Hi John,

I did enjoy reading your interesting and fast paced essay. Sometimes my readers assume my positions. This is a good time to restate them.

1. I think of QM particles and photons as appearing and disappearing over the course of moving a wavelength worth of space. And yes you could call this a type of pulsing, However this pulsing is how the particles move on a continuous background of space-time. I do not think of space or time as digital. The only thing that is digital is how particles move by coming in and out of a continuous space-time.

2. I think the quantum-classical divide is real and is marked by the Planck Mass. Masses above the Planck mass do not have the property of wavelength and thus are not quantum mechanical. It is the particle-wave divide that I find to be not real. Photons and particles do not at times have a particle nature and at other times a wave nature.

3. Our predisposition to not having particles appear and disappear is because of genes developed to handle a classical world where things do move smoothly.

4. Siri is very cool (and useful), but she is not really AI. She is much more an augmenter of human intellect. At some point AI may eventually dominate over augmentation. I think it will be some time before the excessive intellect level of Siri will be available.

And if you find an advance version of Siri, please let me know.

Thanks for your interesting essay, I am off to rate it.

Don L.

Hi Don,

Definitely - Apple need this! ;)Thanks for the comments over on my page too.

Best wishes for the contest,

Antony

Dear Don

I really enjoyed your paper - using the Siri gimmick was an excellent way to keep the serious discussion flowing smoothly and lightly, tempered by a sense of fun. I rather like your concept of lamda-hopping. It is somewhat akin to my concept of momentum transfer across nodes in my Beautiful Universe Theory also found here. In your theory minimum distance for each particle would be the wavelength, but that leaves one wondering what sort of medium or ether can accomodate such variable hopping? No matter, continuous velocity is indeed a basic problem in physics. I will have to think some more about the various criticisms you (or was it Siri?) gave for the explanation of the double-slit experiment. In my book it is Einstein who is the one who goofed by eliminating the ether in Special Relativity, and by his point-photon concept, which lead to duality and probability. See my last year's fqxi essay 'Fix Physics!".

I wish you all the best

Vladimir

Hi Vladimir,

Of course I take little responsibility for this work....It is all Siri's fault :) She has a sister that would love to met you.

I do remember Fix Physics but I do not recall Beautiful Universe Theory. I will catch up and get back to you. But first thanks for bring up the ether. It triggered something I had not thought of before.

Let me see if I can explain it:

1. Lambda-Hopping is the only way to get around Zeno's objection to motion. I assumed that Zeno was exactly right in that particles and photons cannot move. However, Zeno failed to mention that they may not move but they have to change position. This changing of position has rules and is deterministic. A photon (or electron) when nothing is present just Lambda-Hops along in a straight line, appearing and disappearing at wavelength intervals. When the particle disappears it is not not in some other dimension or hidden, it flat out does not exist.

2. Of course this means that all of nature is fundamentally non-local. Most people cannot accept this, that is why I say they have the "continuity" gene. I urge them to show a little backbone.

3. Now about the ether. A particle in isolation has no need of the ether, in that it creates its own space-time with the Lambda-Hop. Remember a particle has no velocity (with respect to an observer). A particle is always in the observers frame of reference, It does not need something to have a velocity with respect too. You could say that the sum of all particle's Lambda-Hopping is space-time.

4. So, is there an ether? When an observer sees everything from a QM viewpoint (as all particles), they become the ether. When an observer has to communicate to other observers, relativity comes into play.

I think this is interesting. What to you think, should I blame it on Siri?

I will get back to you,

Thanks,

Don L.

Hi Vladimir,

I just read the Beautiful Universe Theory. I am still a little groggy but impressed none the less. I was expecting a FQXi essay not a 30 something page paper.

We start from very different points. Your start is spherical rotating charges. My start is an isolated particle alone in existence and how it manifests. I try to avoid charges as much as possible.

With these two very, very different starts our conclusions to a very great extent are the same.

Here is a list of what I believe we agree on.

1. A point photon is nonsense.

2. The speed of light is not constant. Yes there is a maximum speed c, but the various wavelengths of light only get close to it.

3. The uncertainty principle is nonsense.

4. The low level quantum stuff actually creates apace-time. Therefore space and time are dependent upon quantum phenomena.

