Spencer Heath Archive

Item 102

Penciled by Heath in a very long, narrow, note pad. Heath states herein that the quantum discovery had happened fifty years earlier, placing the  date of this writing at or around 1950.

 

White envelope also contains items 103 and 104.

 

     The reality dealt with by physical science is conceived as a Universe, not material or immaterial, nor static, but as a Universe of Action, of Operation, of Carrying-on. Since there are no known limits to the Universe of Action, physical science examines and deals, quantitatively, by measurements called magnitudes or dimensions, only with finite and particular Actions called Events.

     Physical science has ascertained that a particular Event has three and only three measurable elements or aspects: (1) Mass, weight, inertia, force, position. (2) Motion, distance, space, length. (3) Time(s), repetitions, succession, rhythm, proceeding.

     For measuring these three constituent elements or aspects of events, Physical science has established three kinds of fundamental measuring units such as the gram, the centimeter and the second. All other physical units are based on and derived from these three.

     These dimensional units are constant by reference to fixed standards of mass and length in the form of reference gauges, kept under nearly uniform conditions by various public institutions, and standard units of time or procession kept by astronomical observatories. These, in turn, are derived (more or less accurately) from the weight of a known volume of pure water, at a particular temperature and posi­tion on the earth (the gram); from the length of the earth’s quadrant (supposed) from equator to pole (the centimeter); and from the average frequency of the earth’s rota­tion (the second).

     By employment of these units of measurement, physical science ascertains the three dimensions, those of the mass, the motion and the time, that together constitute a physical Action or Event.

     In any Action or Event, the number of Mass units is taken as that number per each unit of Motion. Hence the number of Mass units multiplied by the Motion units is the number of Mass-Motion (Energy) units involved in the parti­cular Action or Event. Likewise, the number of Mass-Motion (Energy) units is taken as that number per each unit of Time.[1]

     Hence, the total number of Action units in any Action or Event is,

 

1. The product of the number of Mass units times the number of Motion units (length or distance) into the number of Time units, or,

 

2. The product of the number of Mass-Motion (Energy) units into the number of Time units, or

 

3. The number of Mass units into the product of the number of Motion units (per time unit, i.e., Velocity) and the number of Time units, or

/The 4th next was crossed out and the notation made in the margin, “3 is, the better.” -Editor/

 

4. (Alternative for 3)  The product of the number of Motion units (per time unit, i.e., Velocity) times the number of Time units into the number of Mass units.

 

   The entire product of these three fundamental and constituent dimensions of an objective Action or Event, however taken, constitutes the total or over-all dimension or magnitude of the Event, whatever may be its respective fundamental dimensions. Two events having the same over­all magnitude may be extremely diverse as to the proportions in which their fundamentals are combined. Such diversity is perforce qualitative and not quantitative, considering the event as a whole. Likewise, two events of widely unequal magnitude may yet be identical as to the proportions in which their respective elements are combined. Here the diversity is purely quantitative, there being no qualitative difference at all.

     Scientific investigation discovers by measurement not only the magnitudes of events irrespective of their composi­tion but also the proportions in which their three fundamental dimensions are combined. And scientific technology consists, fundamentally, in the qualitative transformation of Action or Events by reproportioning the aspects or elements of which they are composed. This is the qualitative (as well as quan­titative) changing of Events towards the satisfaction of human needs and desires. This is the rational (as against empirical) process of incorporating in the rationale of nature the rationale of the mind of man — the “transformation of energy,” as it is called by practical engineers.

 

    Nothing in the objective world has significance or value (positive or negative) to man except as it is capable of coming into his experience. All such is Action or Events. The three fundamentals of an Action or Event, Mass, Motion and Time, may be separately regarded or conceived — abstracted from the unity and totality of the Event — but they cannot be separately experienced. The concept of Mass is but an abstraction out of the Mass, Motion and Time that are inte­grated in the Event and cannot be separately experienced. The concept of Mass and Motion, as energy, cannot of itself come into experience. It is but an abstraction from the total event which includes Time. The concept of Motion and time, as velocity, is only an empty abstraction from the Event, which must include Mass, however little it be per­ceived — even in radiant energy waves.

     Only when the three fundamentals of an Event are in some proportion combined is there any eventuation into Action or experience in the objective world. And not the totality, as a magnitude, but the proportions in which its fundamentals are combined, determines the quality and the character of the Event. In any given or constant quantity of Action, where Mass per unit of Motion is at its minimum, we experience chiefly Motion and Time as radiant waves. Where Motion per unit of Time is at its minimum we experience chiefly Mass and Time with minimum temperature (molecular motion). Where

Time is at its least that can be experienced we experience chiefly Mass and Motion as explosion. In these three extremes of proportion in Action we find the three extremes of objective experience.

     Fifty years ago physical science discovered that objective Events or Action, of whatever magnitudes, are made up of indivisible units or pellets, as it were, of almost infinitesimal yet uniformly equal over-all magnitudes. These units of Action are called quanta, and a quantum is defined as an exceedingly small but definite fraction of an Erg-Second — which is the metric analogue of a gram mass moving one centimeter in one second, the much larger pound-foot-minute of the English system. Now an erg-second need not be composed of single units each of Mass, Motion and Time. It may have great variety of proportions without being any less or any more than an Erg-Second, such as 1/6th gram moving 3 centimeters during 2 seconds, so the total product remains the same. What is thus true of the Erg-Second is necessarily true of any fraction thereof. The quanta, therefore, are not necessarily all alike in any respect, save their uniform over-all dimension or magnitude. Indeed, if they were all alike in all respects — of identical structure within themselves — then there could be no combination but only aggregations of them and all Action or Events in multiples of them would be homogeneous with only quantitative and without qualitative differences one from another. It is to the versatility of the quantum that all the variety in nature is due — and all the categories of quality, value and beauty in human action and experience as well.

