Essay Abstract

This essay weaves a history of Western mathematics with the duality of reason and belief and uses a quantum walk of Fibonacci numbers to show how the absurdity of life provides meaning.

Author Bio

Dr. Agnew has a Ph.D. in Chemical Physics from Washington State University and has been actively engaged in science in both the public and private sectors for over 34 years. His work has produced more than 70 publications and four patents, but he has only recently become interested in the unification of charge and gravity force. In his matter time universe, all force derives from matter decay...but of course, that is not a popular belief.

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Dear Stephen Agnew,

I enjoyed your essay. I had not known the rabbit-genesis of the Fibonacci series, nor seen the fascinating overlay on the spiral galaxy on your first page.

Your point about the lack of physically real perfect triangles, etc., is also good to remember. And the view of math as language and physics as telling stories (evolving stories) is worth keeping in mind. I don't know whether you are familiar with Hestenes' Geometric Algebra, but the imaginary i is treated as a bivector and he views Schrödinger as unintentionally including spin in his equation as a result of using i.

All in all, an easy to read, interesting essay.

Edwin Eugene Klingman

    Dear Stephen,

    I have only two small comments.

    The first is that Leonhard Euler was not French but Swiss, from Basel.

    The second has to do with your discussion on having a superposition of imaginary walks in our brain, before actually going out for a real walk.

    I remember reading somewhere the example of the goalkeeper in the game of football. When the penalty is shot, based on the speed of individual synapses in his brain, it seems that the goalkeeper would never have the time to react properly. The fact that he sometimes manages to catch the ball would be a proof that some parallel processing or quantum-like process is going on in the brain. However, that parallel processing does not correspond to a conscious activity.

    On the contrary, I believe (and may well be wrong) that the imagining all possible alternative walks before going out is a conscious activity, and that the alternatives are considered in sequence. One could perhaps argue that conscious brain activity (thoughts) is only sequential, while only unconscious activity may involve superposition. Any opinions on this?

    Cheers

    Tommaso

      I am not familiar with Hestenes algebra, but will look it up. The imaginary "i" is indeed a very interesting part of our mathematical reality. Although we are very comfortable with matter as mass or charge, we are not comfortable with matter having phase and therefore showing interference and entanglement. The magical "i" allows our math to carry both phase and amplitude in our stories about objects.

      Thanks for the comment.

      Yes, I do have an opinion...on just about everything, but that is another issue. As part of consciousness, there appear to be both rational brain and a primitive brain. While we think that our rational brain in in control, it is really from our primitive brain that emotion and feeling come and it is our primitive brain that makes choices.

      If we really had to wait for our rational brain to take critical actions like avoiding danger, we would not as a species survive very long. The functions of our primitive brain are what make us human our primitive brain is very much more a superposition of neural packets as opposed to a singular neural packet of a moment of thought.

      We are all about predicting the action of objects and we can do that in any number of different ways. Words and language is one very useful way to tell stories and share experiences with others. Math is simply another way to share our experiences with each other and math obviously allows us to better predict the action of objects.

      You say that math and physics are both unrealistic and you imply that words are language are therefore the only reality. I also believe that math and physics have their limitations, but their discipline does help us predict the action of objects much better that just words and language alone.

      It is not clear to me why you like to overuse the word abstract. Your stories sound like gibberish, not truthfulness. The issue is not truth per se, rather the issue is how can we better predict the action of objects and therefore enhance our survival. Do math and science help?

      Steve,

      As expected an interesting essay. I didn't expect anything less. Learnt about the ancient origins of the much talked about Fibonacci series.

      You touched on aspects of physics that are of interest to me and which I also wrote about. Let me raise some questions...

      - Does the the Fibonacci series have a final finite end as you say, and does this have a size? Does the series also have a finite end on the large scale or could it be infinite?

      - Any ideas what the fundamental 'qualia' could be?

      - In your claim, that calculus has resolved Zeno's paradox, would you know the size of the final infinitesimal step, because surely it must be taken to complete the race?

      - Finally, how would you cut a 'real' or 'platonic' line in a perfect mathematical universe as you call it? Taking note that by definition a 'point' is uncuttable.

      Regards,

      Akinbo

        ...oh, and you are right about Euler being Swiss...sorry about that.

        You always ask the simplest darn hard questions...

        "- Does the the Fibonacci series have a final finite end as you say, and does this have a size? Does the series also have a finite end on the large scale or could it be infinite?"

        The Fibonacci does indeed have a finite end as two one tiles. While most suppose the series begins with two ones, it is equally valid for a Fibonacci series to end in two one tiles and that is my universe.

        The Fibonacci universe has a very large but finite number of particles when collapse begins and we are only through about 1/3 of the contraction pulse. At our destiny of two, an antiverse expansion begins with antimatter and antilight and antigravity until the next contraction pulse.

        "- Any ideas what the fundamental 'qualia' could be?"

