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What is your opinion on the Superstring theory?

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Ray
 
Reply Tue 22 Jun, 2004 11:26 pm
Hi, I was just wondering whether this theory has been mostly accepted in the scientific world,
and if you think this theory is probably correct or not.
If so, why or why not?
Thanx.
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Type: Discussion • Score: 1 • Views: 1,790 • Replies: 25
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cavfancier
 
  1  
Reply Tue 22 Jun, 2004 11:41 pm
From what I know, this has recently become a very active field in theoretical physics, but is not, as of yet, accepted as truth by the scientific community at large. Even purporters of superstring theory admit that the theory itself is not fully formed, and could take decades to codify.
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BoGoWo
 
  1  
Reply Wed 23 Jun, 2004 12:05 am
I would also suggest Ray, that there are many slightly 'competitive' 'flavours' of string theory around; if you were to offer a link or two, defining your take on the subject, we could begin to 'deconstruct'!
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cavfancier
 
  1  
Reply Wed 23 Jun, 2004 12:36 am
I'll start regarding links, and see what Ray comes up with too. Bo has a good idea, string theory being somewhat different depending on who you talk to:

http://www.theory.caltech.edu/people/jhs/strings/
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g day
 
  1  
Reply Wed 23 Jun, 2004 12:39 am
Its too incomplete to judge yet- it can barely make any predictictions - so it can't be tested. Its still just working out the topology rather than the characteristics of its view of the Universe so far. It does allow for Hidden dimensions (alah M-Theory) and s-particles - so this may be indirectly test and verified on the Large Haldron Collider at CERN around 2007 - so for the moment its just stay tuned!
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BoGoWo
 
  1  
Reply Wed 23 Jun, 2004 12:54 am
and i thought the 'supercollider' was the stretch of 401, west of London! Rolling Eyes
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BoGoWo
 
  1  
Reply Wed 23 Jun, 2004 01:19 am
just thought i would provide a little "Cern" demonstration:

http://particleadventure.org/particleadventure/frameless/old_images/wave.gif
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BoGoWo
 
  1  
Reply Wed 23 Jun, 2004 01:25 am
and for anyone interested in watching a Quark Dance
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cavfancier
 
  1  
Reply Wed 23 Jun, 2004 01:40 am
I thought the Supercollider was that roller coaster at the Ex that had to be shut down.
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jnhofzinser
 
  1  
Reply Wed 23 Jun, 2004 06:04 am
Superstring theory appears to be to particle physics what artificial neural networks (ANNs) are to human behavior. When ANNs are "correctly configured", it appears that they can "emulate in a rudimentary way" any human behavior. Similarly, it appears that superstrings, "if correctly configured," could result in a unification of known (i.e., experimentally observed) physical processes in an elegant way.

Another similarity is that their promises have been around for a while, and the "good results" are gonna come "any-time-now" Wink
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cavfancier
 
  1  
Reply Wed 23 Jun, 2004 06:14 am
How do you make a Quark dance?

Answer 1: Jiggle the tub

Answer 2: Give him some gold-pressed latinum
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NickFun
 
  1  
Reply Wed 23 Jun, 2004 07:23 am
Dr. George Pugh, an eminent physicist and the originator of Gravity Probe B, is a believer in superstring theory and he even explained it to me in a way I almost understood.
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mithie
 
  1  
Reply Wed 23 Jun, 2004 07:44 am
Regarding the "superstring theory":

Everyone in my class dismisses it as pointless rubbish.

I tend to agree.

It seems to me that the theory it fit to the data, not the other way around. Vibrating strings resonating forces on the quantum level and second order spring differential equations sound really cool and all (QUANTUM GUITAR!!!) but the theory is based on existing data and seems to have no sign of being anything truly "universal".
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BoGoWo
 
  1  
Reply Wed 23 Jun, 2004 07:59 am
mithie wrote:
Regarding the "superstring theory":

Everyone in my class dismisses it as pointless rubbish.

I tend to agree...........


Hi Mithie; welcome to a2k;
since you are not intimately known here you might want to define "class".

Is it grade 6 at P.S. 34, first year flower arrangement, at The New World Yoga School, or a doctoral course in physics, at M.I.T.?

[might just effect our 'take', on your comment. - If it's the latter, keep talking!]
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cavfancier
 
  1  
Reply Wed 23 Jun, 2004 08:02 am
I believe mithie is at the University of Michigan, Bo.
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BoGoWo
 
  1  
Reply Wed 23 Jun, 2004 08:05 am
That's Cav for you; kind of our 'social convener'! Laughing

[or perhaps he looked at the profile - duh.... Rolling Eyes ]

[nope, nothing there...........??]
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mithie
 
  1  
Reply Wed 23 Jun, 2004 08:06 am
BoGoWo wrote:

Grade 6 at P.S. 34, first year flower arrangement, at The New World Yoga School


I WISH! Smile I'm at the University of Michigan school of Engineering. We recently started a project with Stanford and Berkeley discussing Science and Pseudoscience. The Superstring Theory along with just about everything in modern topology were caught under heavy fire in the "pseudoscience" catagory.
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BoGoWo
 
  1  
Reply Wed 23 Jun, 2004 08:09 am
credentials accepted (sure trumps mine!) but then taking on Hawkings, et al, is quite an undertaking! Shocked
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mithie
 
  1  
Reply Wed 23 Jun, 2004 08:11 am
BoGoWo wrote:
credentials accepted (sure trumps mine!) but then taking on Hawkings, et al, is quite an undertaking! Shocked


You have to understand the mentality of professors in big schools like University of Michigan and Stanford.

-They're all old.
-They don't have much of a social life.
-It's not like they go to movies or play video games.
-When there comes a chance to bash a fellow colleague's theory...
-... THAT'S their source of FUN!!! Razz

We students chime in on the fun of course, much like cheerleaders.
0 Replies
 
BoGoWo
 
  1  
Reply Wed 23 Jun, 2004 08:15 am
you have virtually defined scientific investigation:

"a competition of cheerleaders!" Cool
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