The Trouble With Physics: The Rise of String Theory, the Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next

The Trouble With Physics: The Rise of String Theory, the Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next
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Scientific progress is never cut and dried

physics from many angles

A mixed bag

The Endless Quest Continues

Outstanding piece of writing, A must-read for any science enthusiast.

The Trouble With Physics: The Rise of String Theory, the Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next
Lee Smolin
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0618551050

Book Description

In this groundbreaking book, the renowned theoretical physicist Lee Smolin argues that physics—the basis for all other science—has lost its way. The problem is string theory, an ambitious attempt to formulate "a theory of everything" that explains all the forces and particles of nature and how the universe came to be. With its exotic new particles and parallel universes, string theory has captured the public"s imagination and seduced many physicists. But as Smolin reveals, there"s a deep flaw in the theory: no part of it has been proven, and no one knows how to prove it. As a scientific theory, it has been a colossal failure. And because it has soaked up the lion's share of funding, attracted some of the best minds, and penalized young physicists for pursuing other avenues, it is dragging the rest of physics down with it. With clarity, passion, and authority, Smolin charts the rise and fall of string theory and takes a fascinating look at what will replace it. A group of young theorists has begun to develop exciting new ideas that are, unlike string theory, testable. Smolin tells us who and what to watch for in the coming years and how we can find the next Einstein. This is a wake-up call, and Lee Smolin—a former string theorist himself— is the perfect person to deliver it.

Customer Reviews:

Scientific progress is never cut and dried.......2007-10-08

Lee Smolin presents a harsh critique of the last 30 years in theoretical physics, written by one of its practitioners. He makes the excellent point that science is a human activity like anything else. Progress is always hard to predict; scientists can and do get caught up in dead ends. Smolin thinks string theory is one such dead end, and makes a good case for it.

I think that, if anything, Smolin is a little too gentle on the field. The development of the atomic and hydrogen bombs left a tremendous impression that big money put into physics would bring big results. In recent years that hasn't happened. There are so many unanswered questions out there in science, so many important fields where solutions are desperately needed. When I consider the construction and operation of particle accelerators and other high-tech equipment, I can't help but think of the huge cost. The same amount of cash invested elsewhere might have brought much more in the way of useful results.

I am the mother of a 10-year-old boy attending public school. His instruction sometimes seems to me like a mishmash of well-meaning educational reforms that have been implemented with little or no testing to see if they worked or not. I am frankly disgusted by the quality of most research in the area of education--sample sizes too small, no proper controls, subjects followed for too short a time, etc. The cost of operating a single particle accelerator for six weeks probably exceeds all the funding for educational research around the world for the entire year. Yet which has the most potential for making major progress? Maybe it's time to back off on funding big physics projects for a while.

I would also like to point out that the building and use of instrumentation for high-energy physics is highly dependent on cheap fossil fuels. The future supply of such fuels is by no means guaranteed. The peak oil problem appears to be largely ignored by high-energy physicists today, but has the potential to significantly affect their ability to conduct experiments.

I really enjoyed Smolin's chapters on looking for seers rather than technicians in science. I especially liked his description of how unconventional scientists have built a career without a university job. Smolin points out that a typical professor spends a majority of his week on teaching, grant proposals, administrative tasks, and the like, leaving a surprisingly small amount of time available for actual research. Having a day job outside the field is not as big a hurdle as it might seem.

I tend to agree with Smolin that the big advances of the future are likely to come from completely unexpected directions. I can't wait to see what they are.

physics from many angles.......2007-10-05

This book provided several discussions pf physics and quantum theory. its good because the author speaks of the history the the originators of physics theory and the current champions of thought.

A mixed bag.......2007-10-04

At the moment, string theory appears to have many (possibly an infinite number) of "metastable vacua", each of which would allow for a universe with its own laws of physics. (For a brief, comic, yet essentially correct summary of the history of this idea, see Peter Shor's review here. For those who don't know, Shor is a celebrated quantum-information theorist.) According to the (far from established) inflationary model of cosmology, there is a vast collection of universes (the "multiverse") with diverse laws of physics. Which universe we find ourselves in is a matter of random selection, but of course we must be in a "biofriendly" universe, one whose laws of physics allow for the appearance of intelligent life.

The core argument of this book is presented on page 164-165 (US hardcover edition), where Smolin writes, "when it comes to the biofriendliness of our universe, we have at least three possibilities:

"1. Ours is one of a vast collection of universes with random laws.

