Mixing
Travelling the multiverse by accident?
Clash Royale CLAN TAG#URR8PPP
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As you've probably guessed, I have no idea how multiverses and parallel universes, or space-time travel, etc work. I don't know how Physics or Mathematics explains alternate universes. But, they are pretty much a driving plot point in my WIP.
Is it possible to accidentally travel from one universe to another, without intentionally trying to access the other universe?
magic science-fiction physics universe
edited 29 mins ago
elemtilas
7,82111742
asked 3 hours ago
Noellektrae
667
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Noellektrae is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
add a comment |Â
up vote
3
down vote
favorite
As you've probably guessed, I have no idea how multiverses and parallel universes, or space-time travel, etc work. I don't know how Physics or Mathematics explains alternate universes. But, they are pretty much a driving plot point in my WIP.
Is it possible to accidentally travel from one universe to another, without intentionally trying to access the other universe?
magic science-fiction physics universe
edited 29 mins ago
elemtilas
7,82111742
asked 3 hours ago
Noellektrae
667
New contributor
Noellektrae is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
2
This will take some hand waving the disconcerting facts away. If you are basing your ideas on string theory, the thing they do NOT tell you is that two universes would never be exactly the same. Very few alternative choices would ever be able to support anything resembling life. The laws of physics would be different in every one. Most would probably not have anything remotely like 'matter' as we know it. Using string theory to posit universes similar to our own faces unfathomable odds
– Justin Thyme
3 hours ago
1
thereality-checktag is really not going to work here as the whole idea of traveling between alternative realities is just simply not something we have any theoretical (let alone experimental) basis for.
– StephenG
2 hours ago
Removed reality-check tag. Also removed the second question.
– elemtilas
27 mins ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
3
down vote
favorite
up vote
3
down vote
favorite
As you've probably guessed, I have no idea how multiverses and parallel universes, or space-time travel, etc work. I don't know how Physics or Mathematics explains alternate universes. But, they are pretty much a driving plot point in my WIP.
Is it possible to accidentally travel from one universe to another, without intentionally trying to access the other universe?
magic science-fiction physics universe
edited 29 mins ago
elemtilas
7,82111742
asked 3 hours ago
Noellektrae
667
New contributor
Noellektrae is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
As you've probably guessed, I have no idea how multiverses and parallel universes, or space-time travel, etc work. I don't know how Physics or Mathematics explains alternate universes. But, they are pretty much a driving plot point in my WIP.
Is it possible to accidentally travel from one universe to another, without intentionally trying to access the other universe?
magic science-fiction physics universe
magic science-fiction physics universe
edited 29 mins ago
elemtilas
7,82111742
asked 3 hours ago
Noellektrae
667
New contributor
Noellektrae is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited 29 mins ago
elemtilas
7,82111742
asked 3 hours ago
Noellektrae
667
New contributor
Noellektrae is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited 29 mins ago
elemtilas
7,82111742
edited 29 mins ago
elemtilas
7,82111742
edited 29 mins ago
elemtilas
7,82111742
7,82111742
asked 3 hours ago
Noellektrae
667
New contributor
Noellektrae is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 3 hours ago
Noellektrae
667
asked 3 hours ago
Noellektrae
667
667
New contributor
Noellektrae is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
Noellektrae is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Noellektrae is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
2
This will take some hand waving the disconcerting facts away. If you are basing your ideas on string theory, the thing they do NOT tell you is that two universes would never be exactly the same. Very few alternative choices would ever be able to support anything resembling life. The laws of physics would be different in every one. Most would probably not have anything remotely like 'matter' as we know it. Using string theory to posit universes similar to our own faces unfathomable odds
– Justin Thyme
3 hours ago
1
thereality-checktag is really not going to work here as the whole idea of traveling between alternative realities is just simply not something we have any theoretical (let alone experimental) basis for.
– StephenG
2 hours ago
Removed reality-check tag. Also removed the second question.
