We live in an amazing time in human history. We make strides in knowledge and understanding about our world and the universe in which we live almost daily. We're beginning to understand things about our universe that would have sounded like science fiction a few years ago. Like Einstein, I think the most amazing thing about our universe is that we are capable of understanding it. We are a part of the universe. We are a microcosmic reflection of the greater whole. To come to understand it is to come to understand something about ourselves…and vice versa.
I’ve always had an interest in the sciences and in Physics in particular. Physics gives us insight into how the universe works; it uses the tool of mathematics to do so. There have been many noted scientists that have believed knowing the natural laws that govern the universe give us an insight into the very mind of God. They are the framework upon which God has designed and now sustains His creation. To be able to utilize mathematical formulae to predict the orbit of a planet around its sun or to calculate the distance to another star are amazing feats but, they’re only the beginning of what we're learning.
One of the most simple, yet profound, mathematical formula that predicts and directs some of the natural order around us was discovered by an Italian mathematician named Fibonacci centuries ago. I imagine that he was just playing with numbers one day and found that if you add consecutive numbers together, then add the last two numbers used, the series of numbers they produce predicts a specific relationship in many natural phenomenon. 1+2=3, 2+3=5, 3+5=8, 5+8=13, 8+13=21 and so on. The numbers this produces are: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21 etc. These are now known as the Fibonacci sequence. The relationship between 3 and 5 is almost the same as that between 13 and 21 and so on. That relationship is about 1:1.618. We now call it the Golden Mean. It’s a very simple proportional relationship found many places in nature. From the design of the human body the curl of a nautilus shell this relationship is found over and over.
On a related front, fractal geometry is teaching us something about the formation of non-Euclidian geometrical forms. It seems that nature doesn’t so much give every detail of how things like clouds and shorelines are formed so much as it follows mathematical formulae that dictate such things. One such formula produces the ‘Mandelbrot set’, the most famous series in fractal geometry. From a simple mathematical formula repeated over and over one can find complex forms that trail off into infinity.
In the field of Physics, scientists have believed for decades that they can find a Unified Field Theory or ‘Theory of Everything’. Such a theory will unite the various other theories into a single, harmonious ‘One’. Newtonian physics were considered the be-all, end-all word on the subject until about four hundred years later when Einstein came along and demonstrated that Newtonian physics only explained one element of the way the universe works. Quantum physics then came along and Einstein’s theories were found lacking in explaining the physics on the sub-atomic level of reality. The ‘Theory of Everything’ will have to harmoniously unite all of these.
The most promising candidate for a Theory of Everything, at the moment, is Super String Theory or ‘M-Theory’. In a nutshell M-theory explains the workings of the various levels of reality by postulating super small strings that vibrate at different frequencies to produce different physical phenomenon. One string vibrates at a frequency that creates an electron; another vibrates at a frequency that produces a proton etc. The theory dictates that there are multiple dimensions in which the strings vibrate. They exist in our universe and outside of it at the same time. It's really quite a fascinating explanation. It is, at one time, very simple and immensely complex. The mathematics to flesh out the theory are still being worked out .
From a Christian perspective M-theory is especially captivating. Scriptures teach us that God spoke and the universe existed. That is somewhat akin to the Hindu creation story wherein it is believed that sound was the first energy in the universe. It was Gods use of sound, or more precisely, standing vibrations that created everything. If M-theory proves to be ‘The’ theory of everything it would fit in nicely with Biblical theology.
All of these things point to mathematical formulae that dictate the shape and functioning of our universe. Mathematics seems to be the language of God 'The Architect'. We, ourselves, are a product of it. The Word of God is written into the very fabric of the universe. And we are capable of understanding it! Just think about that for a moment...we can know the Mind of God!
No comments:
Post a Comment