(April 3, 2011 at 3:04 pm)reverendjeremiah Wrote: Is quantum mechanics replacing the theory of relativity?
Yes and no... A theory of everything will one day encompass both, but the calculations in dealing with the large scale universe will still essentially be relativity and those dealing with the words of atoms still some form of Quantum theory - The divide mostly rests at a lack of Quantum understanding of gravity, once that is resolved the two can largely be merged.
Quote:How does Quantum mechanics approach Hawkings statement that "if one were to say the universe has an intent, then I would say its intent was to create black holes" (I am not quoting him exactly)
I have no idea, you'd have to ask him what it means. To me the universe no more intends to make black holes as it does anything else. He could just mean that Black Holes are inevitable.
Quote:- Is Quantum mechanics approaching a GUT (Grand unified feild theory between the very small and the very large)?
Sure, everything we learn is one step closer, so it's 'approaching' it, what form it will be in and when it gets here is another thing entirely. M theory might be correct, we haven't got any way of testing it for now, so perhaps we're already sitting on the theory of everything.
Quote:How can quantum mechanics declare that it knows the origin of the universe (work with me here, I know my words arent perfect) when it is generally agreed upon that time and space did not exist before the singularity of the big bang? In other words, how can you have something "outside" of time and space? It sounds like magic to me.
It simply supposes that spacetime is an expression of something else, before space and time there wasn't something 'outside' it, space and time themselves were compressed into something with no dimensions, this dimensionless point still encompassed everything.
Quote:- E=MC2 has a long proven track record. Hawking said it ultimately means the universe has an undivisible sum of "1", meaning that wether you have converted matter to energy, or energy to matter, the value ratios between the 2 always amount to the same sum at any moment in time regardless of the flux. How does this equate to "ultimate free lunch"?
The article wasn't talking about the conservation of energy being the 'free lunch' it was talking about the event that expanded the singularity and created matter and energy as a 'free lunch' - It's not a perfect description, it's a headline, don't pay too much attention to it.
Quote:- Is there any videos or sites that you can send me to to help me educate myself to Quantum mechanics. At least the basics. Something in laymans terms that can teach by giving examples instead of abstract formulas.
Read This:
https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/e...er%27s_Cat
You can probably pick it up cheap somewhere.
Quote:Again, forgive me of my ignorance and try to work with my wording please. I havent been in a class room since 2001. Quantum Mechanics have always cought my interest, but everytime I try to get into it I am bombarded with abstract formulas that I am not up to date on to understand. My math skills go as far as applied physics for logic controls and circuits.
That book is formula minimal.
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