Please let me know if my understanding is correct.

Even if just part of this correct, it is amazing given such different starting points!

I will copy this over to your blog. My sincere admiration.

Don Limuti

Dear Don,

You have the knack of spellbinding your readers with your literary style and your conversation with your protégée Siri is highly interesting and charming too. Your reference to Indian philosophy of Vedanta in describing the relationship between It and Bit is very attractive. In Vedanta there are three branches and one of them is the famous 'Advaita' (literally meaning- nondualism) and in it your description of Nirguna and Saguna Brahman comes. Sri Ramakrishna was a follower of this system of philosophy.

Your view of the relationship that exists between It and Bit, that is, they are both inseparable or intertwined or represent two faces of the same coin, matches with the one that I have expressed in my essay. In your conversation, you have historically but lucidly analyzed how the problem between analog and digital nature of reality arose, and up till now how the problem persists.

You want to remove the uncertainty plaguing quantum theory by eliminating Heisenberg's principle of indeterminacy from QM, but you have to bear in mind that it is at the core of QM and hence eliminating it means eliminating QM itself in its current form unless you have an universally acceptable another form of QM. But you have set forth before yourself such a task and I wish you every success in your endeavor to accomplish that feat and thereby become a model to others. I am curious to know how you do it through your computer simulation program.

Please go through my essay also (http://fqxi.org/community/forum/topic/1827) and express your comments on it in my thread. After seeing your comments, I am going to rate your essay with maximum possible score.

Wish you all the best in the essay contest and congratulate you once again for producing such a beautiful essay.

Sreenath

    Hi Don,

    As promised in my Essay page, I have read your beautiful Essay. It is well written, particular and humorous. Do you think that Siri's statement "It is neither IT from Bit nor Bit from IT" could be in agreement with mine "Information tells physics how to work. Physics tells information how to flow"? I have also found interesting your comparison between Einstein's hidden variable and Wheeler's information. In general, I agree with your and Einstein's point of view on the incompleteness of quantum mechanics.

    Your Essay give a lot of fun to me. Thus, I will surely give you a high score.

    Cheers,

    Ch.

      Hi Shreenath,

      Thanks for stopping by. I still have my doubts about my dialog like approach, so thanks for expressing your appreciation. As you noted, I am a fan of Ramakrishna and the high philosophy of Advaita Vedanta. I find it most humorous that the list of world religions now includes physics thanks to Wheeler and other physicists. The concept promoted by Ramakrishna of the harmony of all religions needs to be expanded a little :)

      You have pointed out quite rightly that I am a mosquito biting an iron bull. It will be very difficult for my work to get any recognition if it gets to be judged by professors who have been publishing and teaching about the validity of the uncertainty principle. The uncertainty principle is like a tax loophole, something that will be difficult to get rid of. And who knows, maybe the community of physicists have enough ethics to get rid of the tax loophole?

      Thanks for your encouragement. I will be getting familiar with your work and post on your site.

      Don Limuti

      PS Please, if you would, ask your last question again, the one about computer simulation. I am not sure what it refers to.

      Hi Christian,

      Without stretching too much I think our viewpoints are the same. Here goes:

      1. Start with: "Information tells physics how to work. Physics tells information how to flow"?

      2. Change physics to "it" and change information to "Bit" and you get:

      "Bit tells "it" how to work. "It" tells Bit how to flow"?

      3. Lastly change tells to determines and we get:

      "Bit determines "it" how to work. "It" determines Bit how to flow"?

      4. This is a little awkward so we make it smooth:

      "Bits determine how "it" works. "It" determines how Bits respond.

      5. This is close enough for me to say we are saying the same thing. IT and BIT are two side of the same coin.

      What do you say will "Russell and Whitehead" accept this logic? Siri says the logic is OK!

      Don L.

      Dear Don,

      Thanks for your kind compliments on my essay and also for rating it highly. Just now I have too rated your essay accordingly.

      Best regards,

      Sreenath

      Thanks Don, I agree with Siri that the logic is OK. It should be OK for "Russell and Whitehead" too. Definitively, our viewpoints are the same!

      Cheers,

      Ch.

      Dear Don and All,

      You are right about the intertwined nature of the it and bit.

