Of Bagpipes and Black Holes

I'm picking on those poor Flatlanders again!
Try this one on for size:

Parallel Flatland Universes:

Gravity - the elastic surface tension of the balloon.
Dark Energy - the force of our breath that is inflating the balloon.
Dark Matter - the air inside of the balloon.

Crisis Averted?

I'm still on the fence about the whole "dark matter" thing, as well as "dark energy." Not to mention "dark flow" which is a silly mash up of the two. I think it feels a little like Einstein's Regret: the Cosmological Constant...
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21843-crisis-averted-dark-matter-was-there-all-along.html

I truly believe we are overly complicating the whole problem.

...dark matter is simply a classical physics solution for a classical gravity problem. It is hoped that once a testable quantum gravity theory emerges, one of its side benefits will be to explain these various gravitational mysteries from first principles rather than through empirical methods alone.

Some Superstring/M-Theory cosmologists propose that multi-dimensional forces from outside the visible universe have gravitational effects on the visible universe meaning that dark matter is not necessary for a unified theory of cosmology. M-Theory envisions that the universe is made up of more than the observable 3 spatial and 1 time dimensions, and that there are up to 11 dimensions altogether. The remaining dimensions are hidden from our full view and only show up at the quantum levels. However, if there are particles or energy that exist only within these alternate dimensions, then they might account for the gravitational effects currently attributed to dark matter.

I have issues with the String and M-Theories also. Again, I feel these are a matter of over complicating things. But in this previous except from the Wikipedia article it suggests that dark matter is a result of a system rather than creating a phenomenon to produce an affect.

A study at the University of Mainz, Germany in 2004 stated "it has been found that if one applies just a standard quantum mechanical approach to Newton's Gravitational constant at various scales within the astrophysical realm (i.e. scales from solar systems up to galaxies), it can be shown that the gravitational constant is not so constant anymore and actually starts to grow. The implication of this is that if the gravitational constant grows at different scales, then dark matter is not needed to explain galactic rotational curves."

As much as this approach appeals to me (K.I.S.S.), this doesn't sound relativistic. Since it was just a straight adjustment of the older Newtonian account of gravitation, it doesn't account for an application of the newer Einstein's general relativity.

Any way you approach it, my belief is dark matter comes down to a fundamental misinterpretation of the nature of the universe we live in. Our perception is limited by our inherently limited physicality. Much like those Flatlanders who were incapable of perceiving the nature of our universe due to their limited physicality.

Making Plans For Nihilist

Time is NOT the 4th dimension. It is just as inaccurate for us to say that as it would be for the Flatlanders to pronounce that time was the 3rd dimension. Time is a separate function or condition.

This shouldn’t affect Einstein’s or String Theorist’s views of the Universe. The net result is the same. It just clears up our perception of the actual system.

The probability cloud of an electron about the nucleus of an atom is not representation of all possible resultant conditions. This implies time. It is the recognition that the electron actually occupies all space through multi-dimensions of space. Hence a condition of being.

So perhaps our Flatlander friends are not actually flat. It is just that they can only perceive flat (two dimensions). And so perhaps then we too are not just three dimensional. It is that we can only perceive three dimensions. We are only able to experience the three dimensional tip of a multi-dimensional iceberg!

The apparent dual nature of light is an example of this. Particle or wave? This is just the result of our limited ability to perceive the higher orders of dimensions. Just as our perceiving of time as linear is a misperception of the time “function”.

But what is time then? And how does it relate or interact? I feel another blog topic coming on...

A Motto

"Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else."
-Margaret Mead

Physical Graffiti

Here's a quick "sketch." I was inspired by Graffiti Technica and wanted to test the waters!
Check this artist's work out:
http://www.graffititechnica.com/index.html

The compositions are awesome and the concept transcends all sorts of idioms. I'm fascinated by the idea of taking something that is inherently flat but imbued with the impression of motion and form and transforming it into something of actual dimension. The work wouldn't be completely successful if then it didn't push the expression further. I think Graffiti Technica's work does achieve that.

I'm looking forward to trying a bit harder next time and creating something more relevant for me.

Escape from Flatland

These are two characteristics of the Universe that are known to be true:

1. Everything in the Universe is moving away from everything else.
2. We exist in 3 spacial dimensions plus the fourth dimension that is space-time.

It is explained to us as thus:

As dots on the surface of an expanding balloon all move away from each other, our expanding universe is "flat", but is curved through space-time.

As the Flatlanders are trapped in their existence of a 2 dimensional world, they are unable to perceive the 3rd spacial dimension. To them living on the surface of their expanding balloon universe, everything IS moving away from each other. And for them the 3rd dimension is known as "space-time".

We being of higher dimensional quality, know them to be mistaken.

There is no center to their universe, no origin point of their "Big Bang" (perhaps they call their first moment something else, as the final moment of their expanding balloon universe would seem to beg to be called...). It can only exist out there in the constructs of that extra-dimension space-time.

Again we know them to be mistaken. We being of higher dimensional quality can easily point to a place in space where the center of their universe existed as a shrunken deflated balloon. Perhaps it is our balloon that they exist on. And we blow up our balloon and create their expanding universe. Are we their God then too?

But what of us...?

Fortunately we are free from this sort of subservience, as we know that there is no center to our universe and no origin for our Big Bang- the constructs of that can only exist in that extra dimension space-time.