
Parallel? Bubbles? String Viabrations? If I were 10 times smarter, the question would probably blow my mind. As it is, my stupidity protects me.
#8 – Where do the missing socks go in the dryer?
From what I’ve read, String Theory isn’t really a theory yet, just a hypothesis. There are no testable predictions, it’s all just handwaving. From the String Theory wikipedia page:
“For more than a generation, physicists have been chasing a will-o’-the-wisp called string theory. The beginning of this chase marked the end of what had been three-quarters of a century of progress. Dozens of string-theory conferences have been held, hundreds of new Ph.D.s have been minted, and thousands of papers have been written. Yet, for all this activity, not a single new testable prediction has been made, not a single theoretical puzzle has been solved. In fact, there is no theory so far — just a set of hunches and calculations suggesting that a theory might exist. And, even if it does, this theory will come in such a bewildering number of versions that it will be of no practical use: a Theory of Nothing.” — Jim Holt.[27]
I saw this several days ago and have a half written post for it.. suffice it to say, they dont care.
Proof has been given to them time and again and they still won’t change their dogmatic ways.
When the Vatican is finally taken down, maybe Science will move forward. until then, it will continue to be based on one unproven mathematical model after another with NO evidence based science in sight.
Minor note: they never ask questions they don’t already have the answers to..
-s
#3 Phydeau said, “String Theory isn’t really a theory yet, just a hypothesis.”
I suppose you want to put disclaimers in textbooks saying that. Are you from Kentucky, you anti-science person? 🙂
Easy list.
Why this Universe? It’s the only one we live in.
What is everything made of? Stuff.
How does complexity happen? Shift Happens, live with it.
Will string theory ever be proved correct? Has been. String always gets knotted.
What is the singularity? Don’t know, but I hear it’s near.
What is reality really? Reality, what a concept. Robin Williams solved this years ago.
How far can physics take us? Don’t know, but if you have a gadget and you want the new one and your wife won’t let you buy it until the old one breaks…no matter how many times you drop the old one, it won’t break.
this is like a list from a sixth grader
how about physics instead of philosophy
#8 If our universe is expanding, what is it expanding into? What’s on the other side?
#5 your remark shows that you don’t understand what constitutes science. String theory makes no testable claims. All scientific claims are in principle at least, testable claims. String theory is as scientific as the claim that a 1000 angels can dance on the head of a pin.
Our minds cannot and will never understand this. We don’t even know what we don’t know.
The best thing to do is to make up an answer or let someone else make it up for us and then worship it.
Is it possible to know the universe if you can’t find your way around Chinatown?
#2, TML,
While a very valid question, a better question would be:
How do all those missing socks morph into metal hangers?
😉
#12 Mr ShortFuse – Are these phenomena related? We could approach them as such and develop a unified sock-hanger theory. By observance it has been postulated that a “sock-hole” may exist in dryers temporarily as centrifugal force and temperature reach critical mass inside the dryer. The exact force and temperature are unknown and are left for experimentation. The resultant hangers may be attributed to the sock-hole but proven only coincidentally if the hangers appear during the sock-hole event horizon.
question one answers everything –
why did we get a universe just right in energy time and gravity and an earth just right with an atmoshere and magnetic field to cradle life and just the right …….
if we didnt we wouldnt be here to question it – it might have taken a billion plus times or universes to do this and until one sticks no one can question
# 9 ± said, on October 27th, 2009 at 6:09 am
“#5 your remark shows that you don’t understand what constitutes science.”
#9 Your remark shows that you don’t understand what constitutes a joke. Did you not see the smile face at the end of that post?
String theory is interesting to me. Just because we can’t test the theory now doesn’t mean we cannot test the theory or come up with an entirely new theory based on new experiments. Part of physics has always been cosmology which again cannot be tested. However, it gives us a direction to think about new experiments that we can test. I know scientists can be completely wrong about string theory.
suffice it to say, they dont care.
Proof has been given to them time
and again and they still won’t
change their dogmatic ways.
When the Vatican is finally taken down,
maybe Science will move forward.
until then, it will continue to be based
on one unproven mathematical model after another with NO evidence based science
in sight.
Minor note: they never ask questions they
don’t already have the answers to..
-s,
Who is “they” and what are this “unproven mathematical models”?
I’m reading a great book about this right now… it’s called “13 Things That Don’t Make Sense” and is written by Michael Brooks.
I’ll help you out with the easy ones
Why this universe?
it just is, we had a 50/50 chance is or is not lucky us we got is
What is everything made of?
nothing mostly, matter, antimatter, dark matter and some of those orange peanut-shaped marshmallow candies I think you call them Circus Peanuts
How does complexity happen?
time, given just about infinite time its inevitable. if it bugs you rest easy entropy will take it all away in the long run
Will string theory ever be proved correct?
nope but it will have a good ride
What is the singularity?
y2 = x3 − x2
What is reality really?
the concept used to describe what you think you know
How far can physics take us?
to the ends of the universe, but physics is time’s bitch so don’t hold your breath
now get some sleep
“I worry whether we’ve come to the limits of empirical science,” says Lawrence Krauss of Arizona State University.”
And therein lies the answer to all those questions. The answers lie beyond our abilities of manipulating matter to reveal anything definitive.
The answers are in the Bible, right next to the part that says it’s okay locking up a woman when she has her period up until she stops leaking bloody goo between her legs.
# 8 Confused:
“If our universe is expanding, what is it expanding into? What’s on the other side?”
It’s not that the universe is expanding so much, it’s just that everything is getting farther apart…
Duh. Of course we have limits to knowledge, we’re still learning and growing. That doesn’t imply limits to imagination.
Alfred1 > /dev/null
I’m not a physicist but I’ve always wondered if string theory is a rat hole for modern physics and quantum mechanics since it’s not falsifiable.
Alfie, the issue is that any viable model of the universe has to stand alone without any deity. Otherwise, if that deity is required to hold together the Universe, but is no longer believed in (see Apollo, Baal, YHWH or whatever), the universe won’t collapse.
@Alfred1
It also means bad, morally bad, perverse, wilful, bold, persistent and mischievous. Moran.
Alf why do you think god IS?
no cheating we all know you can copy AND paste
Most of those questions do not ever need to be asked by either applied or theoretical physicists in order to do their work.
That should tell you something.
These questions would be Philosophical Physics. But not invalid questions, just very very hard for people to answer and likely to have multiple interpretations.
Relatively.
Why this universe?
– The others were taken.
What is everything made of?
– Something better than the last universe, but not as good as Universe 3.0
How does complexity happen?
– It starts very quiet and then gets confused…
Will string theory ever be proved correct?
– For a while in the 70’s, It’s called discosound.
What is the singularity?
– Something that happens once.
What is reality really?
– Much better than this, more expensive though…
How far can physics take us?
– Till it runs on empty, or the next Gas station, whichever comes first.