The Big Questions: Physics (32 page)

Gell-Mann, Murray
53

general relativity
12
,
24
–6,
44
,
63
,
96
,
183
,
202

geodynamo
108
,
202

Glashow, Sheldon
77
,
185

Gliese 581c
167

gluons
27
,
45
–6,
54
,
79
,
121
,
186
–7,
202

God particle
76
–84

Gödel, Kurt
71
,
96
–7

gold atom
54

Gott, J. Richard
97
–8,
101

grand unified theory (GUT)
187
–9,
202

grandfather paradox
101
–2

gravitational field
77
–8

gravitational lensing
128
–9,
161

gravitational mass
44

gravitational waves
161

graviton
46
,
155

gravity
38
–47,
161
,
174
,
189
–91,
202
,
204

measurements of
40
–1

Newton’s law
40
–3,
182
,
191

quantum
26
–7,
203

and relativity
43
–4,
96
,
183

and string theory
155
–6

weakness of
41
–2,
189

Greeks, ancient
39
,
67
,
145
,
162
,
181
–2,
190
,
192

Guth, Alan
63

H

Habicht, Conrad
120

Hau, Lene
151

Hawking, Stephen
26
,
101
–2,
129
–32,
164
,
196

heart
142

heat, study of
see
thermodynamics heat energy
60
–2

conversion into kinetic energy
118
–19

heat engine
61
–2

heat sink
61

Heisenberg uncertainty principle
13
–14,
45
,
54
–5,
72
–3,
75
,
121
,
164
,
198
,
202

