Friday, February 9, 2007

The Porwitzky Manifold

Back when I was a physics undergrad I developed the theory of the "Porwitzky Manifold". It is summarized as the following:
A Porwitzky Manifold is a highly localized extension of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle that is created when three or more undergraduates are contained in a physics lab. The Manifold makes it impossible for any of the students to accurately measure any physical constants.
It appears that Jorge Cham, the creator of Phd Comics, has a similar theory. His concerns not the student, but the advisor. The "Professor's Negation Field" is summarized in the comic below.
I believe that both phenomenon have the same mechanism, but exist at who limiting regimes. It is left as an exercise to the reader to determine which property is being limited.

2 comments:

Emily said...

The "Professor Negation Field" appears to be the inverse to that exhibited by IT professionals standing behind you while you are trying to explain what is wrong with your computer. "See! No matter what I do I can't get this thing to... not work."

Unknown said...

Interesting... perhaps there is an "anti-Professor Negation Field" that is manifested in that way. IT professionals are as smug as most professors, maybe that is the catalyst.

That would explain part of why IT professionals at universities are so angered by professors and vice versa--the anti-negation negation field destruction!