Master's Thesis, Peer Review

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Kasbak
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Master's Thesis, Peer Review

Postby Kasbak » Sat Mar 30, 2013 1:55 pm

Good day all. For anyone unaware, I'm the wizard player in Tarliman's campaign working on the theory of mana propagating as a wave through astral space for my Master's Thesis (thread over here: viewtopic.php?f=18&t=877 ). I've run into some false starts and frustrations, but I think I've got a good handle on some work throughs, and I'd like to get outside opinion. Warning: This is going to draw on a lot of parallels to upper level physics and mathematics (I'm a Wizard). If this sort of thing makes your head hurt, or if you simply don't enjoy recreational mathematics, you may want to give the rest a pass.

Okay, for the meat of the argument. The observations to draw conclusions about magic moving as a wave are simple enough. It started with thought experiments on what happens to threads fixed between moving targets. Astral space roughly maps to physical space, so as they move physically, the threads between them must be stretched (even if it's at a different scale) and thus must be stretched, thus they must hold tension to some degree. If they hold tension, they must vibrate when being stretched, and thus a wave would be created. Now, what are patterns if not bundles of threads woven together with multiple fixed points? If threads stretched across a distance vibrate, then threads within a pattern would vibrate too. This should hold whether it's the pattern of a person (adept or otherwise), a spell, or a place. Certain aspects of patterns have similarities, such as adepts in the same or different disciplines with the same talents. If you 'pluck' that part of the pattern so that it vibrates, you activate that talent. In our campaign, we also do a lot of work with astral shifting (most of the group are Lightbearers), and over time with our movements we've seen things in astral space that could be described similarly to eddies in a river or turbulence in air, mostly around areas that are either corrupted or filled with a lot of negative emotion. Again, this follows the pattern of behavior expected if astral space acts as a wave medium.

The trouble I've run into is in trying to describe and calculate all this objectively. Astral space is psychosomatic (it will change depending on your personal viewpoints, from the belief makes reality mechanic). Therefore, I could potentially run experiments to measure this and achieve positive results (and indeed I likely would due to my preconceived notions), but they may never be repeated by anyone with an objective viewpoint. However, I do still believe the results are going to need to resolve to the same conclusion at some level, simply because we can view events in astral space from different preconceived notions and still view the same event. In the example I've been using, if I were to cast Razor Orb on Verjigorm and deal 50 damage, it's going to be viewed with different symbolic meanings, but the same end result. To me, 50 damage is lethal; to him, it's more of a scratch. But 50 damage is still 50 damage, and the equations must still balance regardless of our perspective.

The solution I've come up with to account for this is that terms for personal viewpoints must be expressed in terms of infinity (if you've never looked at the math for it, infinity does some really weird stuff). This is similar to the difference of calculating gravity in Newtonian mechanics (where it's an inverse square law) versus calculating it with Einstein mechanics (where mass actually warps the shape of space time). IIRC, in the Einstein method, gravity actually requires something like 11 differential equations to be solved simultaneously in order to get the correct result. Rather than try to calculate the personal viewpoint factor as a constantly fluctuating term, it should be expressed as a function on its own, which works out to either differential equations (or possibly a set), or a limit equation if being expressed simply. This can work with infinity because it will work out to different values depending on how it is approached. The personal viewpoint portion can then be factored out in the comparison between two observers for the same event. Its end result will express how the event is viewed to them individually, but once factored out the expression for the event itself should be the same no matter who is looking at it. I think it also works symbolically with astral space, as infinity can be expressed as both a number and a concept. It's probably also worth noting that if astral space is viewed through Einstein mechanics, then the wave propagation will be a plane wave rather than a standard wave, and would then fall under Schroedinger equations rather than classical physics. Again, I believe this works out, as it would also mean it fits in better with Heisenberg uncertainty mechanics.

Okay, done with the text wall for now. Thoughts? Comments?

Thanks in Advance,

Kasbak

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Re: Master's Thesis, Peer Review

Postby evil » Mon Apr 01, 2013 2:02 pm

Einstein mechanics, then the wave propagation will be a plane wave rather than a standard wave, and would then fall under Schroedinger equations rather than classical physics. Again, I believe this works out, as it would also mean it fits in better with Heisenberg uncertainty mechanics.

why would you use any of that info to describe psychosomatic physics? (make up your own, would make more sense)

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Re: Master's Thesis, Peer Review

Postby Kasbak » Mon Apr 01, 2013 7:15 pm


Muthare
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Re: Master's Thesis, Peer Review

Postby Muthare » Sun Sep 01, 2013 11:34 am

I have few bulletpoints.

-Astral plane is filled with magic energy- everything there is made out of the same thing - energy. Energy is bound into patterns. But will have to be present- nothing that has no contact with will has pattern.
- I dont think anything in Astral Space streathes- why would it.
- its important to know difference between impring and pattern. Impring is a visual effect seen in astral space, its an echo of an object, every item in physical realm has an imprint. Within those imprints patterns can be found but only if there are true names involved. Blanket without name has a very faint imprint and no pattern. I think that having a pattern automaticaly improves imprint of an object making it more clear.
-ergos - u can stretch items in physical and thus their imprint would would appear streched, but imprint is just a "shadow".
-Astral patterns do not change unless they change- they are static by nature, for pattern to change it has either gain or lose energy effectively gaining or losing power.- changes occur only if will is present, and they gain more power by taping more magical energy, - by expanding complexity of the pattern with more threads.

I think magic is metaphysical in its complexity, and can be logical in particular cases.


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