Math and Alternative Universes

Two utterly independent and yet conjoined thoughts…

Firstly*

Math and I are going through a rough patch in our relationship at present.  A truly tragic state of affairs I must say.  For the world of math does not ever slow down and explain itself.  Math can be related to Vitamin A.  Under normal exposure levels, Vitamin A is essential to life.  It is necessary for proper bone growth, tooth development, and maintenance of healthy skin, hair, and mucous membranes.  Likewise, so is math.  Math is needed in calculating the tip after a nice dinner out, it is essential in finance and accounting, I would say that most people use math in one way or another at least once everyday.  However, Vitamin A, and so math, can be extremely harmful and detrimental in elevated exposures.  If you eat a polar bear liver, you will die, because it contains such a high concentration of the fat-soluble Vitamin A**.  Also, if you take four math classes, you will die.

I did not intentionally sign up for four math classes.  Technically, I’m not in four math classes.  I’m in Calculus and Differential Equations for Biology Majors II, General Chemistry II, Genetics and Molecular Biology, and Accounting and Financial Math.

I’ll start with the obvious ones.

Calc.  This class is a continuation of the calc and differential equations course I took last semester.   It is specifically tailored to the needs of biologists, and encompasses the basics that we will need for careers in biology in the future.  I conjecture however, that this class was actually created so that we could fit five semesters of math into two.  I am taking math on steroids.  We have covered the material in calculus 1, calculus 2, differential equations, linear algebra, and today, the wonderful multivariable calculus TYPICALLY associated with calculus 3.  I maintained my sanity by defining the “saddle-point” of a three-dimensional map as the center point of a Pringle.  Another catalyst of my frustrations:  I know calculus, I can do calculus.  Which makes it incessantly exasperating when I get a B+ on a test instead of an A+ because of three MULTIPLICATION errors in a vast array of calculus problems.

Accounting, of course, is math, a simpler version than calculus sure, but nonetheless just as annoying.  Especially because they assume that you KNOW what “Accounts Payable,” and “Contributed Capital” means.  So even though the actual MATH is only addition and subtraction (with the occasional division thrown in), I don’t know WHAT to add or subtract, which makes it a very difficult problem.

Chemistry you may not think involves an exorbitant amount of math, however you are wrong.  Sure there’s tons and tons of formulas and conversions and memorizing…  but nothinfg too atypical or difficult.  Plug and chug right?  Not when dealing with kinetics…  I can put numbers into a formula, do the algebra, and get an answer.  The trouble arises when I have to CREATE the formula, and then, because that’s not enough, INTEGRATE it.  So in short, chemistry has become an extension of calculus***.

Finally, genetics.  This caught me the most by surprise today when I discovered that my beloved career-to-be also revolved around math****.  Probability, in all honesty, is at the very heart of genetics.   The chances of a particular outcome of a cross can be determined mathematically thanks to probability (and indefinitely thanks to alternative universes – which I will get to in a little bit).  [Side note: the year before last, the math teachers at my high school were frustrated because they had to go to a probability workshop put on by the district to learn how to teach probability.  In addition to this, the math courses were changed to reflect a greater emphasis on probability.  This occurred AFTER my rudimentary math courses, and as a result, I still am not very good at probability] Anywho, probability is important, and can tell us a lot about our world and how and when genes are transferred.  Today’s lecture covered the binomial probability formula [(p+q)^n] and it’s relation with Pascal’s Triangle, chi-square (X^2), which is equal to the summation of observed minus expected squared, divided by expected, and somehow relates to the “goodness of fit*****,” and another probability formula that I would like to highlight a bit more:

n!/(s! x t!) x (p)^(s) x (q)^(t)

The symbol “!” denotes “factorial,” incase you didn’t know.  Meaning you multiply together all the integers from 1 to the given number.  However when I see this, all I can ever think of is an exclamation mark, which denotes feeling or emphasis on a statement.  So when I read this equation I see:

NNNNNNNNNN!!!!!/(SSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!! x TTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!) x (p)^(s) x (q)^(t)

And that makes me laugh despite the fact that it is complicated and hard.

Now that my rant about math is complete, I will move on to an even more confusing, complicated, and difficult subject to comprehend.

Secondly******

The idea of alternative universes is quite an interesting phenomenon.  Essentially, as the name implies, it suggests that there are other universes existing, infinite universes existing, in space, time, and probability.  Our universe can be placed on a 2-dimensional X, Y plane, with X representing time and Y representing space.  My existence is graphed as a line fluctuating in place and time.  However there exists an entire plane of both time and space, meaning I could theoretically be found in any space at any particular time.  Quantum physics takes this idea and suggests that this in fact does happen.  I am existing in all space and all time simultaneously.  This explains our universe.  Which brings us to Z…  Z is the third dimension that comes out vertically from our 2-dimensional X, Y plane.  I also exist in this universe (X, Y plane) as a value of Z.  Z extends upwards and downwards from our X, Y plane universe infinitely.  Therefore it exists in every X, Y plane.  Each X, Y plane, at a certain value Z, is it’s own independent universe.  I extend though every universe as a value of Z at every point and every time.  This allows for infinite possibilities of occurrences and events.  In short, there are alternative universes existing where infinite possibilities are taking place.  Today I had a sandwich for dinner, in another universe I chose to eat pasta instead, and in yet another universe I am eating pizza.  In another universe still I decided I didn’t want dinner at all and instead went running.  As you can see, this equates to infinite possibilities and therefore infinite universes.  And this is not even taking into consideration everything else besides ME! Thankfully infinity times infinity is still infinity.

Of course, there is nothing even remotely perfect about this hypothesis, and proving it true would have no affect anyway, considering you can’t move between universes.

So I am stuck here in this universe, living a life at Z in space and time.  Staying up way too late blogging in the hope that school will be cancelled tomorrow due to the snow swirling furiously just inches away through two panes of glass. 

Good night world.

*I know this isn’t a word, but it goes with secondly

**Ironically…. This analogy is full of math.  The amount of Vitamin A in your body can be calculated by the integral of Vitamin A absorption into the blood minus the rate at which it is dissolved in the blood stream.

***Or an application of it, if you want to look on the bright side.

****It didn’t really catch me off guard, I knew that math of course would be associated with genetics, as it is with all fields, however this was accompanied by the realization that I have done nothing like this before, and it’s hard.

*****Yes that is a real term apparently.

******Take nothing I say here as undisputed fact.  It is a recitation of knowledge acquired during a popcorn chicken lunch debate.