traveling peter
The Trouble with Physics by Smolin
This one I read about 2 years ago. It's mostly about the structural and cultural problems of the academic world when it comes to working in such modern physics fields as gravity and particle physics. It's also, but less so, about string theory, which, in the author's opinion has contributed to there not being any real progress in solving some of the fundamental problems in modern physics. The book will tell you what the main open problems are, and you will also learn something about string theory, all on a nontechnical level. The author holds that the system rewards those, who follow the pack, and add detail upon details to theories preached by a few big shots (such as string theory). Independent thinking is discouraged in the system - if you develop your own idependent theory, you are unlikely to be recognized or get an adademic job, even if your theory would constitute an ingenious improvement. The author believes that Einstein would have failed miserably in the current system. I'm afraid that the author is mostly correct and that the validiy of his findings is not restriced to particle physics, but applies to large parts of the adademic world, including applied math (my own field).
All right, I can't resist to tell you the five great problems in theoretical physics as stated in the book. Here goes:
#1: Combine general relativity and quantum theory into one single theory.
#2: Resolve the problems in the foundations of quantum mechanics, either by making sense of the theory as it stands or by inventing a new theory that does make sense.
#3: Determine whether or not the various particles and forces can be unified in a theory that explains them all as manifestations of a single, fundamental entity.
#4: Explain how the values of the free constants in the standard model of particle physics are chosen in nature.
#5: Explain dark matter and dark energy. Or, if they don't exist, determine how and why gravity is modified on large scales.
Personally, I think #2 is the most important and fundamental of them all, as quantum theory is involved in all the others, except, possibly, #5.
The Trouble with Physics by Smolin
This one I read about 2 years ago. It's mostly about the structural and cultural problems of the academic world when it comes to working in such modern physics fields as gravity and particle physics. It's also, but less so, about string theory, which, in the author's opinion has contributed to there not being any real progress in solving some of the fundamental problems in modern physics. The book will tell you what the main open problems are, and you will also learn something about string theory, all on a nontechnical level. The author holds that the system rewards those, who follow the pack, and add detail upon details to theories preached by a few big shots (such as string theory). Independent thinking is discouraged in the system - if you develop your own idependent theory, you are unlikely to be recognized or get an adademic job, even if your theory would constitute an ingenious improvement. The author believes that Einstein would have failed miserably in the current system. I'm afraid that the author is mostly correct and that the validiy of his findings is not restriced to particle physics, but applies to large parts of the adademic world, including applied math (my own field).
All right, I can't resist to tell you the five great problems in theoretical physics as stated in the book. Here goes:
#1: Combine general relativity and quantum theory into one single theory.
#2: Resolve the problems in the foundations of quantum mechanics, either by making sense of the theory as it stands or by inventing a new theory that does make sense.
#3: Determine whether or not the various particles and forces can be unified in a theory that explains them all as manifestations of a single, fundamental entity.
#4: Explain how the values of the free constants in the standard model of particle physics are chosen in nature.
#5: Explain dark matter and dark energy. Or, if they don't exist, determine how and why gravity is modified on large scales.
Personally, I think #2 is the most important and fundamental of them all, as quantum theory is involved in all the others, except, possibly, #5.