From: utzoo!decvax!cca!tzs@mit-ccc@sri-unix
Newsgroups: net.physics
Title: Monopoles
Article-I.D.: sri-unix.4308
Posted: Mon Nov 22 17:58:33 1982
Received: Wed Nov 24 09:24:02 1982

I just thought of something about the little beasties. Does anyone actually 
believe in a fundamental particle that weights as much as an amoeba? Also, 
now that Gell'Mann et al. have come up with the wonderful symmetry of the
Eight-fold way, what will the monopole do to it? I seem to remember that
supposedly the difference between the electron, the muon, and the neutrino
could be explained as more and more violent examples of symmetry breaking
among the S(2) groups. Where does the monopole go? What happens to the
beautiful idea of the S-matrix? Can monopoles change into electrons? Is there
any reason why electrons are released in reactions involving neutrinos, which, 
after all, "are distinguished from other particles mainly by what they do
not have and do not do."and certainly don't have charge, magnetic or
otherwise? 
And in closing...will "The Tao of Physics" have to be re-written?
                                    (having fun)---tzs---