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Edward Witten

Edward Witten Quotes

Physicist

Edward Witten is a renowned theoretical physicist known for his groundbreaking work in string theory and quantum field theory. In 1984, he proposed the Witten duality, which has had a profound impact on our understanding of the fundamental structure of the universe.

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Famous Edward Witten Quotes

“Away from the safety of your home, the universe was not made for your convenience.”

Universe Space Physics Astronomy

Author:Edward Witten

“We have one real candidate for changing the rules; this is string theory. In string theory the one-dimensional trajectory of a particle in spacetime is replaced by a two-dimensional orbit of a string. Such strings can be of any size, but under ordinary circumstances they are quite tiny, ... a value determined by comparing the predictions of the theory for Newton's constant and the fine structure constant to experimental values.”

Physics String Theory Fine Structure Constant Constants Of Nature

Author:Edward Witten

“The hardest part of research is always to find a question that’s big enough that it’s worth answering, but little enough that you actually can answer it.”

Science Research Physics Researchers Scientific Method

Author:Edward Witten

“I have a tendency, more than most other physicists, to try to figure out everything all at once, before I publish. And even to try to figure out everything in my head, without pencil and paper.”

Trying Figures Paper Tendencies Pencils Physicist Publish

Author:Edward Witten

“Im actually, for the most part, a complete agnostic politically.”

Author:Edward Witten

“I just think too many nice things have happened in string theory for it to be all wrong. Humans do not understand it very well, but I just don't believe there is a big cosmic conspiracy that created this incredible thing that has nothing to do with the real world.”

Thinking World Believe Humans Wells Real Bigs Nice Happened Theory Incredibles Strings Real World Cosmic Conspiracy Nice Things String Theory

Author:Edward Witten

“String theory is 21 st century physics that fell accidentally into the 20th century.”

Century Theory Physics Strings 20th Century String Theory

Author:Edward Witten

“Superstring theories provide a framework in which the force of gravity may be united with the other three forces in nature: the weak, electromagnetic and strong forces. Recent progress has shown that the most promising superstring theories follow from a single theory. For the last generation, physicists have studied five string theories and one close cousin. Recently it has become clear that these five or six theories are different limiting cases of one theory which, though still scarcely understood, is the candidate for superunification of the forces of nature.”

“As for the forces, electromagnetism and gravity we experience in everyday life. But the weak and strong forces are beyond our ordinary experience. So in physics, lots of the basic building blocks take 20th- or perhaps 21st-century equipment to explore.”

Strong Force Century Building Ordinary Weak Experience Everyday Physics Block Gravity Everyday Life 21st Century Equipment Building Blocks Weak And Strong Electromagnetism

Author:Edward Witten

“Even before string theory, especially as physics developed in the 20th century, it turned out that the equations that really work in describing nature with the most generality and the greatest simplicity are very elegant and subtle.”

Nature Century Theory Simplicity Physics Subtle Strings 20th Century Equations Elegant Describing Generalities String Theory

Author:Edward Witten

“One very important aspect of string theory is definitely testable. That was the prediction of supersymmetry, which emerged from string theory in the early '70s.”

Important Theory Aspect Strings Predictions String Theory

Author:Edward Witten

“Quantum mechanics brought an unexpected fuzziness into physics because of quantum uncertainty, the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. String theory does so again because a point particle is replaced by a string, which is more spread out.”

Doe Principles Theory Spread Physics Uncertainty Unexpected Strings Quantum Replaced Mechanic Particles Quantum Mechanics String Theory Uncertainty Principle

Author:Edward Witten

“But the beauty of Einstein's equations, for example, is just as real to anyone who's experienced it as the beauty of music. We've learned in the 20th century that the equations that work have inner harmony.”

Real Beauty Music Century Example Harmony 20th Century Equations

Author:Edward Witten

“You enter a completely new world where things aren't at all what you're used to.”

World Used New World

Author:Edward Witten

“String theory is an attempt at a deeper description of nature by thinking of an elementary particle not as a little point but as a little loop of vibrating string.”

Thinking Littles Nature Theory Deeper Description Strings Particles Loops String Theory

Author:Edward Witten

“We know a lot of things, but what we don't know is a lot more.”

Author:Edward Witten

“I have a much easier time imagining how we would understand the big bang, even though we can't do it yet, than I can imagine understanding consciousness.”

I Can Bigs Understanding Consciousness Imagine Easier Bangs Easier Times

Author:Edward Witten

“M stands for Magic, Mystery, or Matrixaccording to taste”

Magic Mystery Taste

Author:Edward Witten

“As far as extra dimensions are concerned, very tiny extra dimensions wouldn't be perceived in everyday life, just as atoms aren't: we see many atoms together but we don't see atoms individually.”

Together Concerned Everyday Tiny Extras Dimensions Teamwork Atoms Everyday Life

Author:Edward Witten

“So when you ask me how string theory might be tested, I can tell you what's likely to happen at accelerators or some parts of the theory that are likely to be tested.”

I Can Might Happens Asks Theory Ask Me Strings Tested String Theory

Author:Edward Witten

“There was a long history of speculation that in quantum gravity, unlike Einstein's classical theory, it might be possible for the topology of spacetime to change.”

Long Might Change Theory Gravity Quantum Speculation Scientism Spacetime Topology

Author:Edward Witten

“I wouldn't have thought that a wrong theory should lead us to understand better the ordinary quantum field theories or to have new insights about the quantum states of black holes.”

Should States Black Fields Theory Ordinary Insight Holes Quantum Black Hole

Author:Edward Witten

“One of the basic things about a string is that it can vibrate in many different shapes or forms, which gives music its beauty.”

Giving Different Form Beauty Shapes Strings Nonconformity Vibrate Basic Things

Author:Edward Witten

“It's indeed surprising that replacing the elementary particle with a string leads to such a big change in things. I'm tempted to say that it has to do with the fuzziness it introduces.”

Bigs Change Strings Surprising Introducing Tempted Particles Big Changes

Author:Edward Witten

“In Einstein's general relativity the structure of space can change but not its topology. Topology is the property of something that doesn't change when you bend it or stretch it as long as you don't break anything.”

Long Change Space Break Structure Property Things Change Relativity General Relativity Topology

Author:Edward Witten

“If I take the theory as we have it now, literally, I would conclude that extra dimensions really exist. They're part of nature. We don't really know how big they are yet, but we hope to explore that in various ways.”

Ifs Knows Way Bigs Nature Know How Theory Various Extras Dimensions

Author:Edward Witten

“The theory has to be interpreted that extra dimensions beyond the ordinary four dimensions the three spatial dimensions plus time are sufficiently small that they haven't been observed yet.”

Time Three Four Havens Theory Ordinary Extras Dimensions Plus Spatial

Author:Edward Witten

“As of now, string theorists have no explanation of why there are three large dimensions as well as time, and the other dimensions are microscopic. Proposals about that have been all over the map.”

Wells Has Beens Time Three Explanation Dimensions Maps Strings Proposal Theorists

Author:Edward Witten

“1/r^2 has a nasty singularity at r=0, but it did not bother Newton-the Moon is far enough.”

Enough Moon Mathematics Mathematical Bother Nasty Newton Singularity

Author:Edward Witten

“There is a difference between knowing what is true and knowing why it is true”

Differences Knowing

Author:Edward Witten

About the Author

Born: August 26, 1951
Known for: Physicist
Quotes: 30

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