      I am attaching the iDNASeries.bmp that I have envisioned and how it shows the DNA structure in its sequence.

      I give you all a cosmological iSeries which spans the entire numerical spectrum from -infinity through 0 to +infinity and the simple principle underlying it is sum of any two consecutive numbers is the next number in the series. 0 is the base seed and i can be any seed between 0 and infinity.

      iSeries always yields two sub semi series, each of which has 0 as a base seed and 2i as the first seed.

      One of the sub series is always defined by the equation

      Sn = 2 * Sn-1 + Sigma (i=2 to n) Sn-i

      where S0 = 0 and S1 = 2 * i

      the second sub series is always defined by the equation

      Sn = 3 * Sn-1 -Sn-2

      where S0 = 0 and S1 = 2 * i

      Division of consecutive numbers in each of these subseries always eventually converges on 2.168 which is the Square of 1.618.

      Union of these series always yields another series which is just a new iSeries of a 2i first seed and can be defined by the universal equation

      Sn = Sn-1 + Sn-2

      where S0 = 0 and S1 = 2*i

      Division of consecutive numbers in the merged series always eventually converges on 1.618 which happens to be the golden ratio "Phi".

      Fibonacci series is just a subset of the iSeries where the first seed or S1 =1.

      Examples

      starting iSeries governed by Sn = Sn-1 + Sn-2

      where i = 0.5, S0 = 0 and S1 = 0.5

      -27.5 17 -10.5 6.5 -4 2.5 -1.5 1 -.5 .5 0 .5 .5 1 1.5 2.5 4 6.5 10.5 17 27.5

      Sub series governed by Sn = 2 * Sn-1 + Sigma (i=2 to n) Sn-i

      where S0 = 0 and S1 = 2i = 1

      0 1 2 5 13 34 ...

      Sub series governed by Sn = 3 * Sn-1 - Sn-2

      where S0 = 0 and S1 = 2i = 1

      0 1 3 8 21 55 ...

      Merged series governed by Sn = Sn-1 + Sn-2 where S0 = 0 and S1 = 2i = 1

      0 1 1 2 3 5 8 13 21 34 55 ...... (Fibonacci series is a subset of iSeries)

      The above equations hold true for any value of I.

      As per Antony Ryan's suggestion, I searched google to see how Fibonacci type series can be used to explain Quantum Mechanics and General Relativity and found an interesting article.

      http://msel-naschie.com/pdf/The-Fibonacci-code-behin

      d-super.pdf

      Now that I split the Fibonacci series in to two semi series, seems like each of the sub semi series corresponds to QM and GR and together they explain the Quantum Gravity. Seems like this duality is a commonality in nature once relativity takes effect or a series is kicked off. The only commonality between the two series is at the base seed 0 and first seed 1, which are the bits in our binary system.

      Its also interesting to see the singularity is in the base seed of zero and how it is all pervasive all through out the structure. I have been telling that I is that nothing which dwells in everything and this DNA structure seems to prove that notion. Singularity is right with in the duality. Absolute is right with in the relativity. This proves that both of these states are interconnected and are the source of life.

      Love,

      Sridattadev.Attachment #1: 3_iDNASeries.bmp

      Hi Don

      Richard Feynman in his Nobel Acceptance Speech (http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1965/feynman-lecture.html)

      said: "It always seems odd to me that the fundamental laws of physics, when discovered, can appear in so many different forms that are not apparently identical at first, but with a little mathematical fiddling you can show the relationship. And example of this is the Schrodinger equation and the Heisenberg formulation of quantum mechanics. I don't know why that is - it remains a mystery, but it was something I learned from experience. There is always another way to say the same thing that doesn't look at all like the way you said it before. I don't know what the reason for this is. I think it is somehow a representation of the simplicity of nature."

      I too believe in the simplicity of nature, and I am glad that Richard Feynman, a Nobel-winning famous physicist, also believe in the same thing I do, but I had come to my belief long before I knew about that particular statement.

      The belief that "Nature is simple" is however being expressed differently in my essay "Analogical Engine" linked to http://fqxi.org/community/forum/topic/1865 .

