Brain Explosions
I am now reading Brian Clegg's "Before The Big Bang".
It begins as a history of theories of the origin of the universe and then moves on to new theories of a multiverse, with many alternatives. These include giant membranes that leak gravity causing them to attract and eventually crash into each other and so spawning a new universe; one composed of tiny one-dimensional strings whose vibrations in 10 different dimensions create all that exists (So, where did the strings come from? Did they always exist?); then there's M theory which adds the dimension of time (if I understand it correctly); probability theory creating one of many universes that happens to be conducive to life (as we know it), i.e. a "Goldilocks" universe (just right). a Quantum Gravity Loop (don't ask!)
The thing that makes my head explode is to imagine people actually translating these theories into mathematical calculations (or, in the case of String Theory, creating a theory from the mathematics).
Clegg is kind enough to eliminate the physics/math calculations and formulas, and even then, it causes me brain fatigue. I can't imagine how there are people who are actually conversant in these areas! (and whose brains remain whole).
It begins as a history of theories of the origin of the universe and then moves on to new theories of a multiverse, with many alternatives. These include giant membranes that leak gravity causing them to attract and eventually crash into each other and so spawning a new universe; one composed of tiny one-dimensional strings whose vibrations in 10 different dimensions create all that exists (So, where did the strings come from? Did they always exist?); then there's M theory which adds the dimension of time (if I understand it correctly); probability theory creating one of many universes that happens to be conducive to life (as we know it), i.e. a "Goldilocks" universe (just right). a Quantum Gravity Loop (don't ask!)
The thing that makes my head explode is to imagine people actually translating these theories into mathematical calculations (or, in the case of String Theory, creating a theory from the mathematics).
Clegg is kind enough to eliminate the physics/math calculations and formulas, and even then, it causes me brain fatigue. I can't imagine how there are people who are actually conversant in these areas! (and whose brains remain whole).
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