– elemtilas
27 mins ago
add a comment |Â
2
This will take some hand waving the disconcerting facts away. If you are basing your ideas on string theory, the thing they do NOT tell you is that two universes would never be exactly the same. Very few alternative choices would ever be able to support anything resembling life. The laws of physics would be different in every one. Most would probably not have anything remotely like 'matter' as we know it. Using string theory to posit universes similar to our own faces unfathomable odds
– Justin Thyme
3 hours ago
1
thereality-checktag is really not going to work here as the whole idea of traveling between alternative realities is just simply not something we have any theoretical (let alone experimental) basis for.
– StephenG
2 hours ago
Removed reality-check tag. Also removed the second question.
– elemtilas
27 mins ago
2
2
This will take some hand waving the disconcerting facts away. If you are basing your ideas on string theory, the thing they do NOT tell you is that two universes would never be exactly the same. Very few alternative choices would ever be able to support anything resembling life. The laws of physics would be different in every one. Most would probably not have anything remotely like 'matter' as we know it. Using string theory to posit universes similar to our own faces unfathomable odds
– Justin Thyme
3 hours ago
This will take some hand waving the disconcerting facts away. If you are basing your ideas on string theory, the thing they do NOT tell you is that two universes would never be exactly the same. Very few alternative choices would ever be able to support anything resembling life. The laws of physics would be different in every one. Most would probably not have anything remotely like 'matter' as we know it. Using string theory to posit universes similar to our own faces unfathomable odds
– Justin Thyme
3 hours ago
1
1
the
reality-check tag is really not going to work here as the whole idea of traveling between alternative realities is just simply not something we have any theoretical (let alone experimental) basis for.– StephenG
2 hours ago
the
reality-check tag is really not going to work here as the whole idea of traveling between alternative realities is just simply not something we have any theoretical (let alone experimental) basis for.– StephenG
2 hours ago
Removed reality-check tag. Also removed the second question.
– elemtilas
27 mins ago
Removed reality-check tag. Also removed the second question.
– elemtilas
27 mins ago
add a comment |Â
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
up vote
2
down vote
In terms of understanding the science and math, this is a good starting point for the layman.
In its most simplest form, one version of the many worlds scenario says that we enter an 'alternate' universe every time we make a decision one way or another, and a different alternate version of us enters the other universe by making the 'other' choice. If we use this definition, then yes, we enter parallel universes all the time without even trying.
On the other hand, getting to the spirit of your question; can one accidentally move between these parallel universes so that one version of ourselves is in a universe 'intended' for a different version? No.
I mean, mathematically it's possible, but the energy requirements alone would be prohibitive and while it may well be accidental, it wouldn't be unnoticed. Probably not survive-able, either. There are some theories around wormholes that could allow this to happen, but again wormholes (while they sound plausible enough) are also somewhat problematic in terms of surviving transit intact.
In short, if you were to (even accidentally) travel between universes;
1) You'd notice the transit
2) You probably wouldn't survive it
3) the probability of 'landing' in a safe, survive-able place on the other side alone would make the journey so implausible as to be impossible in every practical sense.
That said, yours would not be the first story to do it anyway. :)
answered 3 hours ago
Tim B II
21.5k54790
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
Maths and Science isn't going to help you much with something that we ourselves have never experienced, encountered or observed. At best you have ideas and theories that might work and might not. Since you yourself don't have much experience in it, the best way to address it is with magic.
I'm going to address it the way I remember the did in the Golden Compass book series. You have a knife, a knife thats incredibly sharp. One side of the knife can cut through any material in the world like it was butter. The other side of the knife can cut through the fabric of the universe, allowing you to travel into parallel dimensions (or other worlds). The only issue is that you can only cut through the fabric of the universe when two worlds happen to align (in terms of the ground and environment. No sense cutting open a doorway into a pool of lava, or 100m in the air) and the fact that you need to close these portals ( by pinching the edges together ).
