The theories of Relativity and Quantum Mechanics both work very well in practice. Describing the world of the very large and very small with perfect precision, we use them every day in various technologies. The problem is, these incompatible physical models won’t reconcile.
If you haven’t already, first read your very own personal holodeck.
Theory of Relativity
Einstein’s Theories of Relativity describe the world of the very large. Everything is smooth (but not flat) and well-understood. The theories provide science and engineering with models sufficiently rich to explain what we observe and predict previously unobserved (or unexplained) phenomena. It’s a very intellectually satisfying model of reality.
As a great example, GPS (global positioning system) devices are ubiquitous. Without accounting for special relativity due to the speed difference between the satellites and receiver(s), the GPS time source would drift by 7.2 microseconds per day (-7.2µs/day) due to Special Relativistic effects. Without considering General relativistic effects, the analogous clock drift would add 45.8 microseconds per day in the opposite direction (+45.8µs/day).
GPS transmissions arrive at your receiver at different time offsets due to being different distances from the various satellites. The timing of the arrivals is integral to determining the receiver’s location. Without taking into account both Special and General Relativistic effects, these timing discrepancies would accumulate over time and break the GPS system within only a matter of days.
Quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics describes the physics of very small and even subatomic scales where things behave very oddly. At these scales, our intuition often breaks down entirely. Particles blink in and out of existence at a regular rate and behave differently depending on whether or not they’re being observed. Time and space mean nothing at scales less than the plank scale. Particles in motion can disappear and reappear on the other side of a barrier, called quantum tunneling. Modern computer chip design has gotten so small that it has to take some elements of the quantum world into account, particularly quantum tunneling.
Quantum theory is wildly successful at explaining what happens in the world of the small, but it doesn’t dovetail into the Theory of Relativity at all. For example, General Relativity explains both the cause and effect of gravity on matter and energy. Quantum mechanics, on the other hand, doesn’t even acknowledge gravity exists. There are attempts to rectify quantum mechanic’s standard model with awareness of gravity, but nothing widely accepted (or provable) has been discovered yet.
As far as modeling and hypothesizing about any system goes, the standard model of quantum mechanics is horrible. Every new facet integrated into the theory is met with the creation of yet another particle. Models generally have to be careful not to simply “memorize” what they’re describing, and quantum mechanics does nothing but. Intellectually, it’s kind of yucky.
The oil and vinegar of incompatible physical models
Relativity theory is smooth and continuous. Quantum theory is discrete and broken. Like children arguing in the back seat, they simply won’t make nice. Still, we successfully use them both all the time in their respective domains.
Super-string theory and M-theory promise to unify relativity and quantum theories, but we shouldn’t get too excited. It may never happen, and it probably won’t happen in our lifetimes.
Let’s reconcile the incompatible physical models
Get ready for the best arm-chair quarterbacking ever!
In a recent post, your very own personal holodeck, we may have positioned ourselves to understand precisely why there must necessarily be two separate laws of physics for the very large and the very small.
In the world of the very large, you have a shared social consciousness that communicates everything participants have in common. It may look like a computer network linking multiple personal holodecks. Alternatively, it may be an invisible prison linking individual bio pods. More generally, it may be a form of telepathy among non-physical creators. With multiple participants, you would expect differences and disagreements to be smoothed over in some reasonable way regardless of the actual mechanism used to convey the shared structure of a virtual environment.
In the world of the very small, you have physical matter and energy being created just in time specifically for a single participant according to the senses being utilized. Building blocks popping in and out of existence as needed actually seems reasonable. It almost doesn’t matter what the physical mechanism is, the goal is to generate a facade to successfully create and trick the sense organs into believing whatever they are to observe.
Maybe using two models to describe the physical world isn’t a bug after all. Maybe it’s a feature. Wouldn’t we need two models to describe two entirely different aspects of a shared virtual environment? The linked personal holodeck model rectifies the situation and utilizes both physics models to serve two complementary aspects – representation and presentation.
Finally, and somewhat tongue in cheek, anyone who has ever learned Object Oriented Programming might recognize something that feels vaguely familiar about the standard model.