     Just as the high organization of the human eye does not perceive “energy waves” of any frequency below or above those of its visible spectrum, or experience any reaction to less than about fifty quanta of Action, so the total human organization, with all its aids to perception and experience, being finite, must of necessity be similarly limited in its range of its possible experience within the totality of the objective world. Thus the quantum of Action seems to be the minimum of objective Action to which the human organization can quantitatively respond. This does not necessarily deny that smaller units may exist but that they do not exist in any physical or objective sense. Indeed, in a metaphysical sense, apart from objective experience, they certainly do exist. As abstract conceptions merely there are no magnitudes (short of zero) too small to be conceived. The mind can divide the quantum up into any finite number of parts. But not so the experience. Yet who shall say what may take place in nature outside the limits of finite human experience?

     The mind of man does seem to have some quality of the absolute. The imagination does, in fact transcend, quanti­tatively, at least, the limits of experience. And ideals derive from happy experiences magnified in dreams, inspiring attainable action towards ever unattainable goals, limited realizations towards unlimited ends. The mind can analyze experiences into constituents that are metaphysical only in the sense that /they/ cannot separately be experienced. Then it can imaginatively recombine the metaphysical elements in other proportions and thus have experiences in fulfillment of dreams.

     Let us in imagination take the quantum apart. We have seen that it is the least magnitude in which units of Actions (or large multiples of those units) can be experi­enced, and that each unit is composed of a number of Mass units per each unit of Motion, times a number of Motion units per unit of time, and the number of Mass-Motion units thus derived times a number of units or duration of Time. Now it is at least reasonable to suppose that just as these three constituents have an over-all magnitude in less than which they do not combine, so does each constituent have a minimum unit in less than which it does not combine with the other two in such proportion that the combined magnitude of the three is no more and no less than one whole quantum of Action. It was on this hypothesis that on page ___ we accounted for the three extreme proportions of energy in Action — the maximum velocity of light when Mass is at its minimum, the maximum of mass and duration when Motion per unit of time is at its minimum, and the maximum of mass and rate of motion when the element of Time is at its minimum in the over-all Action or Event.

     Let us assume, then, that there are minimum units each of Mass, of Motion and of Time in less than which neither Mass nor Motion nor Time will join with the other two to constitute any Action or Event such as a quantum of Action or any whole-number multiple thereof. These minimum units must be exceedingly small fractions respectively of the gram, the centimeter and the second.

     Let it be supposed (for convenience) that every whole quantum must possess a total product of one million of these three kinds of minimal constituent units. If these three kinds are of equal number, then there will be 100 units each of Mass, Motion and Time, and the kind or quality of the Action will be intermediate among the extremes of velocity, of low temperature and of explosion. These three extremes, however, will be manifest respectively whenever there is one only unit of each kind, in turn (instead of 100) and the product of the other two is one million. Note that this is the product of the remaining other two. This means that for each of the three extreme manifestations, such as maximum velocity or maximum explosion there can be no less than a million different varieties of the same according as the proportion between the remaining two constituents of the quantum varies from one to one million to one million to one. This accounts for the extreme numerical range in the constituent units of motion as wave lengths (per quantum) from one to one million and of time units as frequency (per quantum) from one million to one, the product of motion units and time units being constant at one million, the same as the total product of all the units in the quantum, the Mass units being at their minimum as one.

     It will be noted that in this illustration as the number of mass units diminishes the product of the motion units per quantum and the time units per quantum is maximum for all cases. In the one extreme or limiting case both the Mass units and the Motion or Velocity units are at their utmost minimum of one. This means that the least Mass moves at the lowest possible velocity during the greatest possible number, namely one million minimum units of Time. In the other case both Mass and Time are at their minima of a single unit. This means that the least Mass moves for the least possible time at the highest possible velocity. Yet in each and all cases, including these limiting extremes, the total product remains constant at one million units and thus the over-all dimension or magnitude of the quantum, as Action, the same.

     The result is similar if instead of Mass we start with Motion or velocity as the constant minimum. Under this minimum the range of the quantum organization, with its invariable over-all magnitude of one million ultimate or minimum units of Mass, Motion and Time and with but a single unit of Motion (per unit of Time) lies between the one extreme in which least mass moves with this least velocity for or during the utmost number, namely, one million, units of Time and the other extreme in which the maximum of one million units of Mass moves at the least possible velocity for or during the greatest possible number, namely one million units of Time. And in this last case the result is the same as where we began with least Mass and associated it with the least velocity for the greatest number of times — of units of Time.

     Proceeding reversely — beginning in each case with maximum instead of minimum units — we find that there are only three extremes. (1) We may take Mass at one million units moving with only one unit of velocity during only one unit of Time or, (2) We may take motion or velocity units at one million for but a single unit of Mass during but a single unit of Time or, (3) We may take Time at the maximum of one million units during which minimum Mass as a single unit moves at minimum Motion as a single unit of velocity.

     Thus there are three extreme cases with a total of one million from each maximum approach.