# Can you explain this 'Theory of Everything' formula?

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1. Jun 5, 2015

### Yohanes Nuwara

I recently come across with an amazing equation of Theory of Everything; I wonder if TOE has been formulated (???) I found this equation on a website, check it out http://www.preposterousuniverse.com...world-of-everyday-experience-in-one-equation/. While seeing briefly this equation, I simply don't understand what this means because there are no explanations of all the units used in this formula (e.g. ψ, Φ, i, A, α, etc). What is W? Can you explain what the units are and what all of these mean? Does this formula be the real formula of TOE? Thank you :)

2. Jun 5, 2015

### The_Duck

This equation is more a "theory of everything we know so far." It's a summary of the standard model of particle physics and general relativity. Unfortunately understanding any given term in the equation requires a lot of background knowledge. Here's the general idea: $A$ and $F$ are related to the electric and magnetic fields and their analogs for the weak and strong force. $\Phi$ is the Higgs field. $g$ is the "metric of spacetime" which you can think of as the gravitational field. $R$ is a measure of the strength of the gravitational field. $\psi$ represents all matter particles such as electrons and quarks. $V_{ij}$ is kind of a table of particle masses. $W$ is the "partition function" which is a tool for calculating things in quantum mechanics.

When people talk about a "theory of everything" they want something that goes beyond what is summarized in this equation: something that resolves certain problems with quantum mechanics and general relativity and explains where the particles and forces that we know about come from.

Last edited: Jun 5, 2015