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On 13 Feb 2003 at 16:51, Eric Cordian wrote:
> If the small scale structure of the universe isn't
> manifold-like, then a theory which says it is an
> 11-dimensional manifold is not a great leap over a theory
> which says it is a 4-dimensional manifold.
As one approaches the plank length, the structure of space time
will become more like fractal quantum foam, with an
increasingly complex topology. Therefore, at distances
comparable with the plank length, spacetime will not have a
definite dimensionality. It might be that in the limit of
very small distances, it becomes eleven dimensional, or it
might be that the description of spacetime at distances smaller
than the plank length cannot be given any definite
dimensionality.
> The measure of the usefulness of a new theory is the
> increment in predictive power over the prior way of thinking
> about it. Not how many pages you can cover with
> indecipherable equations that are "Friggin' Hard."
The shape of standard particle physics suggests that all of
what we think of as physical law is the result of spontaneous
symmetry breaking, merely a particular solution to a set of
highly non linear equations, that have an infinite number of
possible solutions, most of which correspond to universes
nothing like our own -- that at sufficiently small scales and
sufficiently high energies we encounter a metaphysics, capable
of generating an infinite variety of systems of physical law.
Suppose we had the ultimate theory of everything handed to us
on a platter by supercilious aliens. In order to test it we
first would have to find the solution, out of an infinite
number of solutions, that corresponds to the normal physics of
the universe. It seems likely that just finding the solution
that corresponds to our vacuum would be very difficult indeed.
Suppose we had the theory of everything, and suppose we could
solve it, and suppose we could manipulte energies trillions of
trillions of times larger than those we can now manipulate,
with precision trillions of trillions of times larger than we
can now control. Then we could remake a small region of space
time to have physical laws that we might find more convenient
for some purposes.
All of this, however, seems hard.
--digsig
James A. Donald
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