Heisenberg, Werner
13
,
72

helium atom
122

helium, solid
55
–6

Hero of Alexandria
60

hidden extra dimensions
161
,
189
,
202

Higgs boson
46
,
76
–84,
202

Higgs field
78
–9

Higgs, Peter
77
–8

Hilbert, David
71

Hogan, Craig
196
–7

holographic principle
196
–7

Hooke, Robert
145
–6

Hoyle, Fred
87
,
176

Hubble, Edwin
163

Huygens, Christian
146

hydrogen atoms
52
,
122
,
175

hypothesis
159

I

imaginary time
131

incompleteness theorem
71
–2

Industrial Revolution
49
–50,
61
,
118

inertial mass
44
,
119
–20

inflation
63
,
88
–90,
158
,
160
,
202

eternal inflatioin theory
87
–8,
90
–1

information
193
–9

black holes as sinks for
195
–6

and holographic principle
196
–7

quantum
197
–9

speed of
194
–5

information age
199

INTEGRAL telescope
166

interference
33
–6,
92
–3,
127
–30,
146

International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM)
47

inverse square law
42
,
161
,
202

J

Johnson, Samuel
144

K

Kelvin, Lord
19
,
63
,
71

kilogram
48
–9

kinetic energy
59
–60,
118
,
202

Koch snowflake
140

Krikalev, Sergei
102

L

Lamb, Willis
148

Landauer, Rolf
193
–4

Landauer’s principle
194

Laplace, Marquis de
10
,
134
–5

Large Electron Positron (LEP)
80
–1,
84
,
169

Large Hadron Collider (LHC)
76
–7,
80
–4,
187
–8

lasers
15
,
50
–2

Lavoisier, Antoine
117
–18

law zero, rule of
61
–4

laws of physics
179
–80

Le Verrier, Urbain Joseph
182

Lederman, Leon
76

Leibniz, Gottfried
24
,
116
–17

Lemaître, Georges
162
–3

LEP collider
80
–1,
84
,
169

leptons
204

LHC (Large Hadron Collider)
76
–7,
80
–4,
187
–8

light
144
–52

and lasers
150
–2

particle/wave duality
12
,
32
–3,
92
,
144
–8,
152

speed of
9
,
20
–3,
120
,
148
–51,
194

liquids
48
,
202

loop quantum gravity (LQG)
159
–60

Lorenz attractor
137

Lorenz, Edward
133
–6,
143

M

M-theory
160

magnetic field
104
–13,
183

and cows
107

magnetism
41
,
104
,
191

and electricity
119
–20,
183
–4

magnetite
105
,
107
,
109

magnetosphere
104
–13,
202

majoron
171

Mandelbrot, Benoît
141

Mandelbrot set
141

many worlds interpretation (MWI)
91
–4,
102
,
202

Mars
104
,
113

mass
40
,
43
–7,
202

and energy
45
–7,
119
–22

and God particle
76
–84

gravitational
44

inertial
44
,
119
–20

measurement of
46
–7

origin of
45
–6,
121
–2

mathematics
71
,
192
–3

Matrix, The
172
–3

matter
9
,
49
,
63

imbalance between antimatter and
169
–71

Maxwell, James Clerk
119
–20,
135
,
149
,
183
–4

Maxwell’s equations
119
–20,
149
,
183
–4,
202

Mercury
183

Merilees, Philip
133
–4

Mermin, David
132

Michelson, Albert
15
–16,
146
–7

microelectronics revolution
14
–15

Milesians
10
,
16

momentum
12
–13,
29
–30,
34
,
54
,
72
,
96
,
169
,
198
,
202

mood disorders and magnetic field
107

Morley, Edward
146
–7

multiverse
91
,
158
–9,
203

N

negative energy
63
,
100
–1

neutrinos
48
,
169
,
171

neutron star
100

neutrons
5
,
45
,
52
–4,
203

Newcomb, Simon
16

Newcomen, Thomas
60

Newton, Isaac
13
,
40
,
71
,
115
–16

corpuscular theory of light
144
–5

on energy
116
–17

and gravity
40
–3,
182
,
191

and political theory
11

Principia Mathematica
181

and religion
9
–10,
24

and time
24

North Pole
106

Northern Lights
111

nuclear fusion
115

nucleus
51
–3,
56
,
79
–80,
153
,
203

O

Olmec
105

Omega
175

open universe
174

Oppenheimer, Robert
14

P

paddlefish
69

Pais, Abraham
123

palaeomagnetism
109
–10

parallel worlds
85
–94,
102

participatory universe
129
–30

particle accelerator
53
,
76
–7,
80
–4,
203

particles
30
,
79

types of
154

wave/particle duality of light
12
,
32
–3,
92
,
144
–8,
152

pattern-spotting
66

Pauli, Wolfgang
28
,
37

Penning trap
168

Penrose, Roger
26
,
192
–3

perihelion
182

perpetual motion machines
57
–65,
203

photoelectric effect
147
–8

photons
12
–13,
27
,
46
,
77
–8,
88
,
127
–8,
147
–8,
155
,
203

Planck constant
41

Planck, Max
63
,
120
–1

planets
138

plankton
69

platinum
47

Plato
11
,
192

Republic
11

Timaeus
192

plenum
145

Podolsky, Boris
125

Poincaré, Henri
135
–6

political theory and physics
11

polonium
22
–3

Popper, Karl
159

positron
185

potential energy
59
,
203

probability
68
,
73
–4

protons
45
,
52
–4,
153
,
187
–8,
203

Ptolemy
86

Q

quantum chromodynamics (QCD)
45
–6,
54
,
186
,
203

quantum electrodynamics (QED)
12
,
77
,
150
,
203

quantum suicide
93
–4

quantum theory
12
–13,
15
–16,
71
,
123
–32,
179
,
184

and arrow of time
19

Bose-Einstein condensate
55
–6

computers
36
–7,
126

cryptography
126

and entanglement
36
,
124
–6,
198
–9,
201

EPR paradox
125

gravity
26
–7,
203

information
197
–9

many worlds interpretation of (MWI)
91
–4,
102
,
202

and randomness
73
–5

and relativity
156
–7,
179

and Schrödinger’s cat
28
–37

and superposition
36
,
91
–2,
127

and uncertainty principle
54
–5,
72
–3

quarks
45
,
53
–4,
84
,
121
,
153
,
169
,
171
,
186
–7,
203
–4