"2. There was an intelligent designer.

"3. There is a so-far-unknown mechanism that will both explain the biofriendliness of our universe and make testable predictions by which it can be confirmed or falsified.

"Given that the first two possibilities are untestable in principle, it is most rational to hold out for the third possibility. Indeed, that is the only possibility we should consider as scientists, because accepting either of the first two would mean the end of our field."

I find this to be an astonishing argument. First of all, I don't know what "most rational" is supposed to mean. More importantly, to reject a scientific hypothesis for purely personal reasons (it "would mean the end of our field") is at best novel, and at worst absurd.

Very few string theorists are happy that #1 seems, at this point, to be the most likely outcome of string theory, and many hope that #3 will somehow eventually emerge. But to throw out the whole framework, simply because we don't like the result, cannot be said to be a scientific attitude.

One thing you won't learn in this book (unless you read it very carefully, and between the lines) is that the other approaches to quantum gravity advocated by Smolin have not come any closer to predicting specific experimental results than string theory has. Smolin talks about possible violations of special relativity, but these are not (as he admits on page 237) a definite prediction of loop quantum gravity. He has said (on Peter Woit's blog) that any quantum field theory in any number of dimensions is compatible with loop quantum gravity. If true, this would make loop quantum gravity even less capable than string theory of picking out our particular laws of physics.

Smolin also discusses issues of sociology in physics. On page 335-336, he asserts that the all the truly negative characterizations of job candidates that he has ever heard have had a component of racism and/or sexism. I am on the faculty of the physics department of a research university, and I can only say that my experience has been entirely different. I have simply never heard a racist or sexist denigration of one scientist by another, nor have I ever felt that anyone was being evaluated by criteria other than merit. I think that there are definitely issues of culture and how we can construct scientific communities that have broader appeal, and that there are physicists who are not as sensitive to these issues as they might be, but I cannot accept Smolin's claim that the relatively small percentage of women and blacks in physics is due to "blatant prejudice".

Finally, Smolin discusses the issues of "seers" vs "craftspeople" in science, and argues that we should be supporting more "seers". Among the existing seers, he lists some (such as Roger Penrose and Gerard 't Hooft) who made their reputations primarily as craftspeople ('t Hooft received the Nobel Prize for his work on the renormalization of gauge theories, and Penrose did celebrated work on the singularity theorems of general relativity). Their record as seers has been less successful; none of their recent ideas on modifications of quantum mechanics have panned out as yet. Smolin laments the fact that more attention is not paid to these forays into alternatives to quantum mechanics. But 't Hooft and Penrose do not agree on what modifications are needed. Other seers identified by Smolin propose violations of special relativity, rather than (or in addition to) violations of quantum mechanics. Perhaps this is all deep thought, but there is little to decide, at this point, which if any of these avenues should be pursued. Most physicists have therefore sensibly adopted a "wait and see" attitude.

Even if we accept Smolin's argument that we need new seers, how are we to find them? Smolin writes (page 353) that in order to discover "the visionaries who ignore the mainstream and follow their own ambitious programs", we should "find at least one accomplished person in the candidate's field who is deeply excited about what the candidate is trying to do". So, the candidate's program had better not be *too* far off the mainstream; there has to be at least one "accomplished person" who is "deeply excited" about it. But if one deeply excited professional is good, wouldn't more be better? Wouldn't that up the odds that the program was, indeed, worthwhile? Oh wait, that would be just what we have now ... a system where there is constant debate, emergent consensus on the most promising approaches, and distribution of research funds primarily (but by no means exclusively!) to those approaches that appear, in the consensus view, to be most promising. To paraphrase Winston Churchill on democracy, this system for distributing funds for science may be the worst ever devised, except for all the others.

So, should you buy the book? I feel that it gives a distorted picture, by emphasizing the weak points of string theory while ignoring the (many more, in my view) weak points of the alternatives. It seems to me that the essence of the book's argument against string theory is captured by the excerpts above, and by Shor's review. Then there is a lot of discussion of groupthink in scientific culture. For me, it doesn't add up to an appealing package, but your mileage may vary.

The Endless Quest Continues .......2007-10-04

I like Lee Smolin and this is a good exposition of the current quandary in Physics. When the mathematicians "hijacked" physics in the 1920's, they created ever-so elegant formulas and abstraction upon abstraction upon abstraction. "Just give me a formula!" was their mantra, and what it all really "means" was not their concern. This is the essence of Bohr's position (no pun intended), and Einstein was not able to answer, even though he knew something was missing.