        Each object that we sense has the qualia that we associate with related objects. Red, bright, large, and so on. Every object and every action in the universe is related to the fundamental qualia of the universe axioms: matter, time, and action.

        "- In your claim, that calculus has resolved Zeno's paradox, would you know the size of the final infinitesimal step, because surely it must be taken to complete the race?"

        I perhaps should have been more explicit...but there were only nine pages in which to cram way too many ideas. Calculus provides the math tools that allow us to deal with the infinitesimal and that is what I meant by resolve.

        You are still very correct to point out that the Zeno's notion of infinitesimal points in space still results in difficulties in science. The whole mythology of black holes is based on these kinds of paradoxes. Of course, matter time sidesteps all of that silliness with the idea of space that emerges from action and time, not the other way around.

        In a finite universe where action is driven by exchange of finite bits of matter, there is no problem in completing any motion including the race you mention. Although that is not yet the universe of mainstream science, that is my universe.

        "- Finally, how would you cut a 'real' or 'platonic' line in a perfect mathematical universe as you call it? Taking note that by definition a 'point' is uncuttable."

        A perfect math universe is perfectly suited to the infinities of the infinitesimal. In other words, we can imagine and believe in infinities all we want to. As long as beliefs do not threaten our survival or preclude an accurate prediction of action, beliefs can range.

        However, when it comes to a more accurate prediction of action, the finite point that we use is the point that provides a prediction of action with an acceptable uncertainty.

        Thanks. When you have the time take a look at my suggestion how Zeno's paradox is resolved.

        In your matter time universe, what does a line consist of and how would you cut a line?

        Akinbo

        Dear Dr. Agnew,

        Either you or abstract we wrote: "It is not clear to me why you like to overuse the word abstract. Your stories sound like gibberish, not truthfulness. I am sorry that you or abstract we could not understand my comment, and for some inexplicable reason you or abstract we thought that it was an audible recitation of stories. Could it be that you and abstract we actually do not know what reality is?

        Patiently,

        Joe Fisher

        It is a pity that instead of using your eyes to read my comment, you, or abstract we chose to try to listen to it!

        Impressed,

        Joe Fisher

        A line presupposes Cartesian space and its lonely empty nothing. Just saying a line presupposes a large number of implicit axioms.

        Begin with objects. Can you divide an object? Yes, until you get to the quark.

        Time...can you divide time? Only into the tick of a clock.

        Action...can you divide an action? You can divide an action only until you reach an equal action.

        Lines are only what we imagine reality to be, not what it actually is. Reality consists of objects made of matter subject to action over time.

        Dear Dr. Agnew,

        There is no empty space. All of the stars are held in place by stellar radiation. All of the planets are held in place by atmospheric accumulation. The real Universe is indivisible.

        I see. Thanks for the clarification. I like the picture of a superposition of neural packets for the primitive brain, with involved survival functions, and the singular packet for the moments of thought. I only regret that, apparently, we are currently still unable to use superposition also for conscious moments of thought; maybe this is the next step in the evolution of our species (but this is more related to the topic of last year's Contest...)

        I believe that there are ways that we can access the superposition states of our primitive mind with conscious thought. For example, meditation and dreams and hypnosis are all altered states of conscious thought that access those superposition states of our primitive mind.

        Motor action only needs our primitive mind, but then that action is limited to survival. The singularity of our conscious mind is what gives up purpose beyond survival and the singular nature of purpose is a part of consciousness.

        I am especially enamored of the delta wave mode at 1.7 Hz of the EEG spectrum of thought, which is the mode of meditation and sleep and the primitive mind. While the alpha mode at 11 Hz comes and goes and is associated with conscious thought as well as dreams, the delta mode seems to be always present and delta is the only resonance left with deep sleep or meditation.

        Although science does not yet understand the natures of these neural resonances, it is very tempting to think of neural resonances as quantum modes of a bilateral neural packet of a moment of thought.

        Actually, I do agree that there is no space, empty or otherwise. When you say there is no empty space, you implicitly accept the existence of space in the first place.

        It is the exchange of matter between objects that binds the universe together and stellar radiation is an exchange of matter with the universe as an object.

        Gravity is what holds all of the planets and stars and galaxies in place in the universe and it is the action of gravity that is still somewhat mysterious. It would appear that gravity force is due to the pairs of photons emitted as quadrupoles as a result of the binding of charge force dipoles within an object.

        The real universe is an object made up of matter particles that combine in lots of interesting ways to make hydrogen and people and a lot of other stuff. As a result, the universe is simply the way that it is.

        You have presented a good work, with the foundational questions of "Object", "Time" and "matter" which throws a daring views.

        Best Regards,

        Miss. Sujatha Jagannathan

        It is not really the number 17 degrees as a galaxy pitch angle so much as it is the tangent of 17 degrees, which is the ratio of galaxy winding energy to its gravitational energy, 30%. Why that ratio is tied to the golden ratio through the Fibanacci series does seem a bit mysterious, though.