Slog - Comments on Unity http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity Ladies and gentleman, this may be the shape of your universe: Lisi's inspiration lies in the most elegant and intricate shape known to mathematics, called E8 - a complex, eight-dimensional mathematical pattern with 248 points first found in 1887, but only fully understood by mathematicians this year after workings, that, if written out in tiny print, would cover an area the size of Manhattan. E8 encapsulates the symmetries of a geometric object that is 57-dimensional and is itself is 248-dimensional. Lisi says "I think our universe is this beautiful shape." What makes E8 so exciting is that Nature also seems... Copyright 2008 Thu, 15 Nov 2007 12:38:31 -0800 Thu, 15 Nov 2007 21:54:52 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by New Deal Deomoncrat Our universe was designed on a Spiralgraph??!! WTF???

]]> New Deal Deomoncrat http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c850691 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c850691 Thu, 15 Nov 2007 12:42:37 -0800 Comment by StrangerDanger More importantly, the dude who came up with idea is more of a surf bum than Spicoli!

]]> StrangerDanger http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c850694 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c850694 Thu, 15 Nov 2007 12:44:54 -0800 Comment by M Trying to explain complicated math to the lay person is awfully hard. Here they show us a 2 dimensional picture and tell us that it is "a complex, eight-dimensional mathematical pattern" and that it "encapsulates the symmetries of a geometric object that is 57-dimensional and is itself is 248-dimensional."

Er... um... okay. I guess I'll take your word for it. (Even if I'm not exactly sure what all those words mean.)

]]> M http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c850703 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c850703 Thu, 15 Nov 2007 12:49:48 -0800 Comment by This one Nah, my universe is more like this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandelbrot_set

or this:

http://cdbaby.com/cd/heartmusic

]]> This one http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c850705 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c850705 Thu, 15 Nov 2007 12:52:31 -0800 Comment by Nick @3:

The Wikipedia entry on the E8 system has a photograph of a 3D plastic model. I just liked the mandala representation because, well, obviously.

]]> Nick http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c850708 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c850708 Thu, 15 Nov 2007 12:56:50 -0800 Comment by COMTE But, I would imagine even a lowly three-dimensional representation can't come close to doing justice to the complexity of E8.

Still, it's beautiful, regardless of the number of dimensions in which it's represented.

]]> COMTE http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c850718 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c850718 Thu, 15 Nov 2007 13:09:38 -0800 Comment by M Nick@5: yeah, I like the pretty pictures too. I was just commenting on the fact that we all have no idea what we're talking about here. It's not like the photo of the 3D plastic model helps us to understand any better. (a 2D picture of a 3D model of something which is both 8 and 248 dimensional and which "encapsulates the symmetries of a geometric object that is 57-dimensional". Um... huh?)

]]> M http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c850719 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c850719 Thu, 15 Nov 2007 13:09:44 -0800 Comment by Just Me For those of us confused by multi-dimensional ideas I would recomend watching "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan. There is one episode where he describes dimensions beyond just the three we can see.

]]> Just Me http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c850721 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c850721 Thu, 15 Nov 2007 13:11:41 -0800 Comment by Tim @8
That was a great episode! I think it was about a two dimensional creature getting swept up in a three dimensional world.
I can almost hear "Popcorn" now.

]]> Tim http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c850725 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c850725 Thu, 15 Nov 2007 13:18:58 -0800 Comment by Just Me @9, it is kinda cheesy but makes the point. I liked when he cut the apple in half and dipped it in ink to show what a 2 dimensional world would see of a 3 dimensional object.

]]> Just Me http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c850737 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c850737 Thu, 15 Nov 2007 13:30:14 -0800 Comment by Mr. Poe There is no such thing as a universe.

]]> Mr. Poe http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c850741 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c850741 Thu, 15 Nov 2007 13:31:39 -0800 Comment by Will in Seattle Ok, who took my pens?

]]> Will in Seattle http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c850746 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c850746 Thu, 15 Nov 2007 13:34:05 -0800 Comment by Pat If his theory is correct, then the proper way to visualize E8 is to look out the window.

]]> Pat http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c850754 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c850754 Thu, 15 Nov 2007 13:36:23 -0800 Comment by durrr Ummm... WHAT??

]]> durrr http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c850766 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c850766 Thu, 15 Nov 2007 13:42:16 -0800 Comment by tabletop_joe http://homepages.wmich.edu/~drichter/images/splashphoto_small_073106.jpg

3D vs. 2D model of E8 illustrated perfectly.

That picture of the universe looks like the cover of Hissing Fauna: Are You the Destroyer?

]]> tabletop_joe http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c850773 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c850773 Thu, 15 Nov 2007 13:48:40 -0800 Comment by inkweary @15 that photo works very well. Thanks.

]]> inkweary http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c850785 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c850785 Thu, 15 Nov 2007 13:55:11 -0800 Comment by Levislade The weirdest part is that at the beginning of the story they say that the theory requires only 3 spatial and one time dimension, and then goes on to discuss the elaborately-dimensioned E8 without any attempt to reconcile the two.

Recommended reading: Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatland

]]> Levislade http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c850789 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c850789 Thu, 15 Nov 2007 13:56:33 -0800 Comment by ejamadoodle That's fine if yer just gonna crib stuff from Mefi. But PLEASE don't link to the guy-with-tree-hands thing. I hope I live long enough to forget ever seeing that. Don't say you weren't warned.

]]> ejamadoodle http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c850870 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c850870 Thu, 15 Nov 2007 14:52:55 -0800 Comment by chris E8 in motion:

http://deferentialgeometry.org/anim/e8rotation.mov

]]> chris http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c850882 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c850882 Thu, 15 Nov 2007 15:00:06 -0800 Comment by Tlazolteotl Oh. now that was cool.

]]> Tlazolteotl http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c850901 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c850901 Thu, 15 Nov 2007 15:11:13 -0800 Comment by tabletop_joe @ 19

Ooooo. Thank you.

]]> tabletop_joe http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c851013 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c851013 Thu, 15 Nov 2007 16:35:47 -0800 Comment by Irena @19

Now THAT makes math interesting. Cool link.

]]> Irena http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c851099 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c851099 Thu, 15 Nov 2007 18:11:44 -0800 Comment by COMTE @15 & @19:

Thanks, those were great.

THE UNIVERSE ROCKS.

]]> COMTE http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c851173 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/11/unity#c851173 Thu, 15 Nov 2007 21:54:52 -0800