A New Map of All the Particles and Forces | Quanta Magazine
WEBOct 22, 2020 · We’ve created a new way to explore the fundamental constituents of the universe. Ashley Mackenzie for Quanta Magazine. [Editor’s note: The full, interactive map is available below.] All of nature springs from a handful of components — the fundamental particles — that interact with one another in only a few different ways.
The Mystery at the Heart of Physics That Only Math Can Solve
WEBJun 10, 2021 · The accelerating effort to understand the mathematics of quantum field theory will have profound consequences for both math and physics. Olena Shmahalo/Quanta Magazine. Over the past century, quantum field theory has proved to be the single most sweeping and successful physical theory ever invented. It is an umbrella term that encompasses many ...
How Earth’s Climate Changes Naturally (and Why Things Are …
WEBJul 21, 2020 · Earth’s climate has fluctuated through deep time, pushed by these 10 different causes. Here’s how each compares with modern climate change. Orbital wobbles, plate tectonics, evolutionary changes and other factors have sent the planet in and out of ice ages. Pablo A. Cumillaf. Earth has been a snowball and a …
Does Hot Water Freeze Faster Than Cold? Physicists Keep Asking ...
WEBJun 29, 2022 · Or perhaps external factors come into play: A layer of frost in a freezer can act as an insulator, keeping heat from leaking out of a cold cup, whereas a hot cup will melt the frost and cool faster. Those explanations all assume that the effect is real — that hot water really does freeze faster than cold. But not everyone is convinced.
A Mathematician’s Guided Tour Through High Dimensions
WEBSep 13, 2021 · The formal study of higher dimensions emerged in the 19th century and became quite sophisticated within decades: A 1911 bibliography contained 1,832 references to the geometry of n dimensions. Perhaps as a consequence, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the public became infatuated with the fourth dimension.
The Unpredictable Abilities Emerging From Large AI Models
WEBMar 16, 2023 · That prompt was one of 204 tasks chosen last year to test the ability of various large language models (LLMs) — the computational engines behind AI chatbots such as ChatGPT. The simplest LLMs produced surreal responses. “The movie is a movie about a man who is a man who is a man,” one began. Medium-complexity models came closer, guessing ...
What Is a Particle? - Quanta Magazine
WEBNov 12, 2020 · A Particle Is a ‘Collapsed Wave Function’ 1. The quest to understand nature’s fundamental building blocks began with the ancient Greek philosopher Democritus’s assertion that such things exist. Two millennia later, Isaac Newton and Christiaan Huygens debated whether light is made of particles or waves.
The Biggest Discoveries in Physics in 2023 | Quanta Magazine
WEBDec 21, 2023 · Video: In 2023, physicists found the gravitational wave background that’s made by supermassive black hole collisions, teleported quantum energy in the lab, and puzzled over JWST’s potentially cosmology-breaking discoveries. Emily Buder/ Quanta Magazine; Myriam Wares and Ibrahim Rayintakath …
What Is the Geometry of the Universe? - Quanta Magazine
WEBMar 16, 2020 · Flat Geometry. This is the geometry we learned in school. The angles of a triangle add up to 180 degrees, and the area of a circle is π r2. The simplest example of a flat three-dimensional shape is ordinary infinite space — what mathematicians call Euclidean space — but there are other flat shapes to consider too.
Why Are Plants Green? To Reduce the Noise in Photosynthesis.
WEBJul 30, 2020 · Plants ignore the most energy-rich part of sunlight because stability matters more than efficiency, according to a new model of photosynthesis. Land plants are green because their photosynthetic pigments reflect green light, even though those wavelengths hold the most energy. Scientists finally understand why. …