Because the partial theories that we already have are sufficient to make accurate predictions in all but the most extreme situations,
the search for the ultimate theory of the universe seems difficult to justify on practical grounds.
(It is worth noting, though, that similar arguments could have been used against both relativity and
quantum mechanics, and these theories have given us both nuclear energy and the microelectronics
revolution!)
The discovery of a complete unified theory, therefore, may not aid the survival of our species.
It may not even affect our lifestyle.
But ever since the dawn of civilization, people have not been content to see events as unconnected and inexplicable.
They have craved an understanding of the underlying order in the world.
Today we still yearn to know why we are here and where we came from.
Humanity’s deepest desire for knowledge is justification enough for our continuing quest.
And our goal is nothing less than a complete description of the universe we live in.
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My comments:
Can we understand every thing in the Universe ?
Can we find laws that explain everything ?
We would not know the answer.
And we can not see everything in the universe in a limited time.
But we can not stop thinking and observing the universe.
2018年3月23日金曜日
P2 Most people would find the picture of our universe
Most people would find the picture of our universe as an infinite tower of tortoises rather ridiculous,
but why do we think we know better?
What do we know about the universe, and how do we know it?
Where did the universe come from, and where is it going?
Did the universe have a beginning, and if so, what happened before then?
What is the nature of time?
Will it ever come to an end? Can we go back in time?
Recent breakthroughs in physics, made possible in part by fantastic new technologies,
suggest answers to some of these longstanding questions.
Someday these answers may seem as obvious to us as the earth orbiting the sun
- or perhaps as ridiculous as a tower of tortoises.
Only time (whatever that may be) will tell.
but why do we think we know better?
What do we know about the universe, and how do we know it?
Where did the universe come from, and where is it going?
Did the universe have a beginning, and if so, what happened before then?
What is the nature of time?
Will it ever come to an end? Can we go back in time?
Recent breakthroughs in physics, made possible in part by fantastic new technologies,
suggest answers to some of these longstanding questions.
Someday these answers may seem as obvious to us as the earth orbiting the sun
- or perhaps as ridiculous as a tower of tortoises.
Only time (whatever that may be) will tell.
P1 A well-known scientist (some say it was Bertrand Russell)
A well-known scientist (some say it was Bertrand Russell) once gave a public lecture on astronomy.
He described how the earth orbits around the sun and how the sun, in turn, orbits around the center of a vast collection of stars called our galaxy. At the end of the lecture, a little old lady at the back of the room got up and said:
“What you have told us is rubbish. The world is really a flat plate supported on the back of a gian tortoise.”
The scientist gave a superior smile before replying,
“What is the tortoise standing on”
“You’re ver clever, young man, very clever,”
said the old lady.
“But it’s turtles all the way down!”
He described how the earth orbits around the sun and how the sun, in turn, orbits around the center of a vast collection of stars called our galaxy. At the end of the lecture, a little old lady at the back of the room got up and said:
“What you have told us is rubbish. The world is really a flat plate supported on the back of a gian tortoise.”
The scientist gave a superior smile before replying,
“What is the tortoise standing on”
“You’re ver clever, young man, very clever,”
said the old lady.
“But it’s turtles all the way down!”
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