      Specifically though, I said "Planck constant is the Mother of All Dualities" and I put it schematically as: wave-particle ~ quantum-classical ~ gene-protein ~ analogy- reasoning ~ linear-nonlinear ~ connected-notconnected ~ computable-notcomputable ~ mind-body ~ Bit-It ~ variation-selection ~ freedom-determinism ... and so on.

      Taken two at a time, it can be read as "what quantum is to classical" is similar to (~) "what wave is to particle." You can choose any two from among the multitudes that can be found in our discourses.

      I could have put Schrodinger wave ontology-Heisenberg particle ontology duality in the list had it comes to my mind!

      Since "Nature is Analogical", we are free to probe nature in so many different ways. And you have touched some corners of it.

      Good luck,

      Than Tin

        Don,

        Your running conversation is quite natural and engaging for such a weighty question. Your FQXi answer perhaps is the most sensible answer. I started this contest believing that philosophy and metaphysics had no place in this problem but now wonder. Even the current issue of Scientific American says, "Acquiring a comprehensive picture of the physical world requires the combination of physics with philosophy.

        I am critical of Wheeler's ideas as well, speaking of retroactive determination with his tie of consciousness to reality, even when the mind and body didn't exist.

        I like your approach. It is simple and engaging for the reader but I don't have the final answer like everyone else.

        Jim

          Hi Than,

          Thanks for the thought provoking excursion into "analogies".

          I consider the wave-particle duality as a traveling energy:

          h----space-time----h----space-time----h----space-time----h

          Best of Luck in the contest,

          Don L.

          Hi Jim,

          I am still laughing from reading your essay.

          Thanks for visiting my blog and sharing your kind comments. My mission is to unseat the uncertainty principle as a part of physics, so wish me luck I will need a lot of it.

          I have a story idea for you. It is sort of like Les Miserables with Heisenberg as John Valjean being pursued by Schrodinger's cat (Javert) ....

          Yes, some of the practitioners of physics want to expand to philosophy/religion, when it has a house of its own that is messy.

          Thanks for your excellent and enjoyable essay.

          Don L.

          Don,

          I must say you feel like a king when appreciated. I visited your website for more playful amusement as well. Now have it among my favorites.

          Jim

          Hello Don,

          I have been skipping your essay not knowing how very informative essay. This inspite of having an informal flavour. Areas of agreement with you include that motion is digital. In fact, we share a lot in common in this respect by referring to Zeno and Newton. I do the same here. By the way, the Dichotomy paradox also has a big bite, especially if there is a Planck length limit. All mathematical solutions like those of Cauchy require division beyond this length.

          Wish you luck in unraveling the mystery behind Heisenberg's uncertainty principle. I don't like it so I will check that reference. And finally, a big thank you for revealing so much misinformation in 9 pages!

          Best regards,

          Akinbo

            Hello Don,

            I read your essay at your invitation, and with great interest. I also went straight out to get a Siri of my own, but down under, i.e. Australia, they only have 1XL or 3XL upgrades, and the HST dialoged mode is a hack which must be added manually. They say the 2XL upgrade is on back order, and so those who what to have one foot in continuous space-time (1XL) and the other in discrete space-time (3XL) must wait because programmers are having a hard time making its conversation add up.

            In DDM mode your Siri says "I think that lamda-hopping or teleportation for particles would strike most people as unreal?" and in HST mode mine says that lamda-hopping by particles is a travelling salesman problem, far out! We all know that a travelling salesman hops from one place to another, and that a group of travelling salesmen who travel as a group find it much harder to get from one place to another because they are connected and must travel as a rag-tag bunch, and to get them moving quickly they must be energised and polarised. And as everyone knows, once you get a bunch of salesmen energised and polarised they're very hard to stop, but at least where they are and where they're going is more predictable. HST mode seems to explain inertia and momentum, but only if space-time is discrete and those who hop have hotels and motels to hop to and from.

            Cheers!

            Zoran.

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            • Post #44

            Hi Akinbo,

            Thanks for visiting, and thanks for your insightful essay.

            I am going to give you a mark of 10, and if I could it would be 20.

            I believe I my be one of the few who know what you are talking about.

            I liked you history of monads, it made me realize that what I had

            labeled as a "thingy" and later called a Planck Instant is very, very close to

            a monad.

            Best of Luck,

            Don L.