Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

A mysterious connection between number theory, algebra and string theory?

quantamagazine.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 91 posts

Re: A mysterious connection between number theory, algebra and string theory?

#31

Post by privong »

j2kun wrote: post #27
rrss1122 wrote: post #21

String theorists should stop referring to themselves as physicists and just accept they're pure mathematicians already. String theory makes for an interesting branch of mathematics, but an awful excuse for a physical theory.

The problem is physicists tend to use "intuition" to prove things. I don't know any string theorists, but if they were trained to think like physicists then it's probably not any different.

> The problem is physicists tend to use "intuition" to prove things.

That is not correct (or I am completely misunderstanding what you intended to say). There's a huge component of physics that is experimental, and those experiments are used to develop and test models and theories. Initution comes into play when developing theories or thinking about new directions to take experiments, but intution is not and cannot be a substitue for experimental evidence.

Re: A mysterious connection between number theory, algebra and string theory?

#32

Post by saraid216 »

johnchristopher wrote: post #10
ganeumann wrote: post #3

Both physics and the unreasonable success of math at explaining the world make much more sense if you just assume we are living in a math equation.

It may make much more sens but it doesn't answer two fundamental questions of mine: why is there something instead of nothing and what do I do now ? I doubt we'll ever get the answer to the first one in this life/physical realm. Philosophy can help ponder over the second one though.

> what do I do now ?

The basic response to this question is "What should you do?"

Western civilization is founded on a particular justification for answering this question.

Re: A mysterious connection between number theory, algebra and string theory?

#33

Post by Vraxx »

j2kun wrote: post #27
rrss1122 wrote: post #21

String theorists should stop referring to themselves as physicists and just accept they're pure mathematicians already. String theory makes for an interesting branch of mathematics, but an awful excuse for a physical theory.

The problem is physicists tend to use "intuition" to prove things. I don't know any string theorists, but if they were trained to think like physicists then it's probably not any different.

That's a bit of an oversimplification that I'd like to point out. Math proofs are certainly more rigorous and physics does rely on a bit more of an intuitive property in some ways, but that doesn't mean that intuition is the main source of proving things in physics. A bit of empirical evidence falls in there too. (Something mathematicians don't rely on as heavily :P)

Re: A mysterious connection between number theory, algebra and string theory?

#34

Post by dimillian »

So I think this is more a philosophical question but ...

As humans, we created mathematics, this is something we created from "nothing"(?) in order to explain, rationalise things we observe. Now, how can we assume that the universe is logical, and that it can be explained by mathematical equations that WE create?

This is bugging my mind every time I think about it.

Re: A mysterious connection between number theory, algebra and string theory?

#35

Post by kej »

oafitupa wrote: post #25

Math and physics look like a lot of fun. Does anyone know if the real fun only starts after like a decade of studying?

The fun part is that there will be new things to learn about how numbers work after a single day and after a decade.

Re: A mysterious connection between number theory, algebra and string theory?

#36

Post by heed »

dimillian wrote: post #34

So I think this is more a philosophical question but ... As humans, we created mathematics, this is something we created from "nothing"(?) in order to explain, rationalise things we observe. Now, how can we assume that the universe is logical, and that it can be explained by mathematical equations that WE create? This is bugging my mind every time I think about it.

We didn't create mathematics, we discovered it.

Re: A mysterious connection between number theory, algebra and string theory?

#37

Post by amelius »

heed wrote: post #36
dimillian wrote: post #34

So I think this is more a philosophical question but ... As humans, we created mathematics, this is something we created from "nothing"(?) in order to explain, rationalise things we observe. Now, how can we assume that the universe is logical, and that it can be explained by mathematical equations that WE create? This is bugging my mind every time I think about it.

We didn't create mathematics, we discovered it.

"God made the integers, all else is the work of man." -- Leopold Kronecker

Re: A mysterious connection between number theory, algebra and string theory?

#38

Post by dimillian »

heed wrote: post #36
dimillian wrote: post #34

So I think this is more a philosophical question but ... As humans, we created mathematics, this is something we created from "nothing"(?) in order to explain, rationalise things we observe. Now, how can we assume that the universe is logical, and that it can be explained by mathematical equations that WE create? This is bugging my mind every time I think about it.

We didn't create mathematics, we discovered it.

Is this backed? I mean, this is still and will forever be a debate, do we discovered or invented mathematics?

Re: A mysterious connection between number theory, algebra and string theory?

#39

Post by peterlk »

dimillian wrote: post #34

So I think this is more a philosophical question but ... As humans, we created mathematics, this is something we created from "nothing"(?) in order to explain, rationalise things we observe. Now, how can we assume that the universe is logical, and that it can be explained by mathematical equations that WE create? This is bugging my mind every time I think about it.

Yes, I think this is a philosophical question. The way that I've always come to terms with this question is that humans are a natural outcome of pattern in the universe. We are, after all, just atoms observing other atoms. Fortunately, we're rather complex patterns, so the emergent patterns that form from us are also complex. Math is just a language for describing pattern. The further you go into math, the more patterns on patterns you discover (that's the point of abstraction). To answer your question, I think it's some amount of both. There are basic patterns in the universe that allow for emergent patterns/behavior. So the mathematical equations that we create are just eddies in abstract, emergent pattern.

Re: A mysterious connection between number theory, algebra and string theory?

#40

Post by kordless »

wyager wrote: post #22
JonnieCache wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What would that even mean though? People throw around these "universe is a computation" ideas without ever making any predictions. Do you think you're living in the matrix? Or do you just think that quantum mechanics can be fully simulated on a classical turing machine? Here is the almighty Scott Aaronson to set us right on the subject: http://www.closertotruth.com/series/the-cosmos-computer#vide... http://www.closer…

>What would that even mean though? That all physical systems are governed by equations rather than, say, gnomes pulling levers. >Or do you just think that quantum mechanics can be fully simulated on a classical turing machine? This seems quite reasonable. There's no good reason this couldn't be the case, and quantization of fundamental units like Energy-time/Momentum-distance is certainly something that a programmer…

Don't forget worrying about hackers.
Post reply on HN