Math to Explain Theories: Fundamentals & Calculation

[darkside00]

Allright, looking at at a bunch of string theories and using math to explain, it really looks like nonsense. Calculus is easy math to learn because it means something, eg. explaining and altering functions to make sense fundamentally. What I don't understand, is how people use math to model their theories where the math does not make sense rationally. Wheres the fundamentals to explain their theories on a calculatable basis?

 

[xepma]

Exactly what kind of non-rational math do you have in mind? :)

Can you give an example?

 

[darkside00]

Well String theory is to out there for me. What I like to see is calculated examples to there theories to make sense physically. perhaps just a simple example to give the idea

 

[Fredrik]

String theory is still a work in progress, and techniques to calculate the theory's predictions about results of experiments at the energy scale of particle accelerators don't exist yet.

The claim you made in post #1 (that the mathematics of string theory "does not make sense rationally") isn't appropriate at Physics Forums. This is a place for people who want to learn about scientific theories, not for people who just want to make absurd claims. (You might want to try forums.randi.org).

 

[Naty1]

A lot of math does not make sense "rationally" to someone or other. Who knew that the Euler Beta function would years later be later interpretated to apply to nuclear physics...?

In fact even solutions may not make sense...until someone bright enough comes along to see through the "haze". That was sure true of Einstein's equations, which others had largely developed but did not really "feel"...and some of the later solutions as well...it took about 20 years to gain a "rational" understanding and acceptance of Einstein's GR.

In fact the original math for string theory was developed for understanding the strong force (if I recall) until someone later discovered a massless spin two particle hidden in the details (the graviton) and, voila, real string theory was born.

In other words, we need some crazy mathematicians to develop what appears to be at first some crazy math...

 

[dpackard]

What you're missing, darkside, is that just because you do not (yet) understand the math on which the theories are based on does NOT imply that the maths/theories do not make rational sense. In other words, this isn't just dressed up numerology (except for that M. S. El Naschie fellow and his e-infinity "theory").