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Can Fractals Make Sense of the Quantum World?

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the cuz-i-sure-can't dept.

Keith found a New Scientist story about fractals and quantum theory. The article says "Take the mathematics of fractals into account, says Palmer, and the long-standing puzzles of quantum theory may be much easier to understand. They might even dissolve away."

25 of 236 comments (clear)

  1. Quantum Exploration by fyngyrz · · Score: 5, Funny

    So, the problem wasn't that God was playing dice with the universe, rather, it's just a nice Julia set?

    Einstein must be rolling in the dimensions of his grave. Fractionally, of course.

    --
    I've fallen off your lawn, and I can't get up.
    1. Re:Quantum Exploration by sakdoctor · · Score: 5, Funny

      God is one of these role-play nerds then, with his 20 dimensional dice.

    2. Re:Quantum Exploration by dkf · · Score: 4, Funny

      So, the problem wasn't that God was playing dice with the universe, rather, it's just a nice Julia set?

      Actually, it's just that God's dice have a complex number of sides.

      --
      "Little does he know, but there is no 'I' in 'Idiot'!"
    3. Re:Quantum Exploration by maxwell+demon · · Score: 2, Funny

      God is one of these role-play nerds then, with his 20 dimensional dice.

      Typical ignorance from a whole number dimensional being. God's fractal dice have 23.5 dimensions.

      No, his dice has e^pi dimensions. How could you ever think God's dice would not be transcendental?

      --
      The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
    4. Re:Quantum Exploration by GMFTatsujin · · Score: 2, Funny

      Roll 4 Time Cubes and beat DC orange!

      Foolish! You lose!

  2. And suddenly LOGO by thesandtiger · · Score: 5, Funny

    And suddenly LOGO turns out to be the programming language we need to encode the formula for everything.

    Go, little turtle, go!

    --
    Since I can't tell them apart, I treat all ACs as the same person.
    1. Re:And suddenly LOGO by FlyingSquidStudios · · Score: 4, Funny

      Forward 30 Right 90 Apply Heisenberg Constant Forward 30

      --
      http://twitter.com/OLDTELEGRAM
    2. Re:And suddenly LOGO by fyngyrz · · Score: 4, Funny

      Forward 30 Right 90 Apply Heisenberg Constant Forward 30

      "Where'd the damn turtle go?"

      "Ah, it fell off the edge of the universe again." Start over from the flat spot on that atom, would you?

      --
      I've fallen off your lawn, and I can't get up.
    3. Re:And suddenly LOGO by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      my turtleverse is toroidal, no edges, bwahahahahaha, unlucky when god was handing out space you really got the short straw!??!!?

    4. Re:And suddenly LOGO by CookedGryphon · · Score: 5, Funny

      It really *is* turtles all the way down??

  3. WRONG by ChienAndalu · · Score: 4, Funny

    again EVIL people deny that only TIME CUBE can make sense of the world

    1. Re:WRONG by thefringthing · · Score: 2, Funny

      Give him a break, he was obviously educated stupid.

  4. No more multiple universes? by BigHungryJoe · · Score: 4, Funny

    If, as the article suggests, Palmer's theory eventually does away the need for multiple universes, then incalculable damage has been done to the world of science fiction. What fun is it if there isn't a world where the Nazi's won WW2? What's there in that for anyone?

  5. Re:Poppycock by Goffee71 · · Score: 3, Funny

    And it'll help sell tee-shirts. Lets face it. those old quantum "I heart strange entanglement" tees were really lame!

    --
    If he's the Walrus then can I be a penguin please?
  6. Re: Woof... lots of implications by Black+Parrot · · Score: 4, Funny

    Maybe quantum phenomena appear to be random because the universe's stack has collided with its heap, and all the variables this far down into the recursion are full of garbage.

    Mmmmm.... nerd theology. Some hero will come along and separate the stack from the heap with his sword, and the universe will begin anew.

    --
    Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
  7. Quantals by dna_(c)(tm)(r) · · Score: 2, Funny

    Or he could use quantum theory to explain fractals to me, didn't quite get it when John Gleick wrote about chaos in the late 80's

    Anyway, want credits for the word 'Quantals' and now I'm off to RTFA.

  8. Can Fractals Make Sense of the Quantum World? by epr · · Score: 4, Funny

    Since I couldn't bother with RTFA, I'm gonna go with a definite maybe.

    1. Re:Can Fractals Make Sense of the Quantum World? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Maybe. Maybe, they could, or they couldn't.

    2. Re:Can Fractals Make Sense of the Quantum World? by notaspy · · Score: 2, Funny

      Yes. Yes they can.
      and
      No. No they can't.

      --
      hi!
  9. Who watches the watchers? by gmuslera · · Score: 4, Funny

    After applying fractal math on quantum problems you could notice something dissolving... but is your mind, not the problem.

  10. Can Fractals Make Sense of the Quantum World? by ciderVisor · · Score: 5, Funny

    No. No, they can't.

    --
    Squirrel!
  11. Re:And the science is? by dna_(c)(tm)(r) · · Score: 2, Funny

    Thank you. I would say it is still an untested hype-o-thesis.

  12. Can Fractals Make Sense of the Quantum World? by ciderVisor · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yes. Yes, they can.

    --
    Squirrel!
  13. Re:Poppycock by dna_(c)(tm)(r) · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Your honnor, officer Speedtrap can't know I was there and driving too fast. I would like to call Mr. Heisenberg as a witness for the defense."

  14. Re: Woof... lots of implications by MadKeithV · · Score: 2, Funny

    In that case I think God forgot the closing parenthesis.