Parallel Universes

[Jon Silberman]

Actually, it's not really fair to suggest (if indeed you are) that scientists are fudging the math behind string theory to support it. A more accurate statement might be that string theory implies the existence of additional dimensions.

As for conceptualizing them as opposite worlds, all conceptualizations are fabricated, but this one may not be all that far off as opposite can mean a lot of things (for example, the Hebrew words commonly translated as "helpmate" in the Garden of Eden story, "ezer k'negdo," mean literally, "opposing helper").

[suckamc]

See, that's why I love you, GreggoryPeccary (Rickc, too, nice contribution). The non-empirical stuff that passes for science is all the more funny when the guys passing it along embrace that priestly role... not to mention when they talk about how they "discovered" things about strings, other universes, etc.

And Jon, they weren't talking about "fudging" the math.

[suckamc]

Rick, don't delete the post. It was a good addition.

[cbstrat]

I blew my mind trying to comprehend infinity and never got it back.

[neastguy]

all I know is I'm eating a bucket of cheeseballs right now and I know I shouldn't be

[rob2001]

Originally Posted by Jon Silberman

As I understand it, parallel universes are a mathematical construct developed as an alternative explanation for the outcomes the Copenhagen school of physics explains via the collapsing of quantum wave states. With parallel universes, it is not necessary to postulate that when a quantum uncertainty collapses, it must "choose" one of a pair of possible outcomes. This is because, under the parallel (or alternative) universes model, both outcomes occur, only in separate universes. This may seem strange to read (as much quantum physics is) but the dimensional math is relatively straightforward.

We need a new emoticon of something flying right over a guys head!

For now, this will have to do.....

[stratovarius]

I try to separte science from Star Trek.

[Jon Silberman]

Originally Posted by suckamc

And Jon, they weren't talking about "fudging" the math.

As the post I was primarily responding to was self-deleted by its author, no need to pursue this further now.

[RickC]

Oh, you must mean me

Yes, I said something to the effect that, for example in String Theory, the process has been to keep adding dimensions to make the math work out. I'm not alone in that interpretation.

I believe it's still true (last time I looked) that String Theory is still untested and unsupported by any experimental results. And along with it, the idea of eleven dimensions, which is required to keep the theory afloat.

/rick

[whitehall]

Yes they have them, but I understand the food sucks.

[DrSax]

Originally Posted by Jon Silberman

As I understand it, parallel universes are a mathematical construct developed as an alternative explanation for the outcomes the Copenhagen school of physics explains via the collapsing of quantum wave states. With parallel universes, it is not necessary to postulate that when a quantum uncertainty collapses, it must "choose" one of a pair of possible outcomes. This is because, under the parallel (or alternative) universes model, both outcomes occur, only in separate universes. This may seem strange to read (as much quantum physics is) but the dimensional math is relatively straightforward.

[sodapopinski]

i remember watching a saturday morning special on ABC (or might have been NBC) where a kid wakes up and he finds that he is in a parallel universe where everything is the same except people are dinosaurs...
man, i miss those days where simple things amused me...

[Dave Klausner]

The 11 dimensions of String Theory, as well as the Muliverses postulated by many of its proponents, are largely unrelated to the Many Worlds interpretation of Quantum Mechanics (one could stretch it and say that the Multiverse is the product of all the possible states of physics, but not of all possible quantum states). Jon is correct in that it is one explanation of the main paradox in Quantum Mechanics - the fact that the universe appears to exist as a probability matrix until we observe it, at which point it seems to collapse into the sort of singular reality we are used to dealing with. It basically says that anything that can exist. does exist, somewhere in space/time. Or as physicist Murray Gell-Mann says, "Anything not allowed is forbidden. Anything not forbidden is compulsory." It is the only interpretation that is mathematically sound, but it is very perceptually difficult to accept.

In his excellent book, The Quark and the Jaguar, Gell-Mann says that we should be talking about parallel histories, not parallel worlds, as though that should make it easy for anyone to get. I'm afraid it didn't help me much...

For a fun and informative look at Quantum Mechanics, check out Robert Anton Wilson's "Schrodinger's Cat Trilogy." He basically tells the same story through the 3 main interpretations of the Quantum Mechanics paradox.

[Urban Spaceman]

I always thought that there was a planet plectrum that sucked all our plectra into its own universe and replaced them with pens in exchange. This would explain why there are always millions of pens yet try finding a plectrum when you need one.

[Lution]

Yes, I believe there are multiple dimensions and alternate universes. I believe the reason we have great difficulty to physically perceive them and/or see them is due to our limited level of bodily senses. Our ears only hear a limited area of frequency. Our eyes only see a limited area of vision. I don't think math is the way to get through to them. I believe opening up and expanding our awareness to a wider area gets us there. The poster who talked about his room-mate who did a fair amount of mescaline is probably right on track with how to get there by the use of the perception enhancing substances. . . I do believe there are other natural ways to get there without the use of substances, but the substances do help to find the pathway.