Questions & Answers
on
And now, the
long-awaited... "THEORY OF EVERYTHING"
by Eugene Sittampalam
Page reviewed 31 October 2005
Welcome to the page of answers!
Questions to the author by e-mail [eugenesittampalam (at) gmail.com] are normally answered within a few days.
Some Q’s are reproduced in this page and the A’s elaborated on for the benefit of readers here.
Only the title or initials of the writer and place of origin of letter are identified with the query.
Critical questions and remarks are the ones most appropriate for inclusion in this page
since the answers would help others, too, to understand the theory that much better.
So, keep the
brickbats a-flinging – the fiercer they seem a-coming, the better!
Q. A Professor of Physics and Astronomy at
I went to your web page,
and it was completely garbled, with random symbols, and no working links. I
could not connect to any of the promised accounts of your "theory of
everything" and its claimed connection between earthquakes (or tsunamis)
and gravity wave detectors. If you do not have the ability to get a website to
work, why should I (or anyone) take seriously your claim to have solved some of
the most difficult and profound problems in physics?
A. Please accept my humble apologies for the inconvenience you experienced
trying to access my web pages. The pages were prepared in MS Word, Excel and
PDF formats. I found Excel to be good for figures, but they do open garbled at
times. Clicking ‘Refresh’ usually rectifies the problem. Do please try
the links again but using a computer with a Windows operating system. (I
remember Macintosh
computers to give the problem you mention; I’m trying now to get around this
difficulty.)
My thanks also to you for taking the time to write.
(Though a complaint, it’s more helpful to my work than a compliment; it also
shows your interest and care.)
Q. The good LSU professor writes back the
very next day:
Your web site is still
completely garbled, but one of the links inside your reply below led me to
"The Cosmic Microwave Background & the Unification of Physics".
Your conclusion that a photon has a rest mass "Hence, the single CMB photon
has energy e, mass m, velocity c," (page 10) is contradicted by many
experimental facts. We can not slow a photon down to any speed below c in
the lab, which we interpret to mean that it does NOT have a rest mass, or
rather that its rest mass is identically zero. We CAN do this for
electrons or neutrons, so we say they have rest masses. You also seem to be
unaware of the many experimental facts that confirm special relativity, its use
of a
A. Dear Professor,
You have been somewhat hasty in dismissing my work. You may not have read the
synopsis in full, let alone the rest of the (complementary) website or the
book.
What I have put forward is a COMPLETE theory with no preconceived notions from
theories past, which were all partial. My purely classical mechanical model has
the photon as the evaporated state of matter and the atom as the condensed
form; mass and energy are not only equivalent but the two are
also intrinsic to matter (as mass-energy); this makes photons, evaporated
or condensed, perfectly elastic particles – with mass and energy inextricably
embodied, transferring only momentum in any and all interactions; more on my
website. As such, please do have the patience to go thro at least the synopsis
in full. NOT A SINGLE verified fact of observation is at variance with my
model; in fact, the ever-increasing body of observational knowledge serves only
to buttress my work even further, something no other theory can dare say. (And
I do keep myself updated across the entire spectrum of physics almost on a
daily basis.) I’d be only grateful if you could still refute my work without
undue recourse to conventional theories however correct they may be within
their restrictive domains. And you can be the richer for it, too, if you can
convince – not me – but your own department head, alone, at LSU (details
in: www.sittampalam.net). Your
well-expressed critique here is much appreciated all the same.
PS: Do we not know today that photons can be slowed; and, on the other hand,
that no electron or nucleon can be brought to rest, let alone the photon (that
is, there would always be that nonvanishing quiver)? The explanations for all
these are found in my model, naturally. Further, if “mass of a photon” sounds
blasphemous today, we may take it as the sanctified “inertial mass of a
photon.” I have mentioned this in my work.
