The wonders of an 11-dimensional universe

Boston Globe ^ | 3/21/2004 | By Anthony Doerr

[vannrox]

If I stand at the end of my street, and you speed past me at 90 miles an hour in your Ford Escort, your watch will tick off seconds slightly more slowly than mine. That, to me, is strange. But, fine, I can absorb general relativity. It's actually quite beautiful, when you think about it. Space and time are in the eye of the beholder.

At least Einstein believed that an object in his kitchen could not be affected by what I do to an object in my kitchen. Physics, he believed, was local.

Turns out he was wrong. Enter quantum theory. Getting a handle on quantum makes relativity look like child's play. According to the principle of quantum entanglement, two little constituents of matter can reside in completely different parts of the universe, and not have completely independent existences. (Does that make you think of human families?)

This stuff is hard to fit our brains around because it's inconsistent with the ''realities" of daily life. Newtonian physics describes, with ease, just about every single experience we'll ever have. Airplanes fly; boats float; inside the box I'm taking to my veterinarian, my cat is either dead or alive. An apple falls; it hits us on the head.

[vannrox]

---interesting

[TopQuark]

quantum equations fail when applied to the macrouniverse (trucks, planets, etc.).

The man can't read and should not write.

[lizma]

Chaos vs. Quagmire?

[stylin_geek]

Chaos vs. Quarkmire

[lizma]

LOL!

[Michael Barnes]

Online program from Nova, The Elegant Universe which covers M Theory, strings, branes, etc...Cool show for free..

[TBall]

So if a tree falls and no one is around will it have any connection to another tree falling in separate uninhabited forest?

[Fiddlstix]

Hmmmmm...........

[RightWingAtheist]

The author, Brian Greene, was here at the U of Minn to give a talk and book signing two weeks ago. I missed it dure to a midterm, dammit.

[RightWingAtheist]

New rule: all discussions of extra dimensions must be accompanied by a picture of Harvard physicist Lisa Randall, Ann Coulter's sole rival in the brain/beauty ratio sweepstakes:

[maro]

I know Lisa from when she was a brunette.

[Waco]

What Bill Klinton is doing with an intern in his bedroom, is/is not directly related/influenced/affected by what Michael Jackson and Pewee Heman and Jimmy Carter are doing in their bedrooms? Explain in 25 words or less.

[skinkinthegrass]

Explain in 25 words or less.

..not touchin' that.