by Neil Turok
Moore’s law, 170, 217, 223, 237
motion, Newton’s laws of, 26–31, 33, 47, 62–63, 101, 113, 114
M-theory, 99, 146–49, 193–94
“multiverse,” 194–95, 208, 256
Murdoch, William, 213
music, 230, 249, 252; in academic curriculum, 10; in ancient world, 9, 159; digital creation/reproduction of, 68; in mass media age, 225; mathematics and, 9, 19, 75
Nabta Playa (Egypt), ancient stone calendar circle at, 8
NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration): Apollo program of, 22, 23, 129; COBE satellite of, 130–36
Nature (journal), 124
Navy, U.S.: Bureau of Ordnance, 126
Newton, Sir Isaac, 9, 21, 23–31, 77, 80, 97, 101–2, 111, 177, 197, 205, 212; and concept of classical universe, 20, 25–26, 30, 48, 56–95, 112, 118–19, 206, 210; and electromagnetic theory, 33, 40–41, 43, 47; and invention of calculus, 26, 43, 101; and law of gravitation, 23, 25–26, 27–28, 30, 33, 40, 47, 101, 116–19, 172; and laws of motion, 26–31, 33, 47, 62–63, 101, 113, 114; library of, 223; Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy [Principia], 30
Ngorongoro Crater (Tanzania), 7
Nietzsche, Friedrich, 154
Nobel Prize in physics, 58, 137, 157, 214, 216–17, 247
Noether, Emmy, 176–81, 199; Einstein’s tribute to, 180–81; teaching career of, 178–79, 180; and theorem of conserved quantities, 176–78, 179–80
notation, scientific: and Dirac’s “bra-ket,” 181; of formula for all known physics, 167–76; use of Greek in, 167, 168, 173, 174
nuclear bomb, 10, 116, 125–26
Nyerere, Julius Kambarage, 22
Ohm, Georg, 44
Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania), 7
“Omega Point” (Teilhard de Chardin), 229
Oxford University, 31, 161
Page, Larry, 166
Paris-Sud XI, Université (Orsay, France), 161
Parmenides of Elea, 52, 152–53
particle physics, 46, 58, 91, 148, 171–76; Bell’s Theorem and, 83–91, 233–34; Dirac’s equation and, 92, 172–73, 174, 175–76, 182–83, 196, 199; Higgs field and, 107, 110, 171, 173, 174–75, 178, 188, 189; Maxwell–Yang–Mills force field theories of, 42–46, 80, 172, 174, 199; Schrödinger’s wave equation and, 57, 76–77, 168–71, 186; wave-particle duality and, 78–80; Yukawa–Kobayashi–Maskawa matter particle mass term and, 173
Pauli, Wolfgang, 59, 82; exclusion principle of, 59; spin theory of, 59, 84
Peebles, James, 130, 133
Penzias, Arno, 128, 129–30, 131, 133
Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics (Waterloo, Ont.), 251
Perlmutter, Saul, 137
photoelectric effect (Einstein), 58, 69
photons, 58, 61–72, 103, 148; and double-slit experiment, 78–79, 93; as force-carrier particles, 175
physics: development of, 195–97, 255–57; Galileo and, 20–21; and information age, 209–39; mathematics and, 19–21; new applications of, 195; Newton’s work in, 23–31, 33, 223; one-line formula of, 167–201; public outreach and, 251–52; and quantum theory, 91–95. See also classical physics/universe; formula for all known physics; particle physics; quantum theory
pi (π), 18–19
Planck, Max, 48; and development of quantum theory, 48, 58, 61–72, 128, 131–32, 183, 196, 210; Einstein’s confirmation of work by, 64–70, 72; photon theory of, 58, 61–62, 78–79; and “ultraviolet catastrophe,” 68–69, 196; units invented by, 265n7. See also photons
Planck length, 108, 190, 256, 265n7
Planck satellite, 151–52, 205, 236, 237
Planck’s constant (h), 61–64, 84, 94, 265n7; and Feynman’s formulation, 92, 171; and Hamilton’s action principle, 62–64, 71
Planck spectrum, 62, 64, 128, 131–32
Plato, 52, 152
Podolsky, Boris. See Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen critique of quantum theory
Poe, Edgar Allan: “Eureka,” 154
Politzer, H. David, 172, 188
positron, 92, 173, 182
Princeton University, 130–31, 146
Project Glass (Google), 237
Prometheus, 37, 240, 242
Ptolemy, and concept of universe, 20, 25
pyramids, Egyptian, 8
Pythagoras, 8–9, 52, 53, 74, 205
Pythagoreans, 8–9, 167
Pythagorean theorem, 8, 77, 168–69
quantization rule: and Bohr’s application to atomic structure, 58, 70–72, 76, 124; Einstein’s confirmation of, 64–70, 101; Planck’s development of, 58, 61–64, 128, 131
quantum computers, 69, 91, 191, 201, 218–25, 233; applications of, 223–25; vs classical computers, 218–19, 220–22, 224; how they work, 221–22; and humans, 238–39; prime-number factoring by, 220, 222, 224
