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Dear Dr B: Is Scientific Discipline Democratic?

“Hi Bee, One of the frequently repeated phrases hither inwards Italy past times so called “science enthusiasts” is that “science is non democratic”, which to me sounds similar an excuse for someone to justify some authoritarian or semi-fascist fantasy. We run across this on countless “Science pages”, 1 really pop illustration existence Fare Serata Con Galileo . It's non a bad page per se, quite the contrary, but the degree of comments including variations of “Democracy is overrated”, “Darwin plant to eliminate weak as well as stupid people” as well as the green “Science is non democratic” is unbearable. It underscores a troubling “sympathy for authoritarian politics” that to me seems to locomote to a greater extent than as well as to a greater extent than mutual amid “science enthusiasts". The classic illustration it’s made is “the speed of calorie-free is non voted”, which to me, equally truthful equally it may be, has some sinister resonance. Could you lot comment on t...

Dear Dr B: Why Are Neutrinos Prove For Physics Beyond The Criterion Model?

Dear Chris, The criterion model of particle physics contains 2 dissimilar types of particles. There are the fermions, which brand upwardly matter, in addition to the gauge-bosons which mediate interactions betwixt the fermions and, inwards approximately cases, amid themselves. There is i additional particle – the Higgs-boson – which is needed to give masses to both bosons in addition to fermions. Neutrino number at the IceCube Observatory inwards Antarctica . Image: IceCube Collaboration The fermions come upwardly inwards left-handed in addition to right-handed versions which are mirror-images of each other. In what I recollect is the most perplexing characteristic of the criterion model, the left-handed in addition to right-handed versions of fermions comport differently. We state the fermions are “chiral.” The departure betwixt the left- in addition to right-handed particles is most apparent if yous hold off at neutrinos: Nobody has always seen a right-handed neutrino. Yo...

What Does It Hateful For String Theory That The Lhc Has Non Seen Supersymmetric Particles?

And what volition larn of supersymmetric string theory if Susy is bumped off ? — Suhail Manzoor (@suhailski) February 13, 2018 What are the consequences of no SUSY? — John Deer (@johnxdeer) February 13, 2018 The LHC information as well as thence far convey non revealed whatever evidence for supersymmetric particles, or whatever other novel particles. For all nosotros know at present, the measure model of particle physics suffices to explicate observations. There is some adventure that improve statistics which come upwardly amongst to a greater extent than information volition expose some less obvious signal, as well as thence the game isn’t yet over. But it’s non looking proficient for susy as well as her friends. Simulated dot of dark hole production as well as decay at the LHC. [Credits: CERN/ATLAS ] What are the consequences? The consequences for supersymmetry itself are few. The argue is that supersymmetry past times itself is non a really predi...

Dear Dr B: Should 1 Report String Theory?

Strings. [image: freeimages.com ] “Greetings doctor Hossenfelder! I am a Princeton physics major who regularly reads your wonderful blog. I lately came across a curious passage inwards Brian Greene’s introduction to a reprint edition of Einstein's Meaning of Relativity which claims that: “Superstring theory successfully merges full general relativity in addition to quantum mechanics [...] Moreover, non exclusively does superstring theory merge full general relativity with quantum mechanics, but it also has the capacity to comprehend — on an equal reason — the electromagnetic force, the weak force, in addition to the strong force. Within superstring theory, each of these forces is merely associated with a dissimilar vibrational designing of a string. And so, similar a guitar chord composed of 4 dissimilar notes, the 4 forces of nature are united inside the music of superstring theory. What’s more, the same goes for all of thing every bit well. The electron, the quarks,...

Dear Dr B: Is It Possible That At That Topographic Point Is A Universe Inwards Every Particle?

“Is it possible that our ‘elementary’ particles are genuinely large scale aggregations of a different laid of something much smaller? Then, from a mathematical signal of view, at that topographic point could travel an infinite sequence of smaller (and larger) edifice blocks together with universes.”                                                                       Peter Letts Dear Peter, I honey the thought that at that topographic point is a universe inward every uncomplicated particle! Unfortunately, it is genuinely hard to brand this hypothesis compatible amongst what nosotros already know nearly particle physics. Simply conjecturing that the known particles are made upwards of smaller particles doesn’t function well. The argue is that the masses of the element particles must travel smaller than ...

Dear Dr B: What Does The Universe Expand Into?

“When the universe expands, into what is it expanding? In what medium is it expanding? Is the universe similar a bubble inward a higher dimension something? [Anonymous], Indiana, USA” [image: luftballon-profi.at ] This is a really skillful enquiry too one, I should add, I popular off frequently. It is, I believe, to no modest business office caused yesteryear the mutual illustrations of a curved universe: it’s a rubber-sheet amongst a bowling-ball on it, it’s an inflating balloon, or – inward the rarer instance that soul tries to illustrate negative curvature, it’s a Irish Gaelic patato fighting (because genuinely I bring no sentiment what a saddle looks like). But inward each of these cases what the illustration genuinely shows is a two-dimensional surface embedded inward a non-curved (“flat”) three-dimensional space. That’s skillful because you lot tin delineate it, but it’s bad because it raises the impression that to beak of curved sort you lot need to pose the surface in...