And lo On Tue, 20 Jan 2009 01:05:02 -0000, Darren New <dne### [at] sanrrcom>  
did spake thusly:

>>   Unless I'm mistaken, the "graviton" is one of those particles invented
>> by quantum mechanics for the simple reason that "because everything  
>> seems
>> to consist of particles, then there must exist a particle for every
>> phenomenon we can see, including gravity".

In one sense, if you arrange the known particles you get gaps similiar to  
what occured with the first periodic tables...

> I wouldn't be surprised if that's the case. I never heard of anyone even  
> proposing properties of a graviton, let alone finding evidence.

... it has been a while but I recall someone running the theory that if  
gravity was a particle (as postulated by the Standard Model) then the  
properties it would have to have to function in the way we see it would  
match certain criteria (as Warp mentioned spin 2 being one of them) that  
so happened to match one of the gaps. Working from another direction  
string theory 'created' as a necessary outcome a 'particle' then had spin  
2 etc.

-- 
Phil Cook

--
I once tried to be apathetic, but I just couldn't be bothered
http://flipc.blogspot.com

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