String theory has many intriguing ideas, and it's supporters should not be easily dismissed. Again and again, we come back to the basic question...particle or wave? Wavicle? Partiwave? String?

Outstanding piece of writing, A must-read for any science enthusiast........2007-09-22

I found this book to be superbly written and full of fascinating insights. I really loved reading it. Many of the longer reviews here do a great job of reviewing the content of the book, so I'll stick to offering my opinion.

I will no doubt read this book again in the future as much of the content was way over my head. However, as with any great book on any subject, this did not prevent me from thoroughly enjoying it and learning a lot. What makes it so great is that each time I read it I will learn more.

I want to thank Lee Smolin for putting the current state of his field in some perspective. I highly, highly recommend this book!

History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

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Calculations are only as good as your numbers
Pants on fire?
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History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
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Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Handbook of Modern Sensors: Physics, Designs, and Applications (Handbook of Modern Sensors)

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Handbook of Modern Sensors: Physics, Designs, and Applications (Handbook of Modern Sensors)
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One of the BEST BOOKS.......2001-03-23

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Excellent textbook
fundamental approach to the field

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* Free solutions manual available for lecturers at www.wiley-vch.de/supplements/

Customer Reviews:

Excellent textbook.......2007-03-19

This excellent textbook presents the basic concepts of Nanotechnology and Nanophysics in a well structured, solid manner, without leaving any aspects unattached. It is updated, with references to recently published work in top rated journals. The main advantage of the book is the wide spectrum of the issues covered, ranging from biology to quantum computing, allowing future applications to be tackled by the students easier.

fundamental approach to the field.......2005-01-03

Wolf explains from the vantage of a physicist what exactly is nanophysics, and what the engineering implications might be. He describes how the size of atoms, at 0.1 nanometers or so, sets a natural lower limit, and how the scale of nanometers lets us see and use quantum phenomena for designing new materials.

A solid background in quantum mechanics would not be remiss, before trying this book. Wolf offers a bottoms-up approach to understanding the various branches of nanotech research, which is currently burgeoning.

A History of the Theories of Aether and Electricity: Part I, the Classical Theories/Part Ii, the Modern Theories (History of Modern Physics, 1800-19)

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Fundamental to understand how scientific ideas evolved over time

A History of the Theories of Aether and Electricity: Part I, the Classical Theories/Part Ii, the Modern Theories (History of Modern Physics, 1800-19)
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Fundamental to understand how scientific ideas evolved over time.......2006-12-18

This is a book by E.T. Whittaker, of "A Course of Modern Analysis"-fame (please check it out on Amazon if you have never heard of that classic).
For scientists and engineers, it is fundamental to have a minimum understanding of how scientific ideas evolved over time. Recall the debate over the particle versus wave nature of light, and how the two schools of thought took turns as the mainstream theory until they were reconciled in the beginning of the twentieth century (well, not really: there are some rough edges lingering still). The same happens with the currently out-of-favor theory of ether; after abandoning the idea of ether upon the establishment of the theory of Special Relativity, Einstein himself revisited the concept of ether in a different fashion when developing his broader-scoped General Relativity (he actually developed 3 diverse ether models then; check out "Einstein and the Ether" by Ludwik Kostro for an account of this episode). The history of the ether hypothesis is in fact the history of a number of competing theories, each of which entailing a different set of properties for this elusive would-be medium (substance?). Whether replacing one another or co-existing side by side, these theories were very important for the development of physics as we know it today. In this book Whittaker offers an account of that will prove enjoyable, possibly insightful, to physicists and other scientists in general.

Modern Magnetooptics and Magnetooptical Materials (Condensed Matter Physics Series)

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Modern Magnetooptics and Magnetooptical Materials (Condensed Matter Physics Series)
A.K Zvezdin , and V.A Kotov
Manufacturer: Taylor & Francis
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 075030362X

Book Description

Modern Magnetooptics and Magnetooptical Materials provides a comprehensive account of the principles and applications of magnetooptics, bridging the gap between textbooks and specialist accounts in the research and review literature. The book is aimed at the graduate physicist and electrical engineer, but assumes no specialist knowledge of magnetooptics. Chapters have been designed to be reasonably independent, so that readers in search of information on a particular topic can go straight to the appropriate place in the book, with only occasional reference to material elsewhere. Divided into three main parts, the book begins with the principles of magnetooptics to provide the necessary theoretical background. This section's emphasis is on introducing practical considerations through examples taken from real-life situations. The next part surveys a wide range of magnetooptic materials, including metals, alloys, and granular structures. The final part explores applications of magnetooptics in practical devices, such as modulators, switches, memory devices, and waveguides. This book provides a thorough introduction for graduate students of physics and electrical engineering, and a useful reference for researchers.

