The Law of PhysicsBy A.M. Ryan ISBN: 978-0-9802088-1-8
Over the past century, physics has become increasingly and alarmingly difficult to represent in concrete physical terms. Whether it’s spacetime curvature, the superposed and probabilistic states of matter or, more recently, the eleven dimensions of string theory, scientists have reluctantly conceded that the cosmos is radically different from the comfortable and mechanistic model handed down by Isaac Newton. As Richard Feynman famously quipped, “If you think you understand quantum mechanics, you don’t.”
But does it have to be this way?
In The Law of Physics, Ryan asks a simple question: Is there an interpretation of existing empirical observations that simultaneously acknowledges the great success of the standard models, but also paints an intuitive, comprehensible, and above all physical picture of the universe? In other words, can Newtonian sobriety be injected back into the dizzying world of string theory? Ryan believes the answer is yes. Armed with a powerful reconception of spacetime-viewed as pressure rather than curvature-Ryan paints simple, geometric pictures of many phenomena that are currently impossible to visualize by mere mortals.
Just a few of the perennial head-scratchers Ryan addresses:
- The nature of gravity.
- The curious rotational characteristics of spiral galaxies.
- The origin and fate of the universe.
- The origin of the cosmological constant.
- The genesis of neutrons.
- The geometric configurations of atomic nuclei.
- The nuclear dynamics of radioactive decay.
If successful, this new picture will permit scientists to pose questions of theory and practice in terms and images that are better suited to our logical, three-dimensional brains.