Outline for a unifying theory... I need help fleshing it out
Hi!
A random thought crossed my mind a week or so ago, and ignited the single most purposeful obsessive behavior in my entire life. I think I have a framework for a unifying theory of everything.
Before you scold me, trust me, I'm just as skeptical. I cannot comprehend the likelihood that random guy me comes up with that... I'm not a physicist, I'm not a mathematician.
But I do have that "See it work" gift. And for the first time, I can "see it work". And by it, I mean everything. Everything I have scoured over, every experimental result I've got my hands on, everything lines into place beautifully under the laws of this proposed unifier.
But, again, I'm not a physicist... so I need help translating the ideas into provable concepts. Equations, and such... you know? The stuff science is grounded in. I've done some of that already, and what I have done seems promising. It explains so much of the weird and unexplained phenomena. Gravity, light, black holes, mass, EM... well, everything. Want a model for calculating stuff irregardless of scale and frame of reference? It will do that too. But it certainly isn't finished. I've been wracking my brain on where to turn to with this idea, and it occurred to me that I'd like to collaborate with my fellows here at WP if any are willing. If, and that is a monstrously big "if"... but, if it is right... it could be a gift to the modern understanding of physics for all humankind, provided by your friendly Wrong Planet denizens.
I'm not ready to actually announce anything about it publicly, the nature of why/what/how on an open board like this, but I've got a number pages of notes in various degrees of polish. I want to finish the hard side of the theory, provable calculable stuff, first. So, if anyone has some math skills, some physics understanding, and maybe a little free time, please PM me. I'll go over the concepts, share what I've worked on thus far, and see what you think and if you could help (or at least help disprove!)
Doing it all on my own, is taking a lot of time, it is a huge undertaking. And I could really use a hand.
Thanks!
So in other words, you just have a vague idea, and want others to help you out with the math behind it? That won't survive the peer review process, I'm afraid. Do you have any sort of background or credentials, or is this mostly just from things you've researched on the internet and physics books? I ask because, like you mentioned, I highly highly doubt that someone without the necessary education and training could even come close to achieving what some of the brightest minds in the world have been looking in to for decades. This isn't the kind of thing that's solved with random ideas.
I'm not trying to discredit you, but imagine I came on here one day and said "I have finally discovered the secret and meaning of life!". For all anyone else knows I could just be some crazy old cook on the internet with no idea what I'm talking about. If you are for real though, make sure to thoroughly document all your work, and have a witness sign papers to verify it. Patent laws and all that fun stuff.
And if you still really feel like you have something, I'd probably recommend having someone with a Ph. D in physics look at your work to see if it looks decent, although it may be difficult to get an appointment with one unless you're either a student or you have some credentials in the field. Also physicsforums.com has a lot of really smart physics people, but just remember that for 1 if you put it on the internet you can lose the rights to it, and 2 forums can't exactly be classified as a reputable source of information for stuff like this, since you don't really know who you're talking to.
Oh, it is far from a vague idea. A fully concrete realization.
I'm "really" rusty at the maths department. I'm catching back up quickly, though, through my efforts on this conceptualization... what's the right term? Conjecture?
Anyway, I know. I'm right there with you, I'm torn between my own incredulity at myself for even thinking I "could" be on to something, and the clarity by which it seems to model reality as observed in tests(not mine). I very likely could be off my gourd. I don't doubt that.
It isn't really even anything new, but a reformulating all the stuff that already is/has been, to agree/work with each other. And it seems to do exactly that. I've done some of the maths. And those few equations I've worked out perform flawlessly thus far when comparing to observed phenomena and results etc. A couple are trickier, mathematically, to formulate. Although I have written out the "rules" in word form. I'm just rusty on certain conventions.
I even know how to experimentally show it would work... at least key parts of it so far, but have no way to do this in my garage or anything. I'm very much out of my league with something on this scope, it would literally interconnect into all aspects of physics >.<
I don't even like the idea of fame or notoriety, patents or what have you... but I'm on some level, residual ego I suppose, wanting some level of credit for the birth of the conjecture, if it by some patently absurd probability paned out. Otherwise I'd just post it all over the internet and be done with it. It is incredibly tiring.
A random thought crossed my mind a week or so ago, and ignited the single most purposeful obsessive behavior in my entire life. I think I have a framework for a unifying theory of everything.
Before you scold me, trust me, I'm just as skeptical. I cannot comprehend the likelihood that random guy me comes up with that... I'm not a physicist, I'm not a mathematician.