In your world, you have a similar device that someone else has used to travel through the many worlds in existence. Your main character simply falls through one of these open doorways which haven't been properly closed. This puts them in a new world with no idea how they go there and gives you a mystery character who can be a enigma or a driving force for plot developments.
answered 2 hours ago
Shadowzee
4,743821
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
First off, the required disclaimer: There is zero scientific evidence to support parallel universes. Zip. Nada. In fact, if there was evidence, we'd typically choose to re-define the universe to include everything that we can interact with, so the idea of going to a parallel universe is almost silly when viewed that way. Everything we talk about when it comes to multiverses is pure speculation, without a shred of evidence.
Second, when you look at multiverses, it helps to look at what sort of parallel universes you might go to. Max Tegmark put forth the most popular classification of parallel universes:
Level 1: The same physics as our universe in every way. These universes just differ by the layout of the matter inside the universe, and are typically separated by far enough that they don't interact in any way.
Level 2: Same physical laws, but different constants. In these universes, $E$ still equals $mc^2$, but $c$ may be a very different number due to symmetry breaking events that change the nature of reality. Universes where these constants differ could be dramatically different than ours, so much so that few writers even think about talking about them. And it's going to get more alien from there
Level 3: Many Worlds. One interpretation of quantum mechanics is that there are many universes, such that every possible thing that could happen, happens. A level 3 multiverse covers that.
Level 4: The Ultimate Ensemble. Basically, if it has laws of physics that can be described in the language of abstract mathematics, it fits in level 4. This is such a wide classification that it has received criticism that it isn't even sufficiently defined.
So that gives you a sense of just how far and wide cosmologists have gone with this parallel universe thing. They have literally gone everywhere. There isn't an answer to your question which isn't a valid one.
In my opinion, the biggest question is whether the symmetries between these universes are continuous or discrete. If you have one universe where Wayne Gretzky scores a winning shot, and a universe where he misses, is there necessarily a universe where the pick glances off the goalpost? If so, you're building a world with continuous symmetry. Do you have two universes which are mirrors of eachother, and nothing else? Or one world where Abraham Lincoln is assassinated and one where he isn't, with no in-between case? Then you have a discrete symmetry. The two systems behave radically differently when you try to flesh them out into a consistent worldview, so its a good idea to get them straight ahead of time.
answered 1 hour ago
Cort Ammon
101k15177362
add a comment |Â
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
2
down vote
In terms of understanding the science and math, this is a good starting point for the layman.
In its most simplest form, one version of the many worlds scenario says that we enter an 'alternate' universe every time we make a decision one way or another, and a different alternate version of us enters the other universe by making the 'other' choice. If we use this definition, then yes, we enter parallel universes all the time without even trying.
On the other hand, getting to the spirit of your question; can one accidentally move between these parallel universes so that one version of ourselves is in a universe 'intended' for a different version? No.
I mean, mathematically it's possible, but the energy requirements alone would be prohibitive and while it may well be accidental, it wouldn't be unnoticed. Probably not survive-able, either. There are some theories around wormholes that could allow this to happen, but again wormholes (while they sound plausible enough) are also somewhat problematic in terms of surviving transit intact.
In short, if you were to (even accidentally) travel between universes;
1) You'd notice the transit
2) You probably wouldn't survive it
3) the probability of 'landing' in a safe, survive-able place on the other side alone would make the journey so implausible as to be impossible in every practical sense.
That said, yours would not be the first story to do it anyway. :)
answered 3 hours ago
Tim B II
21.5k54790
add a comment |Â
up vote
2
down vote
In terms of understanding the science and math, this is a good starting point for the layman.
In its most simplest form, one version of the many worlds scenario says that we enter an 'alternate' universe every time we make a decision one way or another, and a different alternate version of us enters the other universe by making the 'other' choice. If we use this definition, then yes, we enter parallel universes all the time without even trying.
On the other hand, getting to the spirit of your question; can one accidentally move between these parallel universes so that one version of ourselves is in a universe 'intended' for a different version? No.
I mean, mathematically it's possible, but the energy requirements alone would be prohibitive and while it may well be accidental, it wouldn't be unnoticed. Probably not survive-able, either. There are some theories around wormholes that could allow this to happen, but again wormholes (while they sound plausible enough) are also somewhat problematic in terms of surviving transit intact.
