Seeing that Rick is reading the Elegant Universe made me remember that I still had the third and final episode of the Nova special on the Elegant Universe on the Tivo. Having just taken the time to finish it, I think that I will have to put the book on my reading list, although it will probably take a back burner to The Road to Reality : A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe — a book that I have sitting on my bookshelf, waiting to be read when I have the time.
This third episode mentioned a theory called M-theory that is seen as the successor to string theory. The show made two comments that left me puzzled; therefore, I want to read the book to see if my questions are resolved or whether it is an unknown part of the theory. M-theory posits that our universe might exist on a 4-dimensional (mem)brane that coexists with other 4-dimensional branes in 11-dimensional space. The first thing that really bothered me is the thought that gravity is not weaker than the other forces, but rather the energy of gravity bleeds off into these other branes. One of the experiments that physicists believe would help bolster M-theory is that they should be able to see a graviton be created in a particle accelerator and then see it disappear as it bleeds off into a different brane. What bugs me about that is that it should work in reverse. I think that gravitons from these other branes should be able to bleed into our universe and would appear as gravitational fields with no known source. Obviously, we do not see that happen — at least as far as I know. So, I do not see how that could be a valid part of the theory. Maybe the book will explain that.
The second thing that bugged me is the thought that the Big Bang was caused by two of these 4-dimensional branes bumping into each other and causing the explosion of energy that we believe is the Big Bang. What I do not like about this is that it really does not answer any questions. Sure, maybe that could explain from whence our universe came. However, it is suggesting that there is something outside of the universe and giving no explanation for it. Another thought about the Big Bang is that I do not know what troubles me more: the thought of the universe having a beginning (where did it come from?) or the thought that the universe is completely eternal (infinity bothers me to think about and once again, where did it come from?). Please, before you try to answer the question with “God created it,” remember my responses — “Infinity bothers me to think about” and “Where did it come from?”
Thus ends my physical and metaphysical ramblings for the night, at least on this site.
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From the elegant universe, the author mentioned that infinity is just a sign that the science is wrong. String theory is needed to reconcile what happens when you bring together the large masses involved in general relativity with the small sizes of quantum mechanics. Apparantly when both those pieces are put together, there are many infinite, non-sensical predictions.