A tower ready to fall ?

[UM-Bot]

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William B Stoecker: Modern physics, despite its complexity and the fact that relativity and quantum mechanics seem to defy common sense and are incomprehensible to laymen, has proven fairly good at predicting new phenomena and in aiding the development of such technologies as nuclear power (and weapons), lasers, and transistors. Yet there are problems with the current paradigm, the so-called “standard model,” and these problems seem to be getting worse. The tower of modern physics rests on two ill-matched pillars: relativity and quantum mechanics. Since the time of Einstein physicists have tried to reconcile these two into one grand unified theory, or GUT. Most recently, physicists have come up with string theory, incomprehensible even to many physicists, and then have modified it into membrane theory. String theory and its variant, unfortunately, cannot be either proven or disproven. The basic problem is that physicists recognize four fundamental forces in nature, forces capable of attraction and repulsion at a distance: gravity, electromagnetism, the strong nuclear force, and the weak nuclear force. Intuitively, it would seem that these four should be closely related, perhaps variants on a common theme. But no, relativity explains gravity as a bending of space-time caused by mass, and the other three forces as “virtual” particles emitted and absorbed by protons, electrons, and so on. In an effort to prove one theory or another, physicists, at great expense to the taxpayers, have constructed ever more powerful particle accelerators, imagining that they will soon reach some final truth. But, over and over, their experiments provide, not answers, but merely more questions, more mysteries, and more problems.

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[RedStar]

Modern scientific certitude is based on no more than 10 to 12 decimals at most.

We need more precise measurements up to 20 or more decimals to approach a GUT.

Unfortunately the cost of these ideal intruments is prohibitive; otherwise it

will take another Newton or Einstein to pull everything together, and probabbly

a really good computer.

[Answer42]

This is a good article that exposes flaws in what is considered solid science. It seems the ivory tower of physics is under attack. But not for long because as stated in the article will repel the attach with power and money and manage to keep the old gang and philosophy in place. Scientists should always be willing to abandon an idea when it obvious it is not the answer to the question. Thomas Huxley wrote that ugly facts slay beautiful theories. There are a lot of those ugly facts in many sciences but sadly are ignored by some scientists for their idea or theory.