In short, if you were to (even accidentally) travel between universes;
1) You'd notice the transit
2) You probably wouldn't survive it
3) the probability of 'landing' in a safe, survive-able place on the other side alone would make the journey so implausible as to be impossible in every practical sense.
That said, yours would not be the first story to do it anyway. :)
answered 3 hours ago
Tim B II
21.5k54790
add a comment |Â
up vote
2
down vote
up vote
2
down vote
In terms of understanding the science and math, this is a good starting point for the layman.
In its most simplest form, one version of the many worlds scenario says that we enter an 'alternate' universe every time we make a decision one way or another, and a different alternate version of us enters the other universe by making the 'other' choice. If we use this definition, then yes, we enter parallel universes all the time without even trying.
On the other hand, getting to the spirit of your question; can one accidentally move between these parallel universes so that one version of ourselves is in a universe 'intended' for a different version? No.
I mean, mathematically it's possible, but the energy requirements alone would be prohibitive and while it may well be accidental, it wouldn't be unnoticed. Probably not survive-able, either. There are some theories around wormholes that could allow this to happen, but again wormholes (while they sound plausible enough) are also somewhat problematic in terms of surviving transit intact.
In short, if you were to (even accidentally) travel between universes;
1) You'd notice the transit
2) You probably wouldn't survive it
3) the probability of 'landing' in a safe, survive-able place on the other side alone would make the journey so implausible as to be impossible in every practical sense.
That said, yours would not be the first story to do it anyway. :)
answered 3 hours ago
Tim B II
21.5k54790
In terms of understanding the science and math, this is a good starting point for the layman.
In its most simplest form, one version of the many worlds scenario says that we enter an 'alternate' universe every time we make a decision one way or another, and a different alternate version of us enters the other universe by making the 'other' choice. If we use this definition, then yes, we enter parallel universes all the time without even trying.
On the other hand, getting to the spirit of your question; can one accidentally move between these parallel universes so that one version of ourselves is in a universe 'intended' for a different version? No.
I mean, mathematically it's possible, but the energy requirements alone would be prohibitive and while it may well be accidental, it wouldn't be unnoticed. Probably not survive-able, either. There are some theories around wormholes that could allow this to happen, but again wormholes (while they sound plausible enough) are also somewhat problematic in terms of surviving transit intact.
In short, if you were to (even accidentally) travel between universes;
1) You'd notice the transit
2) You probably wouldn't survive it
3) the probability of 'landing' in a safe, survive-able place on the other side alone would make the journey so implausible as to be impossible in every practical sense.
That said, yours would not be the first story to do it anyway. :)
answered 3 hours ago
Tim B II
21.5k54790
edited 2 mins ago
answered 3 hours ago
Tim B II
21.5k54790
answered 3 hours ago
Tim B II
21.5k54790
answered 3 hours ago
Tim B II
21.5k54790
21.5k54790
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
Maths and Science isn't going to help you much with something that we ourselves have never experienced, encountered or observed. At best you have ideas and theories that might work and might not. Since you yourself don't have much experience in it, the best way to address it is with magic.
I'm going to address it the way I remember the did in the Golden Compass book series. You have a knife, a knife thats incredibly sharp. One side of the knife can cut through any material in the world like it was butter. The other side of the knife can cut through the fabric of the universe, allowing you to travel into parallel dimensions (or other worlds). The only issue is that you can only cut through the fabric of the universe when two worlds happen to align (in terms of the ground and environment. No sense cutting open a doorway into a pool of lava, or 100m in the air) and the fact that you need to close these portals ( by pinching the edges together ).
In your world, you have a similar device that someone else has used to travel through the many worlds in existence. Your main character simply falls through one of these open doorways which haven't been properly closed. This puts them in a new world with no idea how they go there and gives you a mystery character who can be a enigma or a driving force for plot developments.
answered 2 hours ago
Shadowzee
4,743821
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
Maths and Science isn't going to help you much with something that we ourselves have never experienced, encountered or observed. At best you have ideas and theories that might work and might not. Since you yourself don't have much experience in it, the best way to address it is with magic.
