12 Issues for the Future
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the possibilities presented by such a handy source of raw material. You never know, after he’d finished with the Schrödinger
investigations, there might even be a few animals left over to
pursue the occasional diffraction experiment.
∗ ∗ ∗
(Editor’s Note: We are relieved to report that Doppelbelcher’s casual attitude to the ill-treatment of cats is not shared by any of his fellow physicists,
and eventually led to his internment in a Siberian salt mine, with only his
radioactive source, Geiger counter, and cyanide capsule for company. There
he remained for many years, until one morning his cell was opened and
discovered to be empty. Speculation still rages over his mysterious disappearance, with the suspicion that some spooky quantum phenomenon has been
at play.)
12.2 Time to Jazz It Up
We have now reached the final Chapter of our book, and it is therefore appropriate that we round off our journey with a tantalising glimpse for the reader
into some of the areas of physics where new discoveries are being made, and
new ideas put forward, almost on a weekly basis. As is clear from our tonguein-cheek introductory story above, there is often a multiplicity of views in
these largely unsettled fields, for physicists after all are only people, with all
their human frailties.
In his entertaining and informative book, “The Jazz of Physics” [1], cosmologist and jazz musician, Stephon Alexander, explores the connection between
music and physics, a relationship that can be traced back to the Greek mathematician, Pythagoras. He also discusses the importance of beauty in physics,
a concept that we first encountered in Chap. 3.
In the early stages of his career, while a graduate student at Brown University, Alexander asked one of his mentors, Robert Brandenberger, what he
thought was the most important question in cosmology. Our readers will by
now no doubt have some answers of their own to this question, e.g. “what
caused the Big Bang?” or “how do we resolve the conflicts between quantum
mechanics and relativity?” After pondering for some time, Brandenberger
replied: “How did the large scale structure in the universe emerge and evolve? ”
The more one considers this response, the more profound it appears. If, as
is now generally accepted, the universe began with a large cataclysmic explosion, presumably from an incalculable amount of energy with no inherent
237
the possibilities presented by such a handy source of raw material. You never know, after he’d finished with the Schrödinger
investigations, there might even be a few animals left over to
pursue the occasional diffraction experiment.
∗ ∗ ∗
(Editor’s Note: We are relieved to report that Doppelbelcher’s casual attitude to the ill-treatment of cats is not shared by any of his fellow physicists,
and eventually led to his internment in a Siberian salt mine, with only his
radioactive source, Geiger counter, and cyanide capsule for company. There
he remained for many years, until one morning his cell was opened and
discovered to be empty. Speculation still rages over his mysterious disappearance, with the suspicion that some spooky quantum phenomenon has been
at play.)
12.2 Time to Jazz It Up
We have now reached the final Chapter of our book, and it is therefore appropriate that we round off our journey with a tantalising glimpse for the reader
into some of the areas of physics where new discoveries are being made, and
new ideas put forward, almost on a weekly basis. As is clear from our tonguein-cheek introductory story above, there is often a multiplicity of views in
these largely unsettled fields, for physicists after all are only people, with all
their human frailties.
In his entertaining and informative book, “The Jazz of Physics” [1], cosmologist and jazz musician, Stephon Alexander, explores the connection between
music and physics, a relationship that can be traced back to the Greek mathematician, Pythagoras. He also discusses the importance of beauty in physics,
a concept that we first encountered in Chap. 3.
In the early stages of his career, while a graduate student at Brown University, Alexander asked one of his mentors, Robert Brandenberger, what he
thought was the most important question in cosmology. Our readers will by
now no doubt have some answers of their own to this question, e.g. “what
caused the Big Bang?” or “how do we resolve the conflicts between quantum
mechanics and relativity?” After pondering for some time, Brandenberger
replied: “How did the large scale structure in the universe emerge and evolve? ”
The more one considers this response, the more profound it appears. If, as
is now generally accepted, the universe began with a large cataclysmic explosion, presumably from an incalculable amount of energy with no inherent