Mind Probe

For a long time, I have had a difficult believing in dark matter.  It strikes me as being the 20th and 21st Century version of aether from the 19th Century.  Before going into why I do not believe in the current theory of Dark Matter, let this first posting describe the data that lead to the theory of Dark Matter.

Galaxy Rotational Problem

When the velocity of stellar orbits around the center of their galaxy was measured, it was discovered that the stars at the edge of galaxies were moving too fast.  The orbital speed is dependent on the gravitational force of the galaxy which, in turn, is dependent on the mass of the galaxy.  In galaxy after galaxy, the outer stars were traveling at orbital speeds that were too high to match the observable mass of each galaxy.

Global Clusters

Global Clusters orbit galaxies.  Like the stars at the edge of galaxies, the global clusters show a stronger interaction with their associated galaxy than the observable mass of the galaxy would predict.  This appears to me as the same effect as the stars at the edge of galaxy but is often listed separately since it indicates that the size of galaxies is bigger than their observable sizes.

Gravitational Lensing

The measured results of gravitational lensing, the amount that light bends around galaxy and galaxy clusters is greater than the predicted amount due to the observable mass of the galaxies and clusters.

Galaxy Formation and Groups

Present Big Bang theories require dark matter to result in the formation of galaxies and groups of galaxies.  I am uncertain if this is considered an observation or using an existing theory to make another theory work.

Summary

In this posting, I have tried to present the data as I understand it that has resulted in the theory of dark matter.  There is other data that I did not present here such as the pioneer satellite velocity abnormality.  Please let me know of other observational data that supports dark matter as well as theories that depend on dark matter.

In my next dark matter posting, I will go over the reasons why I find dark matter difficult to believe in.  Following posting will discuss different theories that do not involve dark matter to explain the data.

I welcome comments that support my ideas or explain what is wrong with my ideas, why are they wrong, and/or what facts and data am I missing or misunderstanding. Comments should support their stand on the pros and cons.

I have been slowly reading the book The Road to Reality by Roger Penrose. I am only about 10% of the way through the book, about to start chapter 7 on Complex-number calculus. This is a layman’s book about physics that includes the math!

In the first six chapter, Penrose has been presenting mathematical concepts starting with counting numbers, integers, real numbers and irrational numbers, moving through basic geometry, complex numbers and calculus. He has a neat way of presenting this material that makes it exciting and an adventure. You will still need a traditional math text book if you want to learn the math. Roger Penrose presents the beauty of the mathematics, the mystery and the fun. Reading these chapters has brought back a lot of math memory of stuff that I have learned back in my school days and I love the spin that he puts on it. It makes me wonder what type of math teacher he would be if he taught high school math.

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