I'm going to address it the way I remember the did in the Golden Compass book series. You have a knife, a knife thats incredibly sharp. One side of the knife can cut through any material in the world like it was butter. The other side of the knife can cut through the fabric of the universe, allowing you to travel into parallel dimensions (or other worlds). The only issue is that you can only cut through the fabric of the universe when two worlds happen to align (in terms of the ground and environment. No sense cutting open a doorway into a pool of lava, or 100m in the air) and the fact that you need to close these portals ( by pinching the edges together ).
In your world, you have a similar device that someone else has used to travel through the many worlds in existence. Your main character simply falls through one of these open doorways which haven't been properly closed. This puts them in a new world with no idea how they go there and gives you a mystery character who can be a enigma or a driving force for plot developments.
answered 2 hours ago
Shadowzee
4,743821
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
up vote
1
down vote
Maths and Science isn't going to help you much with something that we ourselves have never experienced, encountered or observed. At best you have ideas and theories that might work and might not. Since you yourself don't have much experience in it, the best way to address it is with magic.
I'm going to address it the way I remember the did in the Golden Compass book series. You have a knife, a knife thats incredibly sharp. One side of the knife can cut through any material in the world like it was butter. The other side of the knife can cut through the fabric of the universe, allowing you to travel into parallel dimensions (or other worlds). The only issue is that you can only cut through the fabric of the universe when two worlds happen to align (in terms of the ground and environment. No sense cutting open a doorway into a pool of lava, or 100m in the air) and the fact that you need to close these portals ( by pinching the edges together ).
In your world, you have a similar device that someone else has used to travel through the many worlds in existence. Your main character simply falls through one of these open doorways which haven't been properly closed. This puts them in a new world with no idea how they go there and gives you a mystery character who can be a enigma or a driving force for plot developments.
answered 2 hours ago
Shadowzee
4,743821
Maths and Science isn't going to help you much with something that we ourselves have never experienced, encountered or observed. At best you have ideas and theories that might work and might not. Since you yourself don't have much experience in it, the best way to address it is with magic.
I'm going to address it the way I remember the did in the Golden Compass book series. You have a knife, a knife thats incredibly sharp. One side of the knife can cut through any material in the world like it was butter. The other side of the knife can cut through the fabric of the universe, allowing you to travel into parallel dimensions (or other worlds). The only issue is that you can only cut through the fabric of the universe when two worlds happen to align (in terms of the ground and environment. No sense cutting open a doorway into a pool of lava, or 100m in the air) and the fact that you need to close these portals ( by pinching the edges together ).
In your world, you have a similar device that someone else has used to travel through the many worlds in existence. Your main character simply falls through one of these open doorways which haven't been properly closed. This puts them in a new world with no idea how they go there and gives you a mystery character who can be a enigma or a driving force for plot developments.
answered 2 hours ago
Shadowzee
4,743821
answered 2 hours ago
Shadowzee
4,743821
answered 2 hours ago
Shadowzee
4,743821
answered 2 hours ago
Shadowzee
4,743821
4,743821
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
First off, the required disclaimer: There is zero scientific evidence to support parallel universes. Zip. Nada. In fact, if there was evidence, we'd typically choose to re-define the universe to include everything that we can interact with, so the idea of going to a parallel universe is almost silly when viewed that way. Everything we talk about when it comes to multiverses is pure speculation, without a shred of evidence.
Second, when you look at multiverses, it helps to look at what sort of parallel universes you might go to. Max Tegmark put forth the most popular classification of parallel universes:
Level 1: The same physics as our universe in every way. These universes just differ by the layout of the matter inside the universe, and are typically separated by far enough that they don't interact in any way.
Level 2: Same physical laws, but different constants. In these universes, $E$ still equals $mc^2$, but $c$ may be a very different number due to symmetry breaking events that change the nature of reality. Universes where these constants differ could be dramatically different than ours, so much so that few writers even think about talking about them. And it's going to get more alien from there
Level 3: Many Worlds. One interpretation of quantum mechanics is that there are many universes, such that every possible thing that could happen, happens. A level 3 multiverse covers that.