But I do have that "See it work" gift. And for the first time, I can "see it work". And by it, I mean everything. Everything I have scoured over, every experimental result I've got my hands on, everything lines into place beautifully under the laws of this proposed unifier.
But, again, I'm not a physicist... so I need help translating the ideas into provable concepts. Equations, and such... you know? The stuff science is grounded in. I've done some of that already, and what I have done seems promising. It explains so much of the weird and unexplained phenomena. Gravity, light, black holes, mass, EM... well, everything. Want a model for calculating stuff irregardless of scale and frame of reference? It will do that too. But it certainly isn't finished. I've been wracking my brain on where to turn to with this idea, and it occurred to me that I'd like to collaborate with my fellows here at WP if any are willing. If, and that is a monstrously big "if"... but, if it is right... it could be a gift to the modern understanding of physics for all humankind, provided by your friendly Wrong Planet denizens.
I'm not ready to actually announce anything about it publicly, the nature of why/what/how on an open board like this, but I've got a number pages of notes in various degrees of polish. I want to finish the hard side of the theory, provable calculable stuff, first. So, if anyone has some math skills, some physics understanding, and maybe a little free time, please PM me. I'll go over the concepts, share what I've worked on thus far, and see what you think and if you could help (or at least help disprove!)
Doing it all on my own, is taking a lot of time, it is a huge undertaking. And I could really use a hand.
Thanks!
Can you provide an abstraction or a piece of this theory?
Mathematics is the very basic foundation of the science. Without Mathematics, science would be little more than old wives tales.
What do you mean by "calculating stuff irregardless of scale and frame of reference"? That really doesn't sound very plausible.
Though I never learned the fundamentals of math, I understood Godel's incompleteness pretty well.
All mathematics is based on scales of reference or axioms tied to other axioms. How would we even understand values without frames or scales referring to quantity? If no frames of reference existed then any and all expression of value would be incomprehensible and the construction of systems regarding an understanding how values can interact with one another would be null and a waste of time.
It makes no sense to me either.
Yeah, I understand why that would seem to not make any sense. It wouldn't have made sense to me before any of this either.
It is fine though, I'm rescinding my request for assistance. I had hoped to recruit help with what seemed an overwhelmingly large project for just me to tackle, without really providing any of the conjecture to public scrutiny while still in its formation... but after looking around, it would seem people come up with crackpot grandiose claims all the time, and I probably sound just like them.
So, until I've worked this bad boy out further, I'm working it solo. It isn't my intention to spread misinformation or pseudoscience, so it'll need to stay private until it is fully fleshed out.
But thanks for the replies.
Einstein had the same difficulties with the math, so no worries there. Nevertheless, this is quite interesting, as I have my own grand unification theory(described admirably with words, less admirably with numbers) as well. It might be interesting to see what yours consists of, and I could use a sounding board.
I'd be happy to listen to your system if you will allow me the privilege of sharing my paltry musings with you, Narcissus Savage. May I PM you?
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"To have friends, a man need only be good natured, but when one has no enemies there must be something mean about him." -- The Prince, Oscar Wilde
Who cares? It's either proven by experiment or it isn't, but to have an experiment, you need to know what the theory predicts. And for that, you've got to know the math, que no?
_________________
"To have friends, a man need only be good natured, but when one has no enemies there must be something mean about him." -- The Prince, Oscar Wilde
Eintsein was good at math, but you miss my point. He had to work hard to learn it, just as everyone else does(although there may be some interesting discussion in defining just how 'hard' he would have had to work. But I'd rather not go down that rabbit hole. haha. )
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"To have friends, a man need only be good natured, but when one has no enemies there must be something mean about him." -- The Prince, Oscar Wilde
Without explaining your idea, you will attract no real scientific interest.
Exactly. I've met many crackpots with grandiose claims. None of them wanted to demonstrate their claims, yet they all seemed to want to convince me with rhetoric and convoluted 'reasoning' that their 'discoveries' revealed Secrets That Man Was Not Meant To Know. A fair portion of those crackpots had either a bipolar mood disorder or some form of schizotypical personality - they received their ideas either through an 'epiphany' during a manic phase, or from disembodied 'voices'.
Ah, yes ... the archetype of the lone researcher toiling away at revealing the secrets of the universe.
Without peer review, you may never know if your idea has any validity.
You're welcome. Come back again when you have something more to share.