The difficulty of simplifying the universe is that the theoretical concepts devised by physicists do not easily lend themselves to most of us undereducated laymen. Yet, from these three interrelated links of spacetime conjectures I have excerpted below, I did find the description of our everyday world to be, as it says, familiar: “In everyday life, there are three familiar dimensions of space (up/down, left/right, and forward/backward), and there is one dimension of time (later/earlier). Thus, in the language of modern physics, one says that spacetime is four-dimensional.”
I found it interesting that four-dimensional spacetime does not contain the defined present. The grand here and now moment that is ubiquitous and perpetual for everyday life.
To the untrained layman the physical sciences are usually incomprehensible or minimally, mindboggling. Considering the basic education challenges we face here in Vermont and across the nation, that deficit will not likely soon change.
Any description of something in formal or pure mathematical, or logical terms tends to keep us everyday folks in the dark who are either too content with their playthings or who toil too hard just to survive. Most humans carry the necessary wiring to grasp and act on higher concepts but our everyday world has too many other things on its mind.
Education is often seen as more of a mandatory drudge. The joy of learning, the excitement of knowledge, the self-correcting analysis of what we thought we knew can get lost in a haze of opinions and beliefs of little import. When we do question “why” we usually turn our thoughts to our own little narcissistic, vain, self-centered world.
The following excerpts can take you where many of have not been before, with links to entice you to travel the deep and the wide in an other-worldly view few can understand, and most will never see:
EXCERPTS
Today mirror symmetry is a major research topic in pure mathematics, and mathematicians are working to develop a mathematical understanding of the relationship based on physicists’ intuition. Mirror symmetry is also a fundamental tool for doing calculations in string theory, and it has been used to understand aspects of quantum field theory, the formalism that physicists use to describe elementary particles. There are notable differences between the world described by string theory and the everyday world. In everyday life, there are three familiar dimensions of space (up/down, left/right, and forward/backward), and there is one dimension of time (later/earlier). Thus, in the language of modern physics, one says that spacetime is four-dimensional.[2] One of the peculiar features of string theory is that it requires extra dimensions of spacetime for its mathematical consistency. In superstring theory, the version of the theory that incorporates a theoretical idea called supersymmetry, there are six extra dimensions of spacetime in addition to the four that are familiar from everyday experience.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_symmetry_(string_theory)
A theory of everything (ToE) or final theory, ultimate theory or master theory refers to the hypothetical presence of a single, all-encompassing, coherent theoretical framework of physics that fully explains and links together all physical aspects of the universe.[1] ToE is one of the major unsolved problems in physics. Over the past few centuries, two theoretical frameworks have been developed that, as a whole, most closely resemble a ToE. The two theories upon which all modern physics rests are General Relativity (GR) and Quantum Mechanics (QM). GR is a theoretical framework that only focuses on the force of gravity for understanding the universe in regions of both large-scale and high-mass: stars, galaxies, clusters of galaxies, etc. On the other hand, QM is a theoretical framework that only focuses on three non-gravitational forces for understanding the universe in regions of both small scale and low mass: sub-atomic particles, atoms, molecules, etc. QM successfully implemented the Standard Model and unified the interactions (so-called grand unified theory) between the three non-gravitational forces: weak, strong and electromagnetic force.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_everything
Since string theory incorporates all of the fundamental interactions, including gravity, many physicists hope that it fully describes our universe, making it a theory of everything. One of the goals of current research in string theory is to find a solution of the theory that is quantitatively identical with the standard model, with a small cosmological constant, containing dark matter and a plausible mechanism for cosmic inflation. It is not yet known whether string theory has such a solution, nor is it known how much freedom the theory allows to choose the details.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/String_theory
It could be fun
What’s hard about understanding a six-dimensional Calabi Yau manifold? : )
(Everyone knows a Calabi-Yau space is characterized by the existence of a nonvanishing harmonic spinor phi. This condition implies that its canonical bundle is trivial.)
There are some good books on modern physics theories written for curious laypeople, but they can be challenging because the subject is dense. An understanding of the history of physics is helpful, and some of the books do a good job of placing the new science in context. See ‘The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory’ by Brian Greene.
I like thinking of how we might use the extra, tiny dimensions. If they are there, it must be for a good reason. Can we banish things to them? Be powered by them? Use them as portals?
I also enjoy string theory in that everything, they posit, is made of tiny vibrating strings, and that their frequency determines what they become. Change your frequency and alter your outcome.
Science inclinations
I ran into a local earlier who always likes my science inclinations, but loved your comment. :~)
Unified field theory
In physics, a unified field theory (UFT), occasionally referred to as a uniform field theory, is a type of field theory that allows all that is usually thought of as fundamental forces and elementary particles to be written in terms of a single field.
There is no accepted unified field theory, and thus it remains an open line of research.
The term was coined by Einstein, who attempted to unify the general theory of relativity with electromagnetism.
The “theory of everything” and Grand Unified Theory are closely related to unified field theory, but differ by not requiring the basis of nature to be fields, and often by attempting to explain physical constants of nature. ~wikipedia
Practical
One easy way to make science education better is to apply it to real life. We have ample opportunities around us for young people to learn science and help out – by getting out and around, by studying geology, biology, and chemistry through explorations of our rivers, and forests, and by collecting data and analyzing results.
We should see a class of students out studying the Connecticut or West River in canoes each spring and fall, and read their reports throughout the year.
Astronomy, for example, is another area that young people make regular contributions to this day – spotting things that other haven’t noticed. Having an observatory, and skies dark at night, would go a long way toward making science real.
We should have energy challenges and contests each year.
It might be hard to make a direct jump to modern physics, but learning more by doing more might be a good way to get there.