The Theory of Nothing

Is Zayn Malik still in One Direction?

Is Zayn Malik still in One Direction?

Thanks to sunandita for this subject. Check out her fine works, including: Quest for Stardom, Treasure- #FutureLibrary, Psycho Stories and Parody Guide to Life.

The answer is: According to Stephen Hawking he is in One Direction in another timeline! The reason is simple. Stephen Hawking believes in the Many-worlds interpretation of the multiverse theory (a hypothetical set of infinite possible universes). What exactly does that mean? It means that there are parallel universe out there in which all possibilities of every future can exist. This adds up to an infinite number of parallel universe in which you exist but in a different timeline. You may be in a different school or even a different country. You could be dead or alive. Or, you may not have existed. Anything is possible.

Think of Quantum Leap, the TV series, or Sliders, or the Star Trek episodes: 'Bread and Circuises', The Omega Glory', and 'Miri'. Or, how about Dr. Who? They're all based on this idea. Actually, there are hundreds of examples going all the way back to H.G. Wells.

The multiverse theory had many flavors or alternatives but it's consistent with Einstein's Theory or Relativity. The Many Worlds interpretation is just one of many possible concepts.

This crazy idea comes from the Schrodinger's cat paradox, which is a paradoxical thought experiment. Schrodinger is the Austrian quantum physicist who came up with the now famous equation that describes how a quantum state of a physical system changes with time. As you may know, quantum physics states that a quantum particle can exist and not exist at the same time, which can be considered a quantum physics superposition of states (can exist or not exist). The cat paradox states that a cat in a box with a radioactive substance can be dead or alive at the same time. In other words it could exist in one universe as alive and in another be dead at the same time based on whether the radioactive substance decayed or not. Both situations are real. This is the madness of quantum physics and it has lead to the idea that there are an infinite number of parallel universe where all things are possible, and it's all based on probability, which is the mainstay of quantum physics.

Needless to say, there are many different approaches to this concept and many criticisms of the idea itself. Some of the wild ideas include: Quantum thought suicide could lead to immortality; weak coupling in which communication between parallel universes is possible; time travel in which the grandfather paradox problem (if you go back in time and kill your grandfather) is eliminated; and many other interpretations that are too crazy to discuss.

However, this idea of 'cat state' based on this thought experiment has consequences for quantum computing because the 'cat state' or entanglement of 'quibits' can be equally one or zero. A 'qubit' is a quantum bit, which can be a linear combination of zero and one. It all depends upon a probability. This is crazy stuff.

If there are parallel universes, where do they exist? The answer is that they are in the same location as our universe but they are out of phase (in a different timeline existence). We can't see them but they're right there. This is maddening. All of this many-worlds interpretation is based on the universal wave function as proposed by Hugh Everett in a PhD thesis and since adopted by Stephen Hawking and others, who supposedly solved the Wheeler-deWitt equation that defines the conditions of the Big Bang as time progressed. The math involved here is really complicated, but it led Hawking to believe in the many-worlds interpretation. Check out this explanation of this universal wave function: The universal wave function is the wave function of quantum state of the totality of existence, regarded as the basic physical entity or the fundamental entity, obeying at all times a deterministic wave equation. Say what?

So, the fact is that Zayn is still in One Direction, but I don't know which parallel universe where that is the case. Darn quantum physics!

Thanks for reading.