The Trouble with Physics: The Rise of String Theory, the Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next.THE TROUBLE WITH PHYSICS: The Rise of String Theory, the Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next LEE SMOLIN Lee Smolin (born 1955 in New York City) is an American theoretical physicist, a researcher at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, and an adjunct professor of physics at the University of Waterloo. In their quest to understand nature at its deepest level, many scientists have been led astray, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Smolin. The seductive quest to unify quantum theory quantum theory, modern physical theory concerned with the emission and absorption of energy by matter and with the motion of material particles; the quantum theory and the theory of relativity together form the theoretical basis of modern physics. and general relativity general relativity n. The geometric theory of gravitation developed by Albert Einstein, incorporating and extending the theory of special relativity to accelerated frames of reference and introducing the principle that gravitational and inertial forces has led to a flurry of work for the past 25 years on an idea known as string theory. Proponents claim that it unifies all particles and all forces of nature. The problem with this, Smolin explains, is that string theory is not really a theory in the scientific sense of the word; it is unsupported by experiment, unfalsifiable, and unconfirmable. In this detailed explanation of a controversial subject, Smolin, a physicist and founder of the Perimeter Institute, explains how string theory rose to such eminence despite its major flaws, in doing so, he reviews the greatest challenge facing theoretical physics today: the search for a unified-field theory. He outlines the history of string theory, reviewing how it evolved from an idea supported by only a handful of physicists to a theory that revolutionized the physics world. Smolin offers a list of alternative theories beyond string theory and suggestions for avoiding the "groupthink group·think n. The act or practice of reasoning or decision-making by a group, especially when characterized by uncritical acceptance or conformity to prevailing points of view. Noun 1. " that he says has hijacked theoretical physics. Houghton Mifflin, 2006, 392 p., hardcover, $26.00. |
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