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New theory claims to unite Einstein's gravity with quantum mechanics

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161–170 of 203 posts

Re: New theory claims to unite Einstein's gravity with quantum mechanics

#161
post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is there something fundamental that breaks when information is allowed to be destroyed?

Wouldn't that prevent time from going in reverse?

Isn't the growth of entropy preventing this already at the macro scale? Isn't it similar to the loss of information, because it's a transition from a less-probable state to a more-probable state?

Re: New theory claims to unite Einstein's gravity with quantum mechanics

#162
post #152

Holy hell, talk about burying the lede here! The last sentence of the whole article is: The new theory allows for information to be destroyed, due to a fundamental breakdown in predictability. Are you kidding me?!

Is there something fundamental that breaks when information is allowed to be destroyed?

I mean essentially, quantum physics only works if information can't be destroyed.

Re: New theory claims to unite Einstein's gravity with quantum mechanics

#163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Turns out the only interesting thing is how sloppy my reading is (and how quick I am to blame others for that sloppiness…). I simply missed the second “each” below: > Should space-time be shown to be quantum, the loser will give to each of the winners, one ITEM of their choice. If the alternative hypothesis is deemed to be correct, the losers will each give 5,000 ITEMS to the winner.

Given this each, I'm surprised the headline isn't 10,000:1 bet. Also, who wants 10,000 <$20 items? It's a cool payout, but if I wanted to spend ~$200,000, I wouldn't do it in 10,000 pieces.

It's not $20. It's 20 British pence - about 25 cents.... "Examples include some crisps, a bazinga ball, a small amount of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, or wine."

Re: New theory claims to unite Einstein's gravity with quantum mechanics

#164
post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> a small amount of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, or wine I think we can guess who write up the contract!

The contract doesn't specify what kind of balsamic vinegar. Supermarket balsamic is just a mixture of colourings and flavourings. Proper solera balsamic is sipped as an aperitif, and is much too expensive for me to have ever tasted.

Why not have both: salt 'n' vinegar flavour crisps?

Re: New theory claims to unite Einstein's gravity with quantum mechanics

#166
post #3

The various standard kilograms held by the national bodies, and the prototype standard kilogram in paris, were measured very precisely over the past hundred years, and their weights did seem to diverge mysteriously.

If I understand correctly this theory would manifest itself as variation in measuring the same standard kilogram over and over (to a precision beyond what we are currently capable of), whereas divergence between different standard kilograms could have other unrelated causes.

Re: New theory claims to unite Einstein's gravity with quantum mechanics

#167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you give any examples of times you’ve easily anticipated X when a whole field of subject matter experts have demonstrably overlooked it?

Can't speak for OP, but I've had more than a few similar experiences (from both sides of the fence FWIW). I can think of one example in software deployment frequency. The observation (many years ago), was that it's painful and risky (therefore, expensive) to deploy software, so we should do it as infrequently as the market will allow. Many companies used to be on annual release schedules, some even longer. Many organ…

That's more "the experts had a (wrong) opinion on something" than "the experts overlooked something obvious". They didn't overlook it, they thought about it and came to a conclusion.

And if by "many years ago" you refer to a period where software deployment was mostly offline and through physical media, then it was indeed painful and risky (and therefore expensive). The experts weren't wrong back then.

Re: New theory claims to unite Einstein's gravity with quantum mechanics

#168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Usually when people say something is untestable they don't mean like the Higgs Boson. It was testable, they just needed the proper tools. This was always known and was being actively worked towards. An untestable theory is one that cannot be tested regardless of the tools due to the nature of the theory. Multiverse is an example of an untestable theory. There is no way we know of to actually prove or disprove it. And…

Isn't the term for this "unfalsifiable"?

A theory can be untestable but also falsifiable. For example, while the multiverse theory/interpretation may be untestable, it could be immediately falsified if QM were falsified.

Popper's falsifiability criterion was more aimed at theories like Marxism, where it seemed that within the theory there was always something available to account for an exception or challenge.

Re: New theory claims to unite Einstein's gravity with quantum mechanics

#169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you give any examples of times you’ve easily anticipated X when a whole field of subject matter experts have demonstrably overlooked it?

I don't really agree with the OP, but I do think there is at least one, possibly two such examples. The pretty clear one is nutrition: the vast majority of studies and recommendations made over the years are pure bullshit, and quite transparently so. They either study a handful of people in detail, or a huge swathe of population in aggregate, and get so many confounding variables that there is 0 explanatory power in…

Is that an example of "the experts didn't actually think of [simple explanation]" though?

Re: New theory claims to unite Einstein's gravity with quantum mechanics

#170
post #155

I believe gravity can be both quantizable and non quantizable. Gravitons could be like phonons (quantized sound waves) and only exist in the solid state of space time. In the fluid state of space time gravitons don’t exist ( Similar to the fact that phonons can only exist in solids, but not in fluids).

What are the solid and fluid states of spacetime?
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