Quantitative Predictions from Higher Math? Relativity, Quantum Field, String

[chill_factor]

How do you get a quantitiative answer from these theories?

Like, how did Einstein calculate the gravitational deflection of a light ray? How does one go from abstract algebra in quantum theory to quantitative descriptions of orbitals and chemical bonding? Can string theory make a single quantitative prediction?

 

[phyzguy]

I don't think string theory can make any quantitative predictions, but relativity and quantum mechanics make a large number of quantitative predictions that are confirmed by experiment. Get any good book on either of these topics and it will go through how to do the calculations. On the specific problem you asked about (gravitational deflection of light rays), this site goes through the calculation:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kepler_problem_in_general_relativity#Bending_of_light_by_gravity

 

[chill_factor]

thank you for the link. my question was there because apparently the "physics" version of quantum mechanics is different than the "chemistry" version and it uses matricies or something.