Photons
Photons are massless and travel at the speed of light; approx 186,ooo miles per second. Since photons travel at the speed of light, time = 0 in reference to the photon. I have been wondering if you were on a photon would you be aware of the velocity that you are traveling at. What I mean -- velocity = distance / time. If time = 0, then your velocity = ??? well I guess your velocity would be undefined since you can not divide by zero. From the perspective of the earth it takes light approx 8.5 mins to reach the earth, so the photon has a velocity relative to the earth, but what of the photon it's self? how does the photon perceive it's self? If you were on top of a photon would you be aware of motion? and how would you perceive the universe?
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
The State of Physics -- String Theory or I guess M-Theory
From all the books that I have read on string theory (the ones by Brain Greene), and the shows that I have seen on NOVA about ST I had always thought that there was some underlying emperical evidence that was pointing to ST but ST is not that cut and dry. The book that I just finnished reading "The Trouble with Physics" by Lee Smolin has painted a dark picture for ST. ST has taken on some religious connotation's that can be eximplified by the argument that took place between the Church and Science, when the observations confimed that the Earth was not the center of the Solar System but the Sun was. When the Earth was the center of the Solar System, the system was so complicated to explain the motion of the sun and planets that it was ridiclous, but once the Sun was place at the center of the Solor System the motion of the Sun and Planets became simplified and able to make accurate prodictions relating the to Solar System.
With ST instead of epicircles you have dimensions, and with these dimensions you have equations that are so complicated that they can not be solve. From what I understand right now there are 11 dimensions in ST, in some other books of ST I have read that there are 16 dimensions; that just seems to complicated to me, and it does not represent the universe that I live in. The other problem that ST has is that the theory does not make any predictions and it is untestable. Once the new super collider comes operational, maybe ST can be tested and evaluated like other theorys have been.
From all the books that I have read on string theory (the ones by Brain Greene), and the shows that I have seen on NOVA about ST I had always thought that there was some underlying emperical evidence that was pointing to ST but ST is not that cut and dry. The book that I just finnished reading "The Trouble with Physics" by Lee Smolin has painted a dark picture for ST. ST has taken on some religious connotation's that can be eximplified by the argument that took place between the Church and Science, when the observations confimed that the Earth was not the center of the Solar System but the Sun was. When the Earth was the center of the Solar System, the system was so complicated to explain the motion of the sun and planets that it was ridiclous, but once the Sun was place at the center of the Solor System the motion of the Sun and Planets became simplified and able to make accurate prodictions relating the to Solar System.
With ST instead of epicircles you have dimensions, and with these dimensions you have equations that are so complicated that they can not be solve. From what I understand right now there are 11 dimensions in ST, in some other books of ST I have read that there are 16 dimensions; that just seems to complicated to me, and it does not represent the universe that I live in. The other problem that ST has is that the theory does not make any predictions and it is untestable. Once the new super collider comes operational, maybe ST can be tested and evaluated like other theorys have been.
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