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Man…FINALLY, one of my contacts posts a question that will allow me to boast my impressive body of knowledge and advanced degrees in Theoretical Nuclear Astrophysics. Unfortunately, you’ve done so during a TV Land “Sandford and Son” marathon, and there’s no way I’m missing the “LaMont Goes Karate” episode.
For now, I’ll email you a pdf copy of my doctoral dissertation, which discusses post-consumption angular momentum evolution of gastric particulate projection. I hope you don’t mind a scan of the copy that’s lining my parrot’s cage right now…
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The theory or relativity was a logical extension of Maxwell’s equations and differential geometry. Looking at the history of the theory, one can see a gradual procession culminating in Einstein’s brilliant papers.
The theory of quantum mechanics is different. Some experiments were showing results that were completely unintuitive to physicists at the time. In response, physicists and mathematicians developed a completely new theory called functional analysis and worked out quantum mechanics using as few assumptions as possible. Unlike relativity, which can be thought of as an extension of an old theory, QM started from scratch. That the mathematics and physics ended up working so well is astounding given the lack of background. That’s why I think QM is the more surprising breakthrough (and bigger is subjective).
The post that says relativity uses new mathematics and quantum mechanics uses old mathematics is completely wrong. Riemannian geometry, tensor calculus, and all those other good things Einstein used from differential geometry were well known for a few decades before he published his theories. Functional analysis on the other hand grew out of the quest to create a mathematical theory to use with quantum mechanics.
I think Quantum Mechanics will prove to be a bigger breakthrough in time. For now, I will say Relativity has been thus far.In as much as more breakthroughs that have impacted history have sprung forth from Relativity thus far.
Source(s): my very limited knowlege on the subject.
I would say General Relativity was bigger to Cosmology, Navigation, and Nuclear power.
I would say Quantum Mechanics has not finished growing up (so its breakthrough is not finished yet), and was bigger to Chemistry, Electronics, and Medicine.
Relativity is the “simpler” of the two, and can be directly linked to classical mechanics, with little difficulty (except the maths – new operators and a lot of the “old” math was found to be too limiting).
QM was virtually a new field, where many of the concepts of classical mechanics seemed to be totally broken. However, the maths was basically the same as before to a very large extent.
So, in terms of ‘bigger breakthrough’, probably QM, although it’s easier to grasp mathematically than relativity, but the concepts are almost counter-intuitive.
It’s too soon to tell.
I’m waiting for a unified field theory:
The Ultimate Physics Smackdown!
There must be something bigger and better
that encompasses and reconciles them both,
and I think maybe, we just might be getting close..
Quantum mechanics – simply because it IS quantum(..ly) calcualated.
May i publicly admit, that i’ve just almost peed in my pans as a result of reading THE NOLTE’s brilliant answer?
(I love you, everyone, and ((((< I >))))…You, with some special, soft, something, even more)..
Source(s): WTH is wrong with the FB pop thing?
That’s like asking a mother who just gave birth to identical twins if she loves one more than the other!
They both have yielded fundamental insights into the workings of the Universe, without which physics would not have been where it is today.
EDIT:
LMAO! w/ (((THE NOLTE))) 😀 ;D
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it’s hard to answer.both of them are amazing!
Source(s): i am learning them
neither!
they’re both flimsy theories