But the beauty of Einstein's equations, for example, is just as real to anyone who's experienced it as the beauty of music. We've learned in the 20th century that the equations that work have inner harmony.
Edward WittenRead
Quantum mechanics brought an unexpected fuzziness into physics because of quantum uncertainty, the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. String theory does so again because a point particle is replaced by a string, which is more spread out.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote discusses how quantum mechanics and string theory introduce uncertainty and spread in the understanding of physics.
Edward Witten describes how both quantum mechanics and string theory challenge traditional concepts in physics by introducing elements of uncertainty and a shift from point-like particles to more diffuse entities like strings. This represents a significant evolution in the field, suggesting that our understanding of the fundamental nature of reality may inherently involve ambiguity and complexity.
Themes
Quantum MechanicsString TheoryUncertaintyPhysicsTheory
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture on modern physics, you could use this quote to illustrate the evolving nature of scientific theories.
More from Edward Witten
All quotes →I wouldn't have thought that a wrong theory should lead us to understand better the ordinary quantum field theories or to have new insights about the quantum states of black holes.
Edward WittenRead
You have that one basic string, but it can vibrate in many ways. But we're trying to get a lot of particles because experimental physicists have discovered a lot of particles.
Edward WittenRead
Regardless of any deviations, it was clear I was supposed to end up in math and physics.
Edward WittenRead
Even before string theory, especially as physics developed in the 20th century, it turned out that the equations that really work in describing nature with the most generality and the greatest simplicity are very elegant and subtle.
Edward WittenRead
It's an exaggeration to say that I came up with M-theory.
Edward WittenRead
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