Q. RS from Max
Planck Institute for Astrophysics, Germany, writes:
I've
looked at www.amazon.com to read the short write-up of your book. For a first
impression, could you please send a short description about what your theory is
NOT able to explain and where your theory has problems? Thanks. Sincerely, RS
A. Thank you for a very
pertinent question in these times of glitzy names and terms even in the world
of serious science. Here, in contrast, the word "Everything" has not
been used loosely at all in the book title. When you arrive at the ultimate
physical model for the universe, there should simply be nothing it cannot
explain in physics. Not even a single (verified) exception should be tolerated.
To the best of my knowledge, and in all sincerity, the theory has no problems.
These are pretty strong statements; and they make it all the more challenging
to readers to prove the author wrong. Good luck!
If
the theory had had a single basic problem, the book here would not have got
written in the first place. Moreover, no one - least of all, a non-physicist -
in his or her right mind would ever knowingly embark on a quest such as this
for the final theory when the great
Still, do take a skeptical look at it and let me know of any problems you might get bogged down in. It can only help. Thanks again.
Q. BH of
You
lost my interest with your first bullet point: ‘How the Earth has stayed in
orbit for billions of years without losing orbital energy and spiraling into
the Sun as present theory would require!’ Present theory would require that the
Earth spiral in hundreds of billions of years from now. This theory has been
well tested in the orbit of binary pulsars. If your theory cannot account for
that, then it doesn't work. BH.
A. My grateful thanks to BH
for raising a great point here, a scathing remark though it may first seem. But
the fact of the matter here is, it is only such fault findings in the printed
text that help the most in a better future presentation of the theory.
The
comment alerted me to a terrible oversight on my part: I had left out the
words, ‘under perturbations’, in this first bullet point on the back cover.
That is, the item should strictly refer to the long-time stability of natural
satellites under perturbations.
A
problem in astrophysics, this stability of the ages is not yet resolved.
Orbital perturbations over the eons have had little effect, typically, on the
solar system. (Refer, for instance: The stability of the
solar system, Encyclopædia Britannica,
1992, 23:722:1b.) My book now explains the simple underlying cause for
this. The observed spiraling of pulsar (or neutron-star) binaries, too, has now
a simple explanation - without recourse to general relativity (see Section 1.03
of the book).
Thanks
again for a good critical feedback, which is indeed appreciated much more than
a non-critical one.
This
glaring mistake on the part of the author has now been rectified in the revised
back-cover text. A fuller answer is now given in ADDENDA
and Anti-Gravity
of these web pages. Below is a reproduction of some relevant sections from the
ADDENDA for the convenience of readers here.
Back cover. The first bulleted sentence should also
contain the words, ‘under perturbations.’ (This will imply that orbital
decay due to any so-called gravitational radiation is not at issue here.) The
sentence will now read as follows.
Page 13. The top paragraph here has got inadvertently blanked out at the
printing stage. The following is an enhanced version of the missing text:
In a similar manner, the solar-wind
particles are sustained by the countergravitational field of the Sun. The
neutrinos associated with the origin of these mass particles go to contribute
to the CMB in the long range. In the short range, they contribute much to the
Sun’s countergravitational field. This is the propitious effect that has kept
planet Earth safely at bay from the solar inferno and given time for the
evolution of man.
