hubris

Submitted by Mohammed Waza Khiddif Id'ullah (Australia), Jul 17, 2015 at 06:36

"Imaginary numbers are easy to visualize: Instead of graphing a function on "x" and "y" "real" axes, one uses, alternately, "x" vs. "ix" and "y" vs. "iy". The equation y=x², for instance, is an upward-facing "U" above the x-axis in "real" space;"

Thanks - that's greeat but I still don't 'get' it yet. I had to learn about them in order to work with 3 dimensional matrices in order to work on software to control a 6 axis industrial robot. I gave up trying to understand and let a friend of mine - a PhD in maths, solve the problem. I know from what you've said now that if I read it and keep re-reading it over and over it would suddenly become clear. I don't have any more six axis robots to work with ... though a 3d printer is becoming available soon... and all I will have to do is work with stl files. But I will go throgh what you've said a few times to see if it becomes clearer. My problems in this area stem from having a maths teacher I strongly disliked when I was 14.

Nevertheless, that "unseen" world is real; and we cannot understand "real" phenomena such as electrons without understanding the underlying "unreal" phenomena of wavefunctions. That is why I don't consider this physical world, described by the "Standard Model" as consisting of particles (really "wavicles") as the fundamental "reality". That fundamental reality is UNSEEN.

I agree with that. We're 110 years or so since the early German physicists had some major insights into the atom and the nature of energy. But that's only a century. Where would 10000 years research lead us? Real scientists are humbled by what they realise and seek to learn more. The ones who think they're close to knowing it are full of it - but unaware of their condition. The word 'hubris' comes t mind:

1. • (in Greek tragedy) excessive pride towards or defiance of the gods, leading to nemesis.

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