Theory of Everything
Physicists are closer than every to developing a unified theory of everything. Learn about the qualities that a theory of everything must have and the current efforts to develop one.
For a short outline of the contents of this video, see the summary.
For a complete written record of the words in this video, see the transcript.
Learn More
Explore the world of String Theory at this website:
https://www.space.com/17594-string-theory.html
More information on loop quantum gravity can be found here:
https://www.einstein-online.info/en/category/elementary/relativity-and-the-quantum-elementary/
Take a look at this series of videos about a theory of everything:
Tour the current state of our physical theories with Stephen Hawking’s book, The Universe in a Nutshell:
http://www.amazon.com/Universe-Nutshell-Stephen-William-Hawking/dp/055380202X
Research Challenges
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Some argue that it is impossible to ever truly develop a theory of everything. What are the arguments for and against the possibility of creating a theory of everything? What limitations will a theory of everything necessarily have?
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Einstein’s theory of special relativity demonstrated once and for all that Isaac Newton’s laws of classical mechanics were an incomplete model of reality. If we know it’s not complete, why is Newtonian physics still taught regularly in schools?
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Why does mathematics play such an important role in the development of physical theories? What mathematics is needed to understand Special Relativity? What about General Relativity, Quantum Mechanics, the Standard Model, and String Theory?
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Physics operates on many levels of emergence. For example, thermodynamics emerges from statistical mechanics, which itself emerges from the laws of newtonian mechanics. How can heat be explained by motion? What is the kinetic theory of temperature?