MIT: Independent Activities Period: IAP

IAP 2017



Future Trainwreck: Mine or Modern Physics

Douglas Sweetser '84

Jan/26 Thu 03:00PM-05:00PM 3-270

Enrollment: Unlimited: Advance sign-up required

Disaster is more interesting than success. I will limit myself to an hour of tales of research failures. Modern physics as more than 42 inverse femtobarns of data from the LHC saying all the work on super symmetry has no value, none, zero. My current research rejects using tensors for any calculations in physics. In its place is a more careful consideration of numbers for space-time events that can be added, subtracted, multiplied, and divided. The physics is found by using equivalence classes for pairs of observers. If the square of the difference between two events as seen by a pair of observers is the same, that is the equivalence class of inertial observers which is at the core of special relativity. If the three space-times-times are the same for a pair of observers, that leads to an equivalence class of non-inertial observers. The space-times-time equivalence class is the basis of my new proposal for gravity. There is no graviton in my proposal. The great hunt for quantum gravity would be over. For those that last until the end, a poll will be conducted to gauge if the audience thinks my current research is headed for a flameout, or a huge shift for physics is in store. One random person will win with a free t-shirt. Register today!

Sponsor(s): Alumni Association
Contact: Elena Byrne, W98-206C, 617 252-1143, EBYRNE@MIT.EDU