The string theorists were scammed??

Xringer · 04-09-12, 11:03 AM

Amazon.com: Peter W. Shor's review of The Trouble With Physics: The Rise of Stri...

I'm thinking of buying an old book, and saw this information in an old review.

(1) String theory has been around in some form or another for over 40 years.
(2) In that time, it has not made ONE SINGLE PREDICTION that has been verified experimentally.
(3) It is not likely that in the near future it WILL make one prediction that can be verified experimentally.

Is this still true? Has String theory really been a giant waste of time and money? Still? In 2012?

roflwaffle · 04-09-12, 02:40 PM

Screw string theory, math isn't experimentally verifiable and we've been developing it for thousands of years!

Piwoslaw · 04-09-12, 03:33 PM

Math can prove that something can't be proven...

strider3700 · 04-09-12, 09:32 PM

Some of einsteins early predictions have only recently been proven experimentally. Something like 80 years between prediction and proof. I'm not at all shocked we haven't yet developed the tech to test some of the more theoretical science out there these days.

Xringer · 04-09-12, 10:09 PM

IIRC, one proof was the bending of star light around the sun. Which was observed
during a total eclipse.
Tests of general relativity - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Yeah, that was in 1919. That kinda made folks think GR was going to work out.

But, the idea that nothing can exceed the speed of light seems to be under fire now.
UPDATE 2-Faster than light particles may be physics revolution | Reuters

I'm interested in why so many people (and resources) are devoted to string theory.

Maybe it's the fact that there isn't any proof, and it looks like there never will be any.
Makes people get on-board, because they want to be the hero that solves it. Proves it.

