The trouble with physics is in eye of the beholderIn the review by Fred Bortz ("Relatively Speaking, This Theory's a Mess," Dec. 31, Books) of "The Trouble With Physics: The Rise of String Theory, the Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next" by Lee Smolin and "Not Even Wrong: The Failure of String Theory and the Search for Unity in Physical Law" by Peter Woit, it stated: "Physics has hit an uncommonly long dry spell."
by Edsel Chromie, Escondido
January 7, 2007
Actually, Brad Smith, a leader of Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientists, said: "Scientists are junking many of their once tidy theories that have been shot to hell by the spacecraft." So, for the first time in history, theoretical science has taken a huge step backward, not just hit a dry spell.
In a Dec. 16, 1997, NASA news conference, Torrence Johnson of JPL said: "Trying to update our textbooks is proving to be difficult. We can't just take our previous text and add a few lines. We're having to tear it up and literally rewrite the textbooks."
As the review states, "Most readers will never succeed in envisioning extra curled up dimensions of space-time or understand the implications of symmetries in those additional dimensions. Still, the books can enable them to appreciate how more mathematically oriented minds can see unification between grainy quantum mechanics and smooth theories of the gravitational force."
Indeed, the problem is the narrow focus on the "smooth theories of the gravitational force" while totally ignoring the contribution of magnetic field current energy in creating the bizarre anomalies of the phenomena that the scientists now publicly concede has them "bewildered explorers."
It is the inability of the theorists to resolve the position of gravity with the weak nuclear force, the strong nuclear force and the electromagnetic force that prevents the acceptance of the string theory.
Once scientists realize that gravity was not a primary force but a secondary result of the accumulation of a sufficient mass created by the weak nuclear force, the strong nuclear force and the electromagnetic force generating the force of gravity, the string theory would make sense and match the mathematical equations that are correct. This would lead to the "grand unification" of all known forces and particles into a single theory. Surely, Smolin and Woit would understand this and, undoubtedly, most of the subscribers to the Union Tribune would understand this explanation.
Shor is alot ta think about.