Optics, Light and Lasers: The Practical Approach to Modern Aspects of Photonics and Laser Physics

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An excellent overview of lasers and basic laser theory!

Optics, Light and Lasers: The Practical Approach to Modern Aspects of Photonics and Laser Physics
Dieter Meschede
Manufacturer: Wiley-VCH
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Fundamentals of Photonics (Wiley Series in Pure and Applied Optics)

ASIN: 352740628X

Book Description

Starting from the concepts of classical optics, Optics, Light and Lasers introduces in detail the phenomena of linear and nonlinear light matter interaction, the properties of modern laser sources, and the concepts of quantum optics. Several examples taken from the scope of modern research are provided to emphasize the relevance of optics in current developments within science and technology. The text has been written for newcomers to the topic and benefits from the author's ability to explain difficult sequences and effects in a straightforward and easily comprehensible way. To this second, completely updated and enlarged edition, new chapters on quantum optics, quantum information, matter waves, photonic fibres and materials have been added, as well as more than 100 problems on laser physics and applied optics.

Customer Reviews:

An excellent overview of lasers and basic laser theory!.......2006-04-29

Dieter Meschede's book Optics, Light and Lasers seems to be divided into three main sections: Chapters 1-6 cover optics; Chapters 7-11 cover lasers and their application; and the third section covers "advanced" topics related to optics and lasers. The first two chapters introduce the reader to the characteristics of light through the presentation of ray optics and wave optics. The three subsequent chapters (chapters 3 to 5) discuss the interaction of light with matter. Although Chapter 6 focuses on optics, it sets up a nice transition from optics to lasers by discussing radiation, inversion and optical gain.

Chapters 7-8 provide a concise overview of the different types of lasers and some of their main applications. These two chapters along with Chapter 9 on semiconductor lasers, provide an excellent summary of the current state of the art in lasers and basic laser theory. The next two chapters cover light sensors and spectroscopy.

Chapters 12-13 briefly introduce nonlinear optics; Appendix A tries to give physical meaning to some of the terms mathematical used in optics relationships; and Appendix B scratches the surface of quantum mechanics. One could skip these sections without detracting from the subject matter or straying too far from the text.

Meschede has liberally scattered the text with sections titled "example" and "excursion." The main difference is that "example" typically presents a special case of the phenomenon discussed, while "excursion" shows a practical example utilizing the theory.

These diversions provide an opportunity to better understand the material. However, in some cases, this reviewer did not see the relevance of some of the excursions.

Optics, Light and Lasers has been translated from German, (Optik, Licht und Laser, Tenbner, 1999). Possibly, because of translation, some of the sentences require more than one reading. The Bibliography has a good references, sparingly referenced in the text. These would be more useful if relevant ones were at the end of each chapter, or were categorized by subject.

The book assumes the reader is familiar with electrodynamics, basic quantum mechanics, and multivariable calculus. It provides a good overview of classical optics with relevant examples from recent applications.

Armchair Interviews says: This is an excellent overview of lasers and basic laser theory.

Aip Handbook of Modern Sensors: Physics, Designs and Applications (Modern Instrumentation and Measurements in Physics & Engineering)

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Aip Handbook of Modern Sensors: Physics, Designs and Applications (Modern Instrumentation and Measurements in Physics & Engineering)
Jacob Fraden
Manufacturer: American Institute of Physics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

Obtain, for the first time, descriptions of physical principles, practical designs, and applications of modern sensors for virtually all measurement needs. This work addresses fundamental physical principles of sensing and shows how information is converted from non- electrical into electrical format, digitized, and transmitted. Readers will discover hard-to-find reference data on physical, electrical, optical, mechanical, and other properties of materials and sensing elements that are of great practical importance in modern applied science and engineering. Of special interest to applied physicists and research engineers involved in the detection and measurement of physical effects.

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