We are now oblivious to the
countergravitational influence of the Sun. It is little wonder, therefore, that
the long-time stability of the solar system should still be a great mystery to
physicists. Questions that are related to this stability of the ages remain
unanswered to date. The questions involve a fundamental unsolved problem of
celestial mechanics and also of dynamics: whether or not some characteristics
of unperturbed, highly idealized elliptic orbits will survive slight
perturbations that last for a long time. Gravitational forces are not the only
effects influencing the orbits of the members of the solar system. Atmospheric
drag, radiation pressure, and others must be considered as well. These forces
are negligible at any instant, but their cumulative action for several billions
of years may influence planetary motion significantly. (Refer, for instance:
THE n-BODY PROBLEM, Encyclopedia Britannica 2000)
Consider the Earth under a perturbative outward pull. This action tends to take the
Earth away from the Sun. The gravitational tug on the Earth is in opposition
here to the perturbative effect. Thus, when the perturbative effect wanes, the tendency will be for the
Earth to return to its earlier stable orbit. (It cannot be ruled out, though,
that the Earth could remain at the higher orbit with a change in orbital speed,
or even leave its orbit altogether and drift out of solar space. Fortunately,
the pull of the Sun has been sufficient to let the latter not happen, at least
to those planets that still survive today in the solar system.) Consider, next,
the Earth under a perturbative inward pull. Both the
gravitational and perturbative forces are now in the same
direction. This can easily become a run-away effect. The Earth here experiences
a greater gravitational pull from the closer Sun. Under this unrelenting
and increased inward tug, the Earth has no way of returning to its outer stable
orbit even if the inward perturbative effect should
now completely cease. (True, the Earth could remain in the lower orbit with the
required speed change and synchronism with the rest of the system; but such
coincidences over the eons may be totally ruled out.) And this is where the
(also increased) countergravitational field of the Sun comes in redeemingly to give the Earth the required gentle radial
boost and staying power against an inward spiral. Thus, the long-sought answer
to the long-time stability of the solar system is, literally – blowing in the
solar wind.
Q. JR from
What a scam. YOU send me a free copy and I’ll disprove your theory and you don’t have to give me a million bucks for it. [These are essentially the sentiments expressed by JR; the exact words in the e-mail were inadvertently lost in a transfer. My apologies.]
A. Though not unexpected,
this powerful message came in well before this web site was opened (and was in
response to an e-mail announcement about the book to the physics department
there). Clearly, it is in reference to the book’s front-cover offer: "UP
TO ONE MILLION US DOLLARS! An offer to high-school students
and university professors alike just to refute this simple no-nonsense theory
of action and reaction. Details on back cover."
In
these days of con artists and scams and cranks running amok, I myself would
tend to react not much differently. No cover offer to sell the unknown
merchandise inside did ever convince me anyway. I expect others to be just as
wary. Here, however, one may order the book through a local bookstore and check
it out before paying for it. At certain stores, you could also sit and read the
whole day (even over coffee!) before making up your mind whether or not to buy
the book.
To
others, without such facility in town, my ‘words of assurance to allay all
fears’ here would sound hollow - even to me. As such, I shall resort instead to
action. I shall send a free copy (no charge even for postage) to
any reader wishing to read and check out the book fully from cover to cover
before parting with his or her hard earned money. However, the copy can be sent
only c/o the head of a school, college, university, library, or other
educational establishment whose name and address the reader is kindly required
to provide. The reader may collect the copy from the head by prearrangement. If
the reader is fully convinced that it is not a scam, he may then send me a
check for the cover price of $19.95. (My royalty should take care of the
postage.) Otherwise - no charge; do not waste your money even to post back the
book. (You may, instead, give it to your local science library.) The reader’s
critical evaluation – positive or negative - may be sent here or, preferably,
to the media for the benefit of other potential buyers.
Note:
It may be easier for this particular reader from
Q. DC from
The
book seems interesting. How can I order it?
A. A copy may be ordered from www.amazon.com. You may go directly to their
order page by clicking on:
If
you prefer instead to order through a bookstore in your town or city, please
give them as many details of the book as possible:
Title:
And now, the long-awaited... "THEORY OF EVERYTHING"
Author:
ISBN:
0-533-12673-8
Place
of publication: Vantage Press,
Year
of publication: 1999
Should
you still encounter a problem or need further assistance, do feel free to write
to me at: eugenesittampalam (at) gmail.com.
Q. SB of Merton College,
Oxford, writes:
Do
you have scientific references available detailing some of the ideas of your
theory?
A. I presume what SB means here
is whether I have published any part of my theory in scientific journals (the
references for which he makes the request). The simple answer here is: no.
