Math tells us what works, not what is real or why: a study in comparative dimensional physics by Neil Bates

Christian, thanks.

I haven't had time to read your essay in detail (and I'm neurotic about saying much unless I do), but I already appreciate that you address specific experimental results and predictions in light of particular theoretical expectations and critiques. That adds more than generalizations can do on their own. Note this curious irony: you correctly say that GR (now celebrating its 100th anniversary, so an apt time for your essay) is a geometrical theory, which constrains its form and predictions in certain ways. Yet you are boldly asserting that many physicists have missed an important insight, in their handling of clock synchronization in the rotating disk (all this I am gathering from your abstract alone.) How could this be?

Well if you are right, it means there are subtle problems of framing issues in this area - analogous to the problems dogging quantum mechanics and relativistic dynamics (such as arguments about the right-angle lever and the "energy current", how is angular momentum conserved in Thomas Precession, etc.)

I will go into more detail at your own essay.

Regards.

Ramin,

Thanks for your complements. I looked over your paper. It is clearly ambitious and you put lots of hard work into it. There is a lot of rather advanced and intricate math but I get the impression you have latched onto something significant. Do keep in mind, math is so rich that it's possible to find all kinds of promising "connections" but hard to know which ones will hold up better with more knowledge, than others. How do you think that possible EM inconsistency in D > 3 affects your generalizations? (BTW I used D for space dimensions, do you think it's better to designate for space time?) I note that you didn't have an essay here, perhaps you feel too boxed in by the length requirements. BTW must someone be a Member to post to that data forum? tx

Sherman,

You're welcome. Sorry for the delay, I got slipped in the shuffle. Yeah, I get a kick out of calling myself "Tyrannogenius." Don't worry if I deserve the title, but it was fun to pick out and now I "own it." I should look at your essay. Cheers.

Christinel,

Sorry that I need to correct a statement that inadvertently misrepresented our positions. I should have written:

"We agree that math by itself CANNOT do the job, but ideas like MUH shouldn't be dismissed breezily. (Remember also that Max was instrumental in starting up FQXi!)"

Here the correction is in bold, I originally had "can do the job". Good luck in the finals.

My comment at the contest winners announced discussion site about the announcement of winners:

My reaction to hearing the list of number-place winners (unless there are special extra prizes to be awarded late), and based on omissions and not critique of winners, is the following: FQXi (or, the majority of judges) seems not really interested in finding new talent and rewarding people from "all walks" for daring thinking and trying to present genuine contributions (new physics.) I'm sorry to have to say that, and I'm disappointed. I see no real effort to identify talented amateurs trying to make even potentially important contributions, versus the philosophizing that most essays express. Shouldn't that be a top priority?

Sure, I can't be fully objective all along, especially about myself. Don't take my word for anything. So, if anyone is interested then do some spade work and tell me what you think.

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Added here: they can't be bothered to be at least somewhat impressed, by a new argument to explain something as fundamental as the dimensionality of space?! I didn't even use "new theories" etc, it was creative extension of

known theory (retarded fields, stress tensor) applied to higher dimensions. I gamely went along four previous times, but after a fifth snub like this, it's started to feel like "trickle down." BTW feel free to also discuss at my FB page, facebook.com/tyrannogenius.