Why do string theorists imply there are 11 dimensions?  Does that fall out of the math as an upper limit or is it just the minimum number of dimensions needed for the math to work out?   Could there be a much larger number of dimensions?

For the purposes of the question, let us imagine an invisible line which represents the edge of a black holes area of effect. Objects within this boundary cannot escape and are pulled into the black hole. Objects outwith this boundary however are unaffected.

Now let us imagine a small particle, such as a photon, near the edge of this boundary. What if this particle was in a superpositioned state so that it was both within and outwith the boundary. Would the particle be both sucked into the black hole and escape out of the black hole at the same time?

I've asked various people and so far got no answer, so any reply would be welcomed.

For the purposes of the question let us theorise a line that represents the edge of a black holes area of effect. Within this line objects are pulled into the black hole, outwith this boundary the object is unaffected.

But what would happen if a particle, such as a photon, was to become in a superpositioned state at this boundary so that it was both within and outwith the boundary at the same time?

I would very much like someone who has access to the necessary equipment to perform the following suggested experiment or let me know if this has already been done and what the results were.

I should apologise in advance for my lack of proper scientific terminology as I have had no formal physics training other than the thought experiments I have posed to myself and reading a few books on physics and astronomy and articles online.

Firstly, I understand that when light is shone through two slits it causes a pattern of light and dark on the screen behind thus suggesting that light is a wave.  

Secondly,  when the rate at which the light is emitted is slowed down so it can only be a photon(?) at a time there is still an interference pattern.  Suggesting the photon goes through both slits at the same time and somehow interferes with itself….giving birth to quantum physics and a whole lot of outlandish theories (I have an even more “outlandish” theory myself)

Finally, it gets even stranger, when any kind of device is put in place to measure or count which slit each light particle is going through, the pattern changes to diffuse. At last being what you would expect to see from individual particles. 

The strange part is, of course is how can just the act of observing cause a diffuse pattern. If the measuring device is switched off it goes back to bands of light and dark. 

I hope I have this reasonably correct so far ?

SO…..what would happen if the device that measured which slit photons went through was powered by some kind of voltaic cell that was placed where the light bands are. 

That is to say only when the light was making the banded pattern would the power be sufficient to switch on the device measuring which slit the light particles went through….which will then make the pattern diffuse….which will switch off the machine…….which will then make the pattern banded……which will switch on the machine…..ad infinitum. 

This seems to cause the same paradox as Schroedinger’s Cat but a lot easier to test and more animal friendly…..a bit of Hawkins style humour there…haha. 

If this is the first time someone has suggested this and it does prove useful in any way I would very much like to make my parents proud and have this referred to as the “McTavish Twist”.   The first part being my surname and “twist” because I love twists in both science and cocktails !!!  Both are refreshing and alleviate the boredom..

One suggested result is that the measuring device switches on and off at the speed of its slowest component.  If there was nothing slowing down its rate of switching then it would be very interesting to measure the number of times it changes state per second ?  Although I imagine this may take some clever machinery indeed as the resulting figure should be the smallest possible measure of time.  A “universal tick” ?  (maybe we can call it a “McTavish Tick” or am I getting greedy !!).  I imagine this should link mathematically to the maximum speed of light in some way.

Another possible outcome is that the machine will not switch on even though the light level appears sufficient to power it.  This could happen because it is only really at half power…..being half in the diffuse pattern (that is to say half in another state/universe).  It may be interesting to note where the “tipping point” is ?  Does it really work out to be exactly one half or does it lean more towards one state ?  Again this ratio may link mathematically to another well known number.

I imagine the actual results of the experiment will lead as usual to more questions.  I would very much like confirmation of the results so my own thought experiments move on to new questions too. 

Thank you sincerely for your attention.

Ian McTavish

The phenomenon of electrons 'tunneling' through small barriers is well known, but why do larger objects not exhibit such properties, and what is the 'maximum' size for a particle to tunnel through a barrier? (I realise this is also dependant upon the 'width' of the barrier.

Thanks, James

Many people say to me the bandwidth of a continuous wave carrier cannot be zero Hertz (time domain only).  If there is bandwidth does this change with frequency.

I seem to remember reading at university that light was affected by gravity and was proven by an experiment where the sun would "bend" light allowing stars that should be obscured by the sun to be seen. I have read that photons are massless, so, is it the EM radiation that is affected by gravity and if so surely that would prove that light had mass.

I been trying to find this out online, but i've not been able to find an answer. I've seen that they have found a few new ways recently to produce entangled pairs. My question is this, whats the furthest distance that an entangled pair has been separated in the lab, but yet has still remained entangled when observed / measured?

It's occurred to me that quantum entanglement's so-called "spooky action at a distance" could be explained if the entangled particles are actually not "at a distance". That is, that there is a "0th dimension" - possibly the size of the whole universe - in which all matter is at a single point.

Has anyone explored this concept?

 Is it the reason we exist at all? Because atoms can be in more than one place at any time it is not until an atom is measured or viewed that it then takes up the position that it does, so without anything to view it an atom is in many places at the same time, do our thoughts cause this three dimensional universe we live in to exist, to be, to happen? without some sort of consciousness, a viewer, be it human or any other life form this universe would not be here, I would not be writing this and you would not be reading it. Is life just thought? And so does it gives us the ability to live in a physical form in a three dimensional world?