Detailing
some of the ideas of a radically new theory of everything may only confuse
people without prior exposure to the overall concept. Since most mainstream
journals have space limitations, they do not generally entertain a work of this
extent. To condense it into just 6 to 10 journal pages, on the other hand,
would be an impossibility.
Physical
Review D (Particles,
Nevertheless,
when the final manuscript was with the publisher, I did try out an extracted
form, entitled: Quantum Gravity - A Simple Classical Mechanical Introduction. Copies
were sent to top journals and magazines.
Science
and Nature, for instance, gave reasons that it was not
appropriate for their readers.
The
response from
Q. IN
- @juno.com - writes:
... I have a little comment
or a question for you. In your paper entitled: "The Cosmic Microwave
Background & The Unification of Physics," you stated that " Hydrogen is the main exhaust product of stars and not
their prime fuel as posited today." This is hard to prove, isn't it?
Jupiter was allegedly going
to become a small star like the sun and failed to ignite. And as you know
Jupiter is filled with hydrogen, and if the ignition had succeeded, it would be
burning hydrogen. Or do you use this example to show that stars cannot burn
hydrogen? Just an idea.
I am definitely fascinated
by your theories and I hope and pray that you are not intimidated or
discouraged by the so called traditional physicists. Thank you and keep up the
good work.
A. ... The answer to your question is already in my paper and website
(apart from the book). A patient second reading would definitely help.
However, for a
short answer here: Your question alludes to the fusion of hydrogen in stars
under gravitational pressure. This is a nonevent in the final theory! Nuclear
fusion does rule supreme in the universe but only at the ultimate mass centers,
which I have called Cosmic Cores. Nuclear fission predominates
the scene everywhere else. Hence, the primary-energy producing reaction in the
Sun, for instance, is fission (fusion is only the consequential secondary). The
final stage of fission is neutron decay, which produces the final ash – the
proton, the electron and the electron antineutrino. (The proton and the
electron eventually combine to form the atom of hydrogen.) Did you ever wonder
why the solar wind mass particles consist mainly of protons and electrons? It’s
still a mystery to physicists! What is indeed hard to prove today is fusion as
the primary reaction in the Sun (and stars). The continuing shortfall in
the detected solar electron neutrinos is typical of the problem (without ad hoc
recourse to neutrino 'flavor changing' and causing more problems in other
departments of physics!). More from my website (www.sittampalam.net). Do
write again if questions persist after the second reading.
Q. CT
- @earthlink.net - writes:
... I do have a question for you however. I really need to get my hands on an introductory electromagnetics text that explains in plain language and in concise detail the phenomena of electromagnetics -- something with an emphasis on visual details. My current text is very, very convoluted and after reading your work, you seem to me to be someone who would agree with good common sense without unneeded mathematical verbiage. Can you recommend to me a good electromagnetics textbook from which I will gain something more than just abstract and arbitrarily assigned equations? I know this may seem like a strange request, but I really would like to understand electromagnetics inside and out and every text I have been through so far leaves me wanting. You seem to be the perfect person to ask for guidance.
A.
...Concerning any good textbook,
your teachers' guidance should never be underestimated especially when you have
exams still ahead. My book and web illustrations could help in visualizing the
true mechanics of electromagnetism. However, a word of caution here: It’s good
to question the current explanations and not take things for granted. But
you’re still young, and in college. Stay in the present mainstream of science.
Don’t turn maverick yet. Run with the herd and
run well. Get through the exams set by the establishment and get the
paper qualifications you need to get a decent job. And when you can afford it -
rock that establishment if you still feel the need for it. Give
vent to all those pent-up unorthodox questions that have been accumulating in
you over the years; find solutions; and even write your own book to change the
status quo for the betterment of science and mankind. Remember, your chances of
success are best when you know fully, "inside and out," what the
status quo is, to start with. Best wishes.
More
Q’s & A’s will follow; but send in the Q's first for the A's to follow!
Good readin’
and surfin’ and see you in these here parts again
soon!
Adios!