Comment by Rosemary LYNDALL WEMM on June 9, 2011 at 7:54pm

In short, no. 

What most people consider to be the "laws of nature" are Newtonian physical laws.  They apply to the macro world that we can see.

When scientists descended into the micro world they found that Newtonian physics did not apply.  They had to discover and formulate Quantum physics to describe what goes on there.

 

There is some speculation about whether the events surrounding the Big Bang have a third set of physical laws, as yet only surmised by humans.  Scientists are currently working on a "theory of everything" which seeks to connect at least the Newtonian and Quantum physics together, if not whatever physics are related to singularities dense enough to result in cosmic proportion explosions.

 

Failure to understand these differences, and the false assumption that the rules of Newtonian physics applies to all matter and potential matter, is behind the cosmological argument of the existence of a god.  [Of course, the speaker presumes that this "god" coincides with his/her personal and probably unique definition of that word.]

 

 

Comment by Rosemary LYNDALL WEMM on June 9, 2011 at 7:57pm

BTW, in the quantum world, "potential energy particles" randomly flit in an out of existence from "nothing",   with no cause.

Comment by Rosemary LYNDALL WEMM on June 9, 2011 at 7:58pm

This is my potted version of my understanding of modern physics.  Since I do not pretend to be a physicist I am open to be be corrected by someone who has a legitimate right to that claim.

Comment by Heather Spoonheim on June 9, 2011 at 7:59pm

I think the atom as a solar system analogy is commonly arrived at but, as I now understand it, it is pretty far off.  Our conceptual model of electrons orbiting the nucleus is just a conceptual model and not very representative of what is really going on.  Electrons go from one orbit (energy state) to another with no transitional motion (as I understand it) and do not synchronize into an orbits based on mass, velocity, and gravitation of the nucleus.

 

What little I know of quantum physics tells me that everything I instinctually comprehend about physical reality does not apply at the sub-atomic level, if it even applies at the cosmic level.  I've had all these thoughts you have mentioned, and they still cross my mind from time to time, but most things that I have read indicate that truly understanding these matters requires a hell of a lot more reading yet.  Perhaps someone like Albert, who has a much better knowledge base and understanding of these things, can explain them better than I.

Comment by Ryan Burns on June 9, 2011 at 8:20pm

New evidence supports the idea that we live in an area of the universe that is "just right" for our existence. The controversial finding comes from an observation that one of the constants of nature appears to be different in different parts of the cosmos.

If correct, this result stands against Einstein's equivalence principle, which states that the laws of physics are the same everywhere.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19429-laws-of-physics-may-cha...

Comment by Galen on June 9, 2011 at 9:37pm

Never understood the awe and god-claims over the "just right" universe we live in.  Well DUH, of course we MUST live in a universe that's just right for our existence because, HELLO, WE EXIST!  LOL!  If we didn't live in such a universe, we wouldn't be having the discussion!

 

Silly theists :)

Comment by Ryan Burns on June 9, 2011 at 9:42pm

I can imagine a species of silicon-based lifeforms, worshiping a silicon-based god that made them in his silicon-based image, crying out "But look at our universe! It was made just for us!!"

Comment by Sassan K. on June 9, 2011 at 10:48pm

There's the quantum world and the relativistic world. Einstein could never combine them bother together. Scientists are trying to put them together and are doing experiments through the great Hadron Collider in Switzerland-France.

Comment by Akshay Bist on June 9, 2011 at 11:53pm

Well, there is quantum mechanics for the micro world - very tiny objects, and general relativity(Newtonian mechanics are a special case of General Relativity) for the macro world - large objects. And they both are at odds with each other.

These days physicists claim to have found the missing link, the grand unified theory of everything - String Theory. When I first heard about it I thought it was too weird to be correct, and it didn't help that Richard Feynman had a dim view of string theory & string theorists. Though its kinda ironic that Feynman diagrams are now fundamental for String theory. After watching a few discovery science specials, I don't think that string theory is that weird anymore. Will probably read up on string theory, and quantum mechanics & relativity in a few months.

Anyone got a good popular science writer suggestion? I'm thinking Brian Greene.

Comment by Sassan K. on June 9, 2011 at 11:59pm

Dr. Michio Kaku - cofounder of string theory has written books on this subject. Akshay, I have it on ebook. Do you like reading ebooks? IF so, I can email it to you.

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