A New Principle in Physiscs: the Principle "Finiteness", and Some Consequences

Abraham Sternlieb

关键词: EXACT SOLUTIONS;    MATHEMATICAL LOGIC;    PHYSICS;    QUANTUM GRAVITY;    QUANTUM MECHANICS;    RELATIVITY THEORY;    VELOCITY AstrophysicsQuantum Mechanics;    Relativistic Plasma;   

DOI  :  10.2172/984346
RP-ID  :  PPPL-4529
PID  :  OSTI ID: 984346
Others  :  TRN: US1006428

学科分类：原子、分子光学和等离子物理

美国|英语

来源: SciTech Connect

【 摘 要 】

In this paper I propose a new principle in physics: the principle of "finiteness". It stems from the definition of physics as a science that deals (among other things) with measurable dimensional physical quantities. Since measurement results, including their errors, are always finite, the principle of finiteness postulates that the mathematical formulation of "legitimate" laws of physics should prevent exactly zero or infinite solutions. Some consequences of the principle of finiteness are discussed, in general, and then more specifically in the fields of special relativity, quantum mechanics, and quantum gravity. The consequences are derived independently of any other theory or principle in physics. I propose "finiteness" as a postulate (like the constancy of the speed of light in vacuum, "c"), as opposed to a notion whose validity has to be corroborated by, or derived theoretically or experimentally from other facts, theories, or principles.