quantum electrodynamics (QED), 92, 183, 188
quantum theory, 91–95; beginnings/pioneers of, 56–60, 195; and Bell’s Theorem, 83–91, 234; and classical physics, 48, 56–95, 115–16, 168, 171, 179–80, 183–85, 196, 206, 210, 234–35, 256; and “double-slit experiment,” 78–80, 93; Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen critique of, 81–82, 83–91, 233–34; Einstein’s initial unease over, 70, 77, 80–81, 91; Einstein’s work in confirming, 64–70, 72; Feynman’s formulation of, 92–93, 169–70, 171, 179, 183–84, 196; later triumphs of, 91–92; and matrix mechanics, 56–57, 58, 72, 75–78; Maxwell’s theory and, 46, 48, 61, 92, 101–2; Planck’s development of, 58, 61–72; technological implications/applications of, 206, 214–35; and wave equation, 57, 76–77, 168–71. See also individual scientists and theories
qubits (quantum bits), 221–23, 233, 238, 268n8
radiation, cosmic microwave: detection of, 128–30, 131, 133, 214; as predicted by Gamow’s team, 127–28; satellite mapping of, 151–52; satellite measurement of, 130–32; spectrum of, 128, 131–32
radioactivity, 58, 70, 81, 91, 126, 172
radio waves, 33, 47, 78, 111, 209
Raphael: The School of Athens, 51–52, 56; The Transfiguration, 242–43
Reich, Henry, 252
Reiss, Adam, 137
relativity, Einstein’s theories of. See theory of general relativity; theory of special relativity
Riemann, Bernhard, 118
Renaissance Italy, science/mathematics in, 16–17, 55, 73–74, 100–1, 205, 253; art and, 16, 17, 51–52, 56; cosmology and, 18, 20–21, 25, 28–29, 100–1, 205. See also Galileo
Roger, Gérard, 90
Roman Catholic Church, 21, 31, 100
Rosen, Nathan. See Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen critique of quantum theory
Royal Institution (London), 36–37, 42, 251
Royal Society (London): Davy’s lecture at, 240–41
Royal Society of Edinburgh, 34
Rubens, Heinrich, 64
Rubin, Vera, 134
Rutherford, Ernest, 70–71, 126
Sagan, Carl: Contact (novel), 156–57; Cosmos (television series), 157
Salam, Abdus, 172, 174, 188
satellites: COBE, 130–36; Echo 1, 128, 129; Planck, 151–52, 205, 236, 237; Telstar, 128–29
Saturn, 36
Scherk, Joël, 193
Schmidt, Brian, 137
Schrödinger, Erwin, 57, 58; wave equation of, 57, 76–77, 168–71, 186; wavefunction of, 76–77, 83, 92–93, 168–71, 183–84. See also wavefunction
Schwarz, John, 193
Schwinger, Julian, 92, 183
science: and church, 13, 21, 100, 159; education in, 5, 156–67, 203, 211–12, 255; and future of world, 202–57; gentleman hobbyists and, 33; and need for connection with society/humanity, 9–15, 49–50, 99–100, 205, 245–57; public outreach by, 37, 251–52; Shelley’s cautionary tales of, 37, 239–46; and treatment of Jewish scholars, 59–60, 178, 180, 199. See also education,
scientific
Scientific American (magazine), 184
scientific method, 20, 253
Scott, Sir Walter, 213
Scottish Enlightenment, 11, 31–33, 97, 211, 213, 253–54; legacy of, 33–35
semiconductors, 215–17, 218, 234
Serengeti, 7
Shaw, George Bernard, 118–19
Shelley, Mary, 240; Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, 37, 240–42, 245; The Last Man, 242–46
Shelley, Percy Bysshe, 240, 242, 243, 244
Shockley, William, 215–17
Shor, Peter, 220, 222, 224
Silverstein, Eva, 152
singularity, at moment of big bang, 95, 122–25, 127, 139, 142–50, 200, 207–9, 256; cyclic universe theory and, 149–52; Einstein and, 97, 122–23; Friedmann’s work on, 122–23, 127; Hartle–Hawking proposal on, 97, 142–45, 146, 149; Lemaître’s work on, 123–25, 127, 143; M-theory and, 146–49; string theory and, 148, 191–95, 208
smartphones, 167, 203, 217, 223, 225–26, 237
Smith, Adam, 31
Smoot, George, 133–34, 135
Snow, C. P., 10
social media, 203, 204, 230
Socrates, 52
Solvay Conference. See Fifth Solvay International Conference on Electrons and Photons
South Africa: AIMS centre in, 160–67; apartheid in, 1–3, 21–22, 157–58, 160; and Square Kilometre Array, 166–67
South African Mathematical Society, 163
“spacetime,” 113, 124, 151, 177, 195, 210; Hartle–Hawking proposal and, 144, 149, 153; and theory of general relativity, 117–18, 120, 172, 184, 190; and theory of special relativity, 94, 113
special relativity. See theory of special relativity
spin, of electron, 59, 169, 175–76, 182, 191, 233–34; Bell’s Theorem of, 83–91, 233–34
