Especially Odd Aspects of Reality

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Sy Borg
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Especially Odd Aspects of Reality

Post by Sy Borg »

I was watching a video on attempts to unify general relativity and quantum mechanics and, yet again, I do not understand quarks.

Why must there be three of them? Why do they, when split apart, immediately split into three again? I imagine the early universe, and tiny bits of energy congealing into particles as it cools. And again, why three? Nothing else that I can think of needs to come in threes.

Obviously, there are many other peculiar aspects of reality and I'd be interested in what makes you wonder what is going on.

Have a good holiday period :)
Tegularius
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Re: Especially Odd Aspects of Reality

Post by Tegularius »

What about protons, neutrons and electrons the former two being quark entities. Just as quantum mechanics underpins classical physics we have yet to discover what underpins the quantum world. The most powerful candidate we have for that is currently String Theory which has its own anomalies as for example the necessity for it to contain many universes. Without that minor footnote, the theory severely falters.

There's really no point in asking why things are composed the way they are without having a far better idea of how things operate at the lowest level...at least to some extent. If we ever arrive at that kind of insight the question would probably still persist what power or process forces it to be that way. It's a question that may be more relevant to philosophy than physics at that point not unlike the pre socratics speculating on nature instead of gods.
The earth has a skin and that skin has diseases; one of its diseases is called man ... Nietzsche
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Pattern-chaser
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Re: Especially Odd Aspects of Reality

Post by Pattern-chaser »

Sy Borg wrote: December 24th, 2021, 5:18 am Why must there be three of them? Why do they, when split apart, immediately split into three again? I imagine the early universe, and tiny bits of energy congealing into particles as it cools. And again, why three? Nothing else that I can think of needs to come in threes.
I think this is the reverse of us (apparently) seeing "23" wherever we look, once we have been primed to do so. 😉

Quite a few things come in threes, Gods, for example. Hecate, the Triple Goddess, springs to mind, as does the Christian Trinity. Then there are nominative, comparative and superlative (good, better, best). Past, present and future more to your taste? Solid, liquid and gas? Three bones in the human ear; three miles in a league? In music, a three-chord trick? And then there are Captain Kirk's ears: a left ear, right ear and a final front ear! [I nicked the last few from t'interweb. 😉]
Pattern-chaser

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Sy Borg
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Re: Especially Odd Aspects of Reality

Post by Sy Borg »

Pattern-chaser wrote: December 28th, 2021, 12:00 pm
Sy Borg wrote: December 24th, 2021, 5:18 am Why must there be three of them? Why do they, when split apart, immediately split into three again? I imagine the early universe, and tiny bits of energy congealing into particles as it cools. And again, why three? Nothing else that I can think of needs to come in threes.
I think this is the reverse of us (apparently) seeing "23" wherever we look, once we have been primed to do so. 😉

Quite a few things come in threes, Gods, for example. Hecate, the Triple Goddess, springs to mind, as does the Christian Trinity. Then there are nominative, comparative and superlative (good, better, best). Past, present and future more to your taste? Solid, liquid and gas? Three bones in the human ear; three miles in a league? In music, a three-chord trick? And then there are Captain Kirk's ears: a left ear, right ear and a final front ear! [I nicked the last few from t'interweb. 😉]
Ha! But those things don't have to come in threes as do quarks. Time and physical states are graduated, just that we label them in threes for convenience. Some people have disorders where they have don't have all their ear bones, but protons and neutrons only ever have three quarks. Captain Kirk's front-ear, though, was cancelled in 1968 because, in hindsight, the show was ahead of its time.
Roobaba
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Re: Especially Odd Aspects of Reality

Post by Roobaba »

Where is Steve3007 when you need him! From what I've read in the Philosophy of Science forum Steve3007 is the one person who seems to me to make the most sense, especially when it comes to quantum theory.. several books/authors come to mind who have helped/hindered my understanding. Johnjoe McFadden (Quantum Evolution), Jim Al-Khalili (Quantum: A Guide For The Perplexed) and Marcus Chown (Quantum Theory Cannot Hurt You). Then it comes to John Polkinghorne a scientist who also suffers from 'received religion', (as opposed to received wisdom) he has most certainly 'got religion'.. that doesn't help me with my understanding! :bored:

Sy Borg, buses come in threes does that help?
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