In physics, we don't say that because string theory is less well-defined than other theories, or that we don't have as much to work with, or that it doesn't affect uds directly, that it's a waste of time to talk about it. We try to dig down to the core of it, and find out the most information we can about it.
This reminds me of when I was taking Physical Science. We were studying Einstein's various "thought experiments." We got to the one where he theorized what would happen if we could get on a light-speed vehivle at 12:01 PM and look at a clock on earth. He said as soon as we took off, time to us would essentially stand still on earth and that if we could actually see the clock on the earth it would always read 12:01 PM, as long as we were going in a straight line away from the earth and were always going light speed.
I thought that experiment was pretty cool and waited to see what would happen to the clock once we started going back to earth at light speed. When no explanation was given, I asked my teacher what would happen. She said she'd never thought about it before and would have to ask her professor about it. (She was a student teacher).
At the next class she related the experience she had with her professor. She explained to him which experiment we had been talking about and he started to recite everything that would happen on the trip away from earth, showing her that he knew well the experiment she was talking about. She then asked him what he thought would happen on the way back to earth and he thought for a moment and said "Well, it's not really an experiment we can do, so there isn't really an answer. There's really no point to the question."
I dang near fell off my chair laughing when I heard this. I said something like "Yeah, we can't do the last part of the experiment like we can the first part. So we shouldn't even think about it." :S
I still think about that from time to time and chuckle to myself, on many different levels.
Ash
PS. I think the clock would turn twice as fast on the way back... PPS. I did mention Einstein in the post, does that count for on-topic-ness? PPS. Are Einstein and Ben Stein related? :)
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