Square Kilometre Array (SKA), 166–67
St. Andrews, University of, 31
Stanford University, 152, 235
Steinhardt, Paul, 106, 146
Stevenson, Robert, 32
Störmer, Horst, 234
string theory, 180, 191–95, 196; and big bang singularity, 148, 191–95, 208; discovery/development of, 192–93; and M-theory, 148, 193–94; and “multiverse,” 194–95, 208; problems of, 194–95, 207–8
“sum over histories” (Feynman), 92–93, 169–70, 171, 179, 183–84, 196; Dirac’s role in, 92, 183–84
Supernova Cosmology Project, 137
supernovae, 103, 127, 137, 200
superunification, 157, 167, 199–200
symmetry: between forces and matter particles, 185–86; Noether’s theorem and, 176–78; of space and time, 47
Tait, Peter Guthrie, 34–35, 213; and Treatise on Natural Philosophy, 35
Tanzania, 7; author’s childhood/education in, 2, 22, 97–98
TED (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) Conferences, 164, 165
Teilhard de Chardin, Pierre, 227–30; The Phenomenon of Man, 228–30
telephone, 33, 212, 215; Bell’s invention of, 35, 213. See also cellphones; smartphones
telescopes, 5, 20, 47, 235; Hubble, 119; of Planck satellite, 205
telescopes, radio, 119, 156; and detection of background radiation, 129–30; in South Africa, 166–67
Telford, Thomas, 213
Teller, Edward, 126
Telstar (satellite), 128–29
“Telstar” (song), 129
Thales, 53
Theodorus, 55
theoria (theory), 100
theory of general relativity (Einstein’s equation/theory of gravitation), 116–22, 165, 193, 195; Born on, 119; and concept of curved space, 118–19, 147; and concept of expanding universe, 121–25, 133, 179; and cosmological term, 120–21, 122, 136–39; in formula for all known physics, 172, 174, 189–90, 196, 199
theory of special relativity (Einstein), 47, 94, 110–13, 138; and Lorentz transformation/contraction, 112–13, 138–39; and mass-energy equivalence, 113–16; Maxwell and, 47, 101–2, 110–11, 112; and space travel, 138–39
thermal equilibrium, 65–68, 94
Thomson, Joseph John (J. J.), 212
Thomson, William. See Kelvin, Lord (William Thomson)
Tomonaga, Sin-Itiro, 92, 183
transistor(s), 92, 129, 195; development of, 215–17, 218, 235; and Moore’s law, 217
Trinity College (Cambridge), 24, 35, 223. See also Cambridge University
The Truman Show (film), 83
Tsui, Dan, 234
Turner, Michael, 106
“ultraviolet catastrophe,” 68–69, 71, 196, 210, 256
uncertainty principle (Heisenberg), 57, 77–78, 109, 217–19
universities: Jewish scholars and, 59–60, 178, 199; medieval, 9–10; of Scottish Enlightenment, 32, 34; women and, 178–81. See also education, scientific; specific universities by location
Uraniborg (Danish observatory), 25
U.S. Space Objects Registry, 129
vacuum energy, 136–38; dominance of, 95, 138, 154–55, 207; and Einstein’s cosmological term, 136–37; and Higgs potential energy/Higgs boson, 175, 190, 255–56; string theory and, 208; theory of inflation and, 140, 144, 146–47, 170, 179
vacuum tubes, 212–13, 215
velocity: of electrons/particles, 76, 77–78, 82, 218; of light, 45; Newton’s laws and, 26–29, 30, 57
Veltman, Martinus, 172
Veneziano, Gabriele, 192
“The Very Early Universe” (Cambridge workshop), 106, 136
Vilenkin, Alexander, 142, 143
Volta, Alessandro, 241
von Klitzing, Klaus, 234
von Neumann, John, 10
Voyager space probe, 36
Watt, James, 32, 213
wave equation (Schrödinger), 57, 76–77, 168–71, 186
wavefunction (Ψ) (Schrödinger): and Hamilton’s action principle, 92–93, 169–70, 171, 183–84; and number i, 168; as “pilot wave,” 83; and probability, 76–77, 93, 168–71
wave-particle duality, 78–80
wave theories. See electromagnetic waves; electromagnetism; wavefunction
Weinberg, Steven: and electroweak theory, 172, 174, 188; The First Three Minutes, 247–48
Weyl, Hermann, 178, 180
Wheeler, John Archibald, 96, 117, 185
Wikipedia, 203
Wilczek, Frank, 106, 172, 188
Wilkinson, David, 131, 132, 133
Wilson, Robert, 128, 129–30, 131, 133
Wollstonecraft, Mary, 240; A Vindication of the Rights of Women, 240
World Wide Web, 5. See also internet
Wren Library (Trinity College, Cambridge), 223
X-rays, 47, 111, 119, 195
Yang, Chen-Ning, 172; and Yang–Mills theory, 172, 174
Yukawa, Hideki, 173
Zeno, 153
Zu Chongzhi, 18
Zwicky, Fritz, 134
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