I ordered the book. It sounds like the last part might be very interesting.

~~~
Speaking of resources, I've been hearing about one of the labs at MIT is going to
be laying off a lot of the people involved in Fusion R&D work.
It seems MIT wants to put more money into other research, that might be easier to
get accomplished in our life times.

Austerity measures in fusion research (when we really need clean power), seems reckless.
One would think they would cut the Strings first.?.

Piwoslaw · 04-10-12, 12:21 AM

From what I have read, ST can be proven, but we just don't have the resources yet (we'd need our Sun's equivalent of energy, for example). Maybe all of the scientists working on it now can come up with a way to prove ST within our lifetimes and today's capabilities?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xringer

Speaking of resources, I've been hearing about one of the labs at MIT is going to be laying off a lot of the people involved in Fusion R&D work. It seems MIT wants to put more money into other research, that might be easier to get accomplished in our life times.

Austerity measures in fusion research (when we really need clean power), seems reckless.

Reminds me of share holders looking no farther than the quarterly profit, instead of long-term investments

Xringer · 04-10-12, 07:16 AM

Because of the 'feeling' that America is running out of electrical energy,
there is a sense of urgency to come up with more power supplies ASAP.

MIT has been doing a lot of PV research lately.

Xringer · 04-30-12, 08:22 AM

The summer bike riding weather is upon us! But, I've started reading the book in my spare time.
So far, it's not putting me to sleep.

But, at this rate, it's going to take me a long time to finish it.
For now, I have to avoid starting another book. That habit has caused me to own a stack of of half read books!
These days, that book stack seems to have become a part of my bucket list..

Somehow or another, I always manage to find a few interesting books,
when we visit the NH lakes area on summer vacation.
Since I've been retired for five years now, I'm not sure why we keep heading for lake Winnie every summer..?.
Like Lemmings?

Xringer · 04-30-12, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xringer

IIRC,

UPDATE 2-Faster than light particles may be physics revolution | Reuters

?.

Found a follow-up to this FTL story..
A puzzle solved at CERN | Fox News

They say it was a timing error.. I guess they are going to fix it, and try again.?.

Their paper shows they were using a standard high-accuracy GPS locked clock..
http://static.arxiv.org/pdf/1109.4897.pdf
It's the same kind of stable clock system used in any experiment
where you want the best accuracy available.

More testing being done now.. Or last month?
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/17/sc...peed.html?_r=1

04-09-12, 11:03 AM	#1
Xringer Lex Parsimoniae Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Woburn, MA Posts: 4,918 Thanks: 114 Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts	The string theorists were scammed?? Amazon.com: Peter W. Shor's review of The Trouble With Physics: The Rise of Stri... I'm thinking of buying an old book, and saw this information in an old review. (1) String theory has been around in some form or another for over 40 years. (2) In that time, it has not made ONE SINGLE PREDICTION that has been verified experimentally. (3) It is not likely that in the near future it WILL make one prediction that can be verified experimentally. Is this still true? Has String theory really been a giant waste of time and money? Still? In 2012? __________________ My hobby is installing & trying to repair mini-splits EPA 608 Type 1 Technician Certification ~ 5 lbs or less..

04-09-12, 03:33 PM	#3
Piwoslaw Super Moderator Join Date: May 2009 Location: Warsaw, Poland Posts: 961 Thanks: 188 Thanked 110 Times in 86 Posts	Math can prove that something can't be proven... __________________ Ecorenovation - the bottomless piggy bank that tries to tame the energy hog.

04-09-12, 10:09 PM	#5
Xringer Lex Parsimoniae Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Woburn, MA Posts: 4,918 Thanks: 114 Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts	IIRC, one proof was the bending of star light around the sun. Which was observed during a total eclipse. Tests of general relativity - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Yeah, that was in 1919. That kinda made folks think GR was going to work out. But, the idea that nothing can exceed the speed of light seems to be under fire now. UPDATE 2-Faster than light particles may be physics revolution \| Reuters I'm interested in why so many people (and resources) are devoted to string theory. Maybe it's the fact that there isn't any proof, and it looks like there never will be any. Makes people get on-board, because they want to be the hero that solves it. Proves it. I ordered the book. It sounds like the last part might be very interesting. ~~~ Speaking of resources, I've been hearing about one of the labs at MIT is going to be laying off a lot of the people involved in Fusion R&D work. It seems MIT wants to put more money into other research, that might be easier to get accomplished in our life times. Austerity measures in fusion research (when we really need clean power), seems reckless. One would think they would cut the Strings first.?. __________________ My hobby is installing & trying to repair mini-splits EPA 608 Type 1 Technician Certification ~ 5 lbs or less..

04-10-12, 07:16 AM	#7
Xringer Lex Parsimoniae Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Woburn, MA Posts: 4,918 Thanks: 114 Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts	Because of the 'feeling' that America is running out of electrical energy, there is a sense of urgency to come up with more power supplies ASAP. MIT has been doing a lot of PV research lately. __________________ My hobby is installing & trying to repair mini-splits EPA 608 Type 1 Technician Certification ~ 5 lbs or less..

04-30-12, 08:22 AM	#8
Xringer Lex Parsimoniae Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Woburn, MA Posts: 4,918 Thanks: 114 Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts	The summer bike riding weather is upon us! But, I've started reading the book in my spare time. So far, it's not putting me to sleep. But, at this rate, it's going to take me a long time to finish it. For now, I have to avoid starting another book. That habit has caused me to own a stack of of half read books! These days, that book stack seems to have become a part of my bucket list.. Somehow or another, I always manage to find a few interesting books, when we visit the NH lakes area on summer vacation. Since I've been retired for five years now, I'm not sure why we keep heading for lake Winnie every summer..?. Like Lemmings? __________________ My hobby is installing & trying to repair mini-splits EPA 608 Type 1 Technician Certification ~ 5 lbs or less..

04-09-12, 02:40 PM	#2
roflwaffle Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 116 Thanks: 29 Thanked 12 Times in 11 Posts	Screw string theory, math isn't experimentally verifiable and we've been developing it for thousands of years!

04-09-12, 09:32 PM	#4
strider3700 Master EcoRenovator Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Vancouver Island BC Posts: 745 Thanks: 23 Thanked 37 Times in 30 Posts	Some of einsteins early predictions have only recently been proven experimentally. Something like 80 years between prediction and proof. I'm not at all shocked we haven't yet developed the tech to test some of the more theoretical science out there these days.