Just over 100 years ago, Albert Einstein, Max Planck, Niels Bohr, Erwin Schrödinger, and Werner Heisenberg formulated three of the most important theories in all of physics and destroyed Newton’s clockwork Universe. However, we still have not transitioned away from the Newtonian paradigm. Now, as we are set to become an interplanetary species it’s about time!
Special and General Relativity
With help and insights from many of his colleagues including, Max Planck, Marcel Grossman, Michele Besso, and Einstein’s first wife Mileva Mari?, Einstein developed two complementary theories that changed our fundamental understanding of how space and time interact. While we won’t get into the details here because there are already dozens of great online resources available, General Relativity removes notions of the absolute and universal flow of time as well as space and a static grid that everything in the universe moves through. Instead, the theory replaces space and time with a new fundamental concept called spacetime, which is constantly being distorted by matter moving through it governed by the force of gravity. We can summarize all of general relativity by the following phrase: Space tells mass how to move and mass tells space how to curve.
Special Relativity deals with the nature of the speed of light and the maximum universal speed limit. One of the pillars of this theory is that the speed of light is relative only to itself. Which means for instance if you move a flashlight at 100mph in a car the light coming out of the flashlight in the same or opposite direction of the car is still moving at exactly the speed of light! This theory also deals with how we agree of when events occurr from different perspectives using something called the spacetime interval.
Quantum Mechanics
Much at odds with Einstein’s relativity theories, Niels Bohr’s, Erwin Schrödinger’s, and Werner Heisenberg’s quantum mechanics describes the bizarre world of particles that are close to the size of atoms. The theory replaces notions of locality and causality with uncertainty and probability. In short, there are fundamental limits of how well we can know the position and momentum of very small objects. In fact, we can’t actually say where they are at all until we make a measurement; furthermore, the measurement can change the outcome of the particle interactions! According to the theory, there are also properties of very small particles that don’t actually exist in any definite state until we measure them!
Quantum-Relativistic Paradigm
At first glance, the theories mentioned above don’t seem to have much to do with our daily lives. However, we rely on relativity theory to position satellites and chart the course of space missions throughout our solar system. Quantum mechanics is being used to revolutionize the way computers process information.
Thomas Kuhn, the scientific philosopher wrote extensively about how scientific understanding changes over time. He suggested that every once in a while there is a large shift in understanding that he called paradigm shifts. The Newtonian paradigm of always predictable physical events, rigid space, and the constant flow of time are still society’s scientific paradigm of today even through we’ve known for over 100 years that the Universe just doesn’t work that way. As we become an interplanetary species with plans to colonize the Moon and Mars with just a few years, we need to adopt a new scientific paradigm. We need to begin teaching young students about quantum mechanics and relativity as the fundamental theories of our universe instead of Newton’s Mechanics. Wyoming Stargazing is committed to using in the Quantum-Relativistic Paradigm with our public outreach program and especially out new online animated series called Hello Earthlings… Coming Soon!
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