maybe the reason we can't think of a Theory of Everything is because some of the things we need for it haven't been discovered yet!
2006-08-07 17:24:07 · 5 answers · asked by That one guy 6 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
That speculation is one logical possibility.
It's not necessarily impossible for there to be undiscovered forces, but thus far nobody has observed them.
Here's an important scientific consideration:
If you think the reason that some scientific mysteries cannot be resolved without the need of a fifth force to account for them, then what type of physical experiment can one design to provide research data that gives weight to that theory? In other words, if we don't even know if a fifth force exists, then what do we look for to determine if or not there might be some reason to think so?
Scientific inquiry needs guidance as to the direction in which to search for answers and what to look for, so such a question is currently a moot point for lack of physical evidence that guides us in that direction.
That still doesn't render the concept impossible. It just means that lack of answers doesn't yet justify that assumption as an alternative because we don't yet even know what to look for to begin to answer the question.
It's an interesting speculation, but unfortunately, we simply have no way of knowing at this time.
2006-08-07 18:32:13 · answer #1 · answered by Jay T 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why not? Or, for that matter, why not a a sixth fundamental force? It wasn't really that long ago the the great thinkers of the world thought there was only a handfull of elements that made up everything. X-rays were so named because no one had a clue as to what they were. Newton's laws stood the test of time and experimentation for centuries - and they were wrong. New discoveries are coming much faster now than ever before. (Concerning a "theory of everything," it could well be that the forces are each their own entity and not related to one another - if that's the case, it will be impossible to paint all of the forces with one brush - or unite them with one theory.)
2006-08-08 00:42:38 · answer #2 · answered by LeAnne 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is a proposed Theory of Everything: String Theory. It connects quantum mechanics (the theory that connects electromagnitism, the strong nuclear force, & the weak nuclear force) with the General Theory of Relativity (the larger "force" governing the macroscopic world, gravity--as Einstein saw it).
2006-08-08 01:31:59 · answer #3 · answered by Angela 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
May be.
2006-08-08 02:14:48 · answer #4 · answered by meno25 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Could be, but that doesn't mean there is.
.
2006-08-08 00:30:40 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