If you have somebody who's brilliant and highly creative with a different point of view than you have, and a very different intellectual background, great things can happen.
Kip ThorneRead
We have to have a combination of general relativity that describes the warping of space and time, and quantum physics, which describes the uncertainties in that warping and how they change.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the need to combine general relativity and quantum physics to fully understand the universe's complexities.
Kip Thorne's quote highlights the importance of integrating two fundamental theories of physics: general relativity, which explains the gravitational effects of mass on the fabric of space and time, and quantum physics, which deals with the behaviors and interactions of particles at the microscopic level. By acknowledging the interplay between these two theories, we can better understand the universe's complexities and the inherent uncertainties that come with it.
Themes
General RelativityQuantum PhysicsSpaceTimeUncertaintiesTheory
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture on modern physics, one could use this quote to express the need for an integrated approach in understanding the universe.
More from Kip Thorne
All quotes →I think that the future of the human race is to spread through the universe, and now is the time that we should be laying the foundations for that.
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Whether you can go back in time is held in the grip of the law of quantum gravity.
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'Closed timelike curve' is the jargon for time travel. It means you go out, come back and meet yourself in the past.
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If you think that the distance from the Earth to the nearest planet where we could live comfortably... is being, like, from New York to Australia... what we've achieved so far, in going to the moon, that's about two-and-a-half inches. So that's the challenge.
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A big misconception is that a black hole is made of matter that has just been compacted to a very small size. That's not true. A black hole is made from warped space and time.
Kip ThorneRead
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