Level 4: The Ultimate Ensemble. Basically, if it has laws of physics that can be described in the language of abstract mathematics, it fits in level 4. This is such a wide classification that it has received criticism that it isn't even sufficiently defined.
So that gives you a sense of just how far and wide cosmologists have gone with this parallel universe thing. They have literally gone everywhere. There isn't an answer to your question which isn't a valid one.
In my opinion, the biggest question is whether the symmetries between these universes are continuous or discrete. If you have one universe where Wayne Gretzky scores a winning shot, and a universe where he misses, is there necessarily a universe where the pick glances off the goalpost? If so, you're building a world with continuous symmetry. Do you have two universes which are mirrors of eachother, and nothing else? Or one world where Abraham Lincoln is assassinated and one where he isn't, with no in-between case? Then you have a discrete symmetry. The two systems behave radically differently when you try to flesh them out into a consistent worldview, so its a good idea to get them straight ahead of time.
answered 1 hour ago
Cort Ammon
101k15177362
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
First off, the required disclaimer: There is zero scientific evidence to support parallel universes. Zip. Nada. In fact, if there was evidence, we'd typically choose to re-define the universe to include everything that we can interact with, so the idea of going to a parallel universe is almost silly when viewed that way. Everything we talk about when it comes to multiverses is pure speculation, without a shred of evidence.
Second, when you look at multiverses, it helps to look at what sort of parallel universes you might go to. Max Tegmark put forth the most popular classification of parallel universes:
Level 1: The same physics as our universe in every way. These universes just differ by the layout of the matter inside the universe, and are typically separated by far enough that they don't interact in any way.
Level 2: Same physical laws, but different constants. In these universes, $E$ still equals $mc^2$, but $c$ may be a very different number due to symmetry breaking events that change the nature of reality. Universes where these constants differ could be dramatically different than ours, so much so that few writers even think about talking about them. And it's going to get more alien from there
Level 3: Many Worlds. One interpretation of quantum mechanics is that there are many universes, such that every possible thing that could happen, happens. A level 3 multiverse covers that.
Level 4: The Ultimate Ensemble. Basically, if it has laws of physics that can be described in the language of abstract mathematics, it fits in level 4. This is such a wide classification that it has received criticism that it isn't even sufficiently defined.
So that gives you a sense of just how far and wide cosmologists have gone with this parallel universe thing. They have literally gone everywhere. There isn't an answer to your question which isn't a valid one.
In my opinion, the biggest question is whether the symmetries between these universes are continuous or discrete. If you have one universe where Wayne Gretzky scores a winning shot, and a universe where he misses, is there necessarily a universe where the pick glances off the goalpost? If so, you're building a world with continuous symmetry. Do you have two universes which are mirrors of eachother, and nothing else? Or one world where Abraham Lincoln is assassinated and one where he isn't, with no in-between case? Then you have a discrete symmetry. The two systems behave radically differently when you try to flesh them out into a consistent worldview, so its a good idea to get them straight ahead of time.
answered 1 hour ago
Cort Ammon
101k15177362
add a comment |Â
up vote
1
down vote
up vote
1
down vote
First off, the required disclaimer: There is zero scientific evidence to support parallel universes. Zip. Nada. In fact, if there was evidence, we'd typically choose to re-define the universe to include everything that we can interact with, so the idea of going to a parallel universe is almost silly when viewed that way. Everything we talk about when it comes to multiverses is pure speculation, without a shred of evidence.
Second, when you look at multiverses, it helps to look at what sort of parallel universes you might go to. Max Tegmark put forth the most popular classification of parallel universes:
Level 1: The same physics as our universe in every way. These universes just differ by the layout of the matter inside the universe, and are typically separated by far enough that they don't interact in any way.
Level 2: Same physical laws, but different constants. In these universes, $E$ still equals $mc^2$, but $c$ may be a very different number due to symmetry breaking events that change the nature of reality. Universes where these constants differ could be dramatically different than ours, so much so that few writers even think about talking about them. And it's going to get more alien from there
Level 3: Many Worlds. One interpretation of quantum mechanics is that there are many universes, such that every possible thing that could happen, happens. A level 3 multiverse covers that.
