A close-up of the E8.The E8visualisation was generated by John Stembridge, who based his computer generation code on a hand-drawn E8 system by Peter McMullen in the 1960s.
The Chinscratcher Award for “The Sexiest Mathematic Theory Of 2007″ goes to…“The E8 Root System”
The E8 is a 248 dimensional Lie algebra, and you can find out what that means here, or you can watch this colorful video:
Why did the E8 get the award? First of all, the E8 Root System is related to the “Exceptionally Simple Theory of Everything” by A. Garrett Lisi. The name of this theory alone brought a glint of envy to my eye. But when it was linked to the exceptionally complex vector drawing above, the sexiest of this theory increased by a power of eight. You can enjoy the E8 diagram in all its glory by downloading as a PDF file.The E8 calculation is actually 60 gigabytes in size. Here’s a synopsis of the theory:
All fields of the standard model and gravity are unified as an E8 principal bundle connection. A non-compact real form of the E8 Lie algebra has G2 and F4 subalgebras which break down to strong su(3), electroweak su(2) x u(1), gravitational so(3,1), the frame-Higgs, and three generations of fermions related by triality. The interactions and dynamics of these 1-form and Grassmann valued parts of an E8 superconnection are described by the curvature and action over a four dimensional base manifold.
But perhaps even more interesting than the theory itself, are the people who brought this calculation to life. Their work required a mix of theoretical mathematics and intricate computer programming. They worked on the calculation for four years.
Click on the image above to see the full-size photo. When I look at this photo, one thing I note right away is their feet. If I”m ever trying to hire a mathematician, I’ll just stoop and look under the desk at her feet. If she’s wearing sandals and socks, I’ll hire her on the spot.
A close-up of the E8 group’s extensive use of socks and sandals.
The other thing I’m pretty sure about is this fellow masterminded most of the E8 complexity:
I am also compelled to postulate that this photo can be analyzed using E8 principles. There is a define balance between the two sides of mathematicians, for example the professor on the right withe the blue shirt and very high pants, is probably a direct rival to the fellow in shorts on the left. Truly, there are multitudinous E8 levels that can be explored within this photograph.
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Great analysis – wuahah!