Curiosity Over Pride (FYI: To comment, send an e-mail to scifidink@gmail.com)

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Condensates II... Breaking Symmetry or Fractals as Templates or "Where does information come from?"

Everything starts with a template, or an original, from which all other "things" are derived.



Imagine a mist where everything is the same. It might be white- e.g. contains all colors- or it might be black- e.g. lacks all color.



Now imagine some random event happens which breaks this state of perfect symmetry. Such a random event might be like the following:



Notice that as a girl enters our white mist, the symmetry of pure white inherent to the original system is broken.

Further, I hope you also notice how the breaking of this symmetry creates a whole new realm of possibilities compared with the original image of pure white. Whereas before we could not say anything particular about the white mist, now we actually know something about it. Specifically we learn a relationship has formed between the mist and its broken symmetry. More specifically, information is created where none existed before.

I hope it is clear to you from this example that symmetry breaking is absolutely necessary for the formation of a template (in this example our template would be the girl in the mist), and it is this template or "difference" which creates "information" from which everything else we understand derives.

I'll let you ponder the implications of this on your own but if you think about it- as Street Dog once shared with us long ago- life is simply impossible without it.

Anyway, as another illustration concerning this point, I would also like to share another image. Note that one cannot establish which glass goes with which place setting until the symmetry is broken and a template relationship is established between one place-setting and one glass. But once the symmetry is broken, all other glass-place setting relationships immediately simultaneously form from the original symmetry break (or template).




I'll continue as it (and free time) come to me but I want to leave you with the following video lest you think this all a crock of... (fill in the blank)





Be well

12 comments:

Thai said...

For comments

Dr John said...

This is a wonderful post. I am starting to see how this issue of breaking symmetry applies to all knowledge in some ways via perceived contrast.I also see why it was a great name for your boat.

Will you at some point expand on the concept of super symmetry in particle physics if possible?

Thai said...

Thanks

And once I understand it, sure.

But my knowledge of physics is really as great as you might imagine. I think I just have a bit of head start on you in this area from blog land plus I was a chemistry major in college many years ago.

Like many others (yourself?), I've just been trying to understand things that have been gnawing at me for quite some time.

... Plus I've just kind of seen fractals everywhere all my life as a kind of synesthesia (I know I don;t literally see them and yet I do, kind of hard to explain...) and the internet has allowed me explore this aspect of myself/what they mean in a way I never could have done before.


PS- I just added a video to the post I noticed I forgot to add before.

Thai said...

oops, really NOT as great as you might imagine

Dr John said...

Ahh, got you with that Freudian slip. You really are that great!

Dr John said...

And yes Thai I have a deep aching inside me to understand. I feel like a 2 y/o much of the time. It makes me crazy when I hear people speak or write that are so sure of themselves. Politics, global warming, God, sex...you name it. I am confused.

Dink said...

"And yes Thai I have a deep aching inside me to understand. I feel like a 2 y/o much of the time"

Me too. And thank (insert diety(ies) of choice). If you're sure, you stop. If you're not sure, you keep moving. Curiosity over pride.

I was going to write something about breaking sym, but I'll do that later.

Per a previous comment, I didn't know Second City had a TV show! I did used to watch Kids In The Hall and MST3K back in the day.

And lastly, semper fi with the embedding/linking.

1) I think embedding only works when posting, not commenting.

2)#a href="(cut and paste here)"%(make up some title here)#/a%

# = <
% = >
don't include where I put ( or )
Feel free to practice, we won't laugh. Its okay to suck at something new.

Thai said...

PPS- I just discovered the following.

I guess there are others who are just as curious about these issues as me/us.

Be well

Thai said...

John, just type Dink's explanation exactly as he shows you and you will create a link, promise.

Dr John said...

I am a half wit

Dr John said...

I am a half wit

Dink said...

You are a full wit! Nice link!

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