52
R. Barrett and P. P. Delsanto
“If nature were not beautiful, it would not be worth knowing, and life would not
be worth living.” – Henri Poincaré;
“I have deep faith that the principles of the Universe will be beautiful and
simple.” – Albert Einstein;
“A theory with mathematical beauty is more likely to be correct than an ugly
one that fits some experimental data.”– Paul Dirac;
“My work always tried to unite the true with the beautiful; but when I had to
choose one or the other, I usually chose the beautiful .” – Hermann Weyl.
As we shall see in Part 2 of this book, the pursuit of beauty in physics has
led to some spectacular successes. Dirac predicted the existence of a hitherto
undiscovered particle, the positron, 5 just from the symmetry of his equations.
Symmetries in the Standard Model of Fundamental Particles (which we shall
discuss in Chap. 9), led to predictions of the existence of two new particles, 6
that were subsequently discovered.
As we have seen in the case of Ptolemy’s planetary orbits, being beautiful
does not necessarily mean that a theory is correct. Over the years since Kepler,
astronomers have by necessity come to appreciate the appeal of ellipses, which
once were regarded as not perfect enough to be part of the divine plan. Astronomical observations forced the theorists, in the eighteenth century, to give
up their prejudices.
In the fields of Cosmology and Fundamental Particle Physics today, observations and experiments that can seriously test modern theories are difficult
and very expensive. As a consequence, there is a lack of observational data
to direct today’s physicists away from the theories that they consider beautiful. Without the impetus given by observation and experiment, tomorrow’s
physicists may not be encouraged to overcome current prejudices and develop
their own concepts of beauty. Progress in these fields may then slow. We shall
discuss this issue further in Part 3 of the book.
3.6 A Monk with a Good Razor
The belief in the inherent simplicity of nature, if only we are smart enough
to discover a few underlying physical laws, has been the driver behind physics
for centuries. A genius in the world of art can capture much of the human
condition with just a few lines drawn on a piece of paper, and we see an
example of this in Jan Cornelisz Sylvius, the Preacher by Rembrandt, displayed
5 A particle similar to the electron, but with positive charge. We will meet these in Chap. 8.
6 The Omega Minus and the Higgs Boson.
R. Barrett and P. P. Delsanto
“If nature were not beautiful, it would not be worth knowing, and life would not
be worth living.” – Henri Poincaré;
“I have deep faith that the principles of the Universe will be beautiful and
simple.” – Albert Einstein;
“A theory with mathematical beauty is more likely to be correct than an ugly
one that fits some experimental data.”– Paul Dirac;
“My work always tried to unite the true with the beautiful; but when I had to
choose one or the other, I usually chose the beautiful .” – Hermann Weyl.
As we shall see in Part 2 of this book, the pursuit of beauty in physics has
led to some spectacular successes. Dirac predicted the existence of a hitherto
undiscovered particle, the positron, 5 just from the symmetry of his equations.
Symmetries in the Standard Model of Fundamental Particles (which we shall
discuss in Chap. 9), led to predictions of the existence of two new particles, 6
that were subsequently discovered.
As we have seen in the case of Ptolemy’s planetary orbits, being beautiful
does not necessarily mean that a theory is correct. Over the years since Kepler,
astronomers have by necessity come to appreciate the appeal of ellipses, which
once were regarded as not perfect enough to be part of the divine plan. Astronomical observations forced the theorists, in the eighteenth century, to give
up their prejudices.
In the fields of Cosmology and Fundamental Particle Physics today, observations and experiments that can seriously test modern theories are difficult
and very expensive. As a consequence, there is a lack of observational data
to direct today’s physicists away from the theories that they consider beautiful. Without the impetus given by observation and experiment, tomorrow’s
physicists may not be encouraged to overcome current prejudices and develop
their own concepts of beauty. Progress in these fields may then slow. We shall
discuss this issue further in Part 3 of the book.
3.6 A Monk with a Good Razor
The belief in the inherent simplicity of nature, if only we are smart enough
to discover a few underlying physical laws, has been the driver behind physics
for centuries. A genius in the world of art can capture much of the human
condition with just a few lines drawn on a piece of paper, and we see an
example of this in Jan Cornelisz Sylvius, the Preacher by Rembrandt, displayed
5 A particle similar to the electron, but with positive charge. We will meet these in Chap. 8.
6 The Omega Minus and the Higgs Boson.