Level 4: The Ultimate Ensemble. Basically, if it has laws of physics that can be described in the language of abstract mathematics, it fits in level 4. This is such a wide classification that it has received criticism that it isn't even sufficiently defined.
So that gives you a sense of just how far and wide cosmologists have gone with this parallel universe thing. They have literally gone everywhere. There isn't an answer to your question which isn't a valid one.
In my opinion, the biggest question is whether the symmetries between these universes are continuous or discrete. If you have one universe where Wayne Gretzky scores a winning shot, and a universe where he misses, is there necessarily a universe where the pick glances off the goalpost? If so, you're building a world with continuous symmetry. Do you have two universes which are mirrors of eachother, and nothing else? Or one world where Abraham Lincoln is assassinated and one where he isn't, with no in-between case? Then you have a discrete symmetry. The two systems behave radically differently when you try to flesh them out into a consistent worldview, so its a good idea to get them straight ahead of time.
answered 1 hour ago
Cort Ammon
101k15177362
First off, the required disclaimer: There is zero scientific evidence to support parallel universes. Zip. Nada. In fact, if there was evidence, we'd typically choose to re-define the universe to include everything that we can interact with, so the idea of going to a parallel universe is almost silly when viewed that way. Everything we talk about when it comes to multiverses is pure speculation, without a shred of evidence.
Second, when you look at multiverses, it helps to look at what sort of parallel universes you might go to. Max Tegmark put forth the most popular classification of parallel universes:
Level 1: The same physics as our universe in every way. These universes just differ by the layout of the matter inside the universe, and are typically separated by far enough that they don't interact in any way.
Level 2: Same physical laws, but different constants. In these universes, $E$ still equals $mc^2$, but $c$ may be a very different number due to symmetry breaking events that change the nature of reality. Universes where these constants differ could be dramatically different than ours, so much so that few writers even think about talking about them. And it's going to get more alien from there
Level 3: Many Worlds. One interpretation of quantum mechanics is that there are many universes, such that every possible thing that could happen, happens. A level 3 multiverse covers that.
Level 4: The Ultimate Ensemble. Basically, if it has laws of physics that can be described in the language of abstract mathematics, it fits in level 4. This is such a wide classification that it has received criticism that it isn't even sufficiently defined.
So that gives you a sense of just how far and wide cosmologists have gone with this parallel universe thing. They have literally gone everywhere. There isn't an answer to your question which isn't a valid one.
In my opinion, the biggest question is whether the symmetries between these universes are continuous or discrete. If you have one universe where Wayne Gretzky scores a winning shot, and a universe where he misses, is there necessarily a universe where the pick glances off the goalpost? If so, you're building a world with continuous symmetry. Do you have two universes which are mirrors of eachother, and nothing else? Or one world where Abraham Lincoln is assassinated and one where he isn't, with no in-between case? Then you have a discrete symmetry. The two systems behave radically differently when you try to flesh them out into a consistent worldview, so its a good idea to get them straight ahead of time.
answered 1 hour ago
Cort Ammon
101k15177362
answered 1 hour ago
Cort Ammon
101k15177362
answered 1 hour ago
Cort Ammon
101k15177362
answered 1 hour ago
Cort Ammon
101k15177362
101k15177362
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2
This will take some hand waving the disconcerting facts away. If you are basing your ideas on string theory, the thing they do NOT tell you is that two universes would never be exactly the same. Very few alternative choices would ever be able to support anything resembling life. The laws of physics would be different in every one. Most would probably not have anything remotely like 'matter' as we know it. Using string theory to posit universes similar to our own faces unfathomable odds
– Justin Thyme
3 hours ago
1
the
reality-checktag is really not going to work here as the whole idea of traveling between alternative realities is just simply not something we have any theoretical (let alone experimental) basis for.– StephenG
2 hours ago
Removed reality-check tag. Also removed the second question.
– elemtilas
27 mins ago