Attempts continue to explain all things big and small
Imagine an Alice in Wonderland realm where things flicker into existence, then vanish again, where it is hard to find out exactly where anything is, and where things can be in two or more places at once.
In this realm things can tunnel through barriers without leaving a mark, and pairs of particles can be related so that if one is twiddled, the other responds immediately, even if it is on the other side of the universe.
This is a world where objects may behave as waves or particles, and energy comes in little packets, called quanta – a single one is called a quantum.
It is for real. quantum physics is the science of the very small, and describes what goes in within and between atoms. It is in this realm we find the processes that enable stars to form, produce energy and then collapse or explode.
Throughout our history we have been trying to understand the world around us. Why does a thrown rock or spear move the way it does? What dictates the motions of planets in the sky? How and why is the universe expanding?
These are just samples taken from an enormously long list. The scientist who probably made the biggest contribution to answering them was Isaac Newton.
Not only did he write down the rules for analyzing the movements of the planets and other objects, he developed the mathematical techniques needed to do those calculations.
Newton’s theory of gravity and his laws of motion are used today to calculate the movements of the planets and other objects in space, and to navigate our spacecraft as we take our baby steps in space exploration. Everything worked so well in this and other areas of physics that at the end of the nineteenth century, many scientists thought they had it all worked out, and from here on science would be dedicated to filling in the gaps.
Then things came up that demolished that complacency. When scientists considered things that were very big, or moving very fast, or over long lengths of time, their calculations did not work, or raised really odd questions. At the other end of the size range, there were big problems with the physics of the very small, in the realm of atoms and the particles making them. The problems for the big and fast things were addressed by Albert Einstein and others in the new science of relativity. At the small end, a science known as quantum physics appeared, which, as it developed, showed itself effective in explaining that weird, Alice-in-Wonderland world.
Today, as we attempt to put together a coherent picture of the universe we live in, the problem of having to use different sets of rules is getting more and more serious.
Consider a star like the sun. It formed from a collapsing cloud of gas, pulled together under its own gravity (Newton). It produces energy by nuclear fusion (quantum), by the annihilation of mass (Einstein, E = mc2). This energy production tries to blow the star apart, but it is held together by its gravity (Newton). If the sun were big enough, which it isn’t, it would end its life by collapsing to form a black hole (Einstein.) This is just a consideration of one star, not the universe as a whole. We have a lot to learn.
—————
Just before dawn, look for Mercury deep in the dawn glow. Mars shines a bit higher in the sky, and Saturn higher and further to the west. The Moon will reach First Quarter on 15th May.