Talk:M-theory
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[edit] Spiritual speculations and analogies
The section Spiritual speculations and analogies is entirely inappropriate for this article and should go. Its a hotch-potch of vague statements that have nothing to do with M-theory. Pray how is Spaghetti Monsterism relevant, for example? It is admittedly a parody religion! -- 131.111.8.104 18:18, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
- It should probably be deleted, as it contributes nothing to the article. I'll delete the section unless its deletion is disputed. Michael Slone (talk) 21:29, 14 December 2006 (UTC)
I object to the deletion of the comment on Spaghetti having three flavors in the article. That is one unscientific comment on M-Theory among a range of others in the article; if it is to be deleted, the others must go as well. If the others stay, it must stay. --Thucydides411 06:08, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
- Because apparently certain sections of the Spiritual Analogies section which have every bit the same amount of merit as the rest have been repeatedly deleted - in the latest case by 68.144.82.234 - the entire section must lack merit. I am therefore deleting it. If anyone feels it needs inclusion, please restore the entire section. --Thucydides411 20:48, 15 December 2006 (UTC)
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- Thanks for deleting that section. You've restored my faith in Wikipedians' sanity and common sense when I was beginning to doubt it. This section was useless, and it should stay deleted. -- Ekjon Lok 15:47, 25 December 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Unverifiable source
On the internet I found this: Real numbers are one-dimensional, they exist on an axis. Imaginary numbers exist in two dimensions, as explained above. What about three-dimensional numbers? As it happens these do not obey laws that are consistent. If you combine "ordinary" 2-D complex numbers you end up with 2-D complex numbers, the results exist in the same plane as the initial numbers. Three-dimensional numbers are not well behaved like that. However Four-dimensional numbers (quarternions) are consistent. The next set of well behaved numbers are the eight dimensional numbers (octonions). So we have real, complex, quarternion and the octonion numbers: 1-D, 2-D, 4-D and 8-D numbers. The next in the sequence are the 16-D numbers. But by some strange property of mathematics, the algebraic rules become more dilute as the dimensions of the numbers increases. No algebra can be found for 16-D numbers, so it is as though they do not exist. (If a number can be said not to exist, or conversely, to exist for that matter).
Complex numbers made from quarternions consist of one real number and three different numbers that, when multiplied by themselves, make -1. Octonion complex numbers consist of one real and seven octonion numbers that all equal -1 when multiplied by themselves. (But they are distinct numbers: any two octonions multiplied together produces a third, different octonion).
It turns out that octonion numbers crop up in the Theory Of Everything that physicists are searching for: in particular M-Theory, which is physics on steroids. According to M-Theory, we are made of minute particles that are really strings of energy, or membranes or multi-dimensional shapes. These vibrate in up to ten space dimensions, but most of the dimensions are so tiny we don't see them. Strange how we can only see one type of number, when the universe may be made up of eight of them. Wikisquared 17:05, 11 January 2007 (UTC) Oh I forgot to mention this was from www.eadon.com in the philosophy section under imaginary numbers. Wikisquared 17:07, 11 January 2007 (UTC)
- You may wish to look at Wikipedia articles about quaternions and octonions, which give good and accessible introductions to these fascinating subjects. -- 131.111.8.102 20:44, 15 January 2007 (UTC)
Thanks, I couldn't find anything on wikipedia about this strangely Wikisquared 17:37, 20 January 2007 (UTC)
