Comments on: Physics “proofs” http://madhadron.auditblogs.com/2007/02/05/physics-proofs/ Ramblings of a physicist in biology Tue, 02 Dec 2008 03:26:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: madhadron http://madhadron.auditblogs.com/2007/02/05/physics-proofs/#comment-6 madhadron Mon, 05 Feb 2007 15:47:48 +0000 http://madhadron.auditblogs.com/2007/02/05/physics-proofs/#comment-6 If his quals are still ahead, then he still has a lot of particularly nasty counterexamples to come to grips with. They'll probably sober him up a bit. It will be good for him. As for Lubos, I'm a biologist these days. String theorists have no bearing on my existence. When I do math and physics in the evenings for my own diversion, it's generally not particle physics, so they don't even impinge upon me there. If his quals are still ahead, then he still has a lot of particularly nasty counterexamples to come to grips with. They’ll probably sober him up a bit. It will be good for him.

As for Lubos, I’m a biologist these days. String theorists have no bearing on my existence. When I do math and physics in the evenings for my own diversion, it’s generally not particle physics, so they don’t even impinge upon me there.

]]> By: John A http://madhadron.auditblogs.com/2007/02/05/physics-proofs/#comment-5 John A Mon, 05 Feb 2007 12:37:47 +0000 http://madhadron.auditblogs.com/2007/02/05/physics-proofs/#comment-5 Hoo boy, I hope Lubos isn't reading this.... Hoo boy, I hope Lubos isn’t reading this….

]]> By: John Armstrong http://madhadron.auditblogs.com/2007/02/05/physics-proofs/#comment-4 John Armstrong Mon, 05 Feb 2007 02:20:33 +0000 http://madhadron.auditblogs.com/2007/02/05/physics-proofs/#comment-4 My immediate response was much the same. I told him that if I were to take a postdoc in St. Petersburg I'd learn to speak Russian, so if he wants his Ph.D. from the department he was in he'd better learn to speak math. I wouldn't deny him the title quite yet, though. He hadn't yet passed his quals, and beyond that there will be actual research to be done. He had come to a department under the seeming impression that it was big in string theory, when the last people who did anything close had decided there wasn't any "there" there years ago. What they <em>are</em> is academically disciplined, and won't let him get a doctorate from them without severely changing his tune. My immediate response was much the same. I told him that if I were to take a postdoc in St. Petersburg I’d learn to speak Russian, so if he wants his Ph.D. from the department he was in he’d better learn to speak math.

I wouldn’t deny him the title quite yet, though. He hadn’t yet passed his quals, and beyond that there will be actual research to be done. He had come to a department under the seeming impression that it was big in string theory, when the last people who did anything close had decided there wasn’t any “there” there years ago. What they are is academically disciplined, and won’t let him get a doctorate from them without severely changing his tune.

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