Best theory & physics Quotes | Short & Famous Sayings

“A lot of my theories were not applicable as a closer”

“I make figurative portraits as a way to explore theories of quantum physics.”

Way Theory Physics Quantum Portraits Quantum Physics

“We could tell them [alien civilization] things that we have discovered in the realm of mathematical physics, but there is stuff that I would like to know. There are some famous problems like how to bring gravitation and quantum physics together, the long-sought-after theory of quantum gravity. But it may be hard to understand the answer that comes back.”

Knows May Long Hard Problem Together Stuff Answers Theory Civilization Physics Aliens Mathematical Realms Gravity Quantum Quantum Physics Gravitation

Author:Paul Davies

“Therefore psychologically we must keep all the theories in our heads, and every theoretical physicist who is any good knows six or seven different theoretical representations for exactly the same physics.”

Knows Different Theory Six Seven Physics Representation Physicist Theoretical

Book:The Quotable Feynman

Source: The Quotable Feynman

“My main professional interest during the 1970s has been in the dramatic change of concepts and ideas that has occurred in physics during the first three decades of the century, and that is still being elaborated in our current theories of matter. The new concepts in physics have brought about a profound change in our world view; from the mechanistic conception of Descartes and Newton to a holistic and ecological view, a view which I have found to be similar to the views of mystics of all ages and traditions.”

“Following Korzybski, I put things in probabilities, not absolutes... My only originality lies in applying this zetetic attitude outside the hardest of the hard sciences, physics, to softer sciences and then to non-sciences like politics, ideology, jury verdicts and, of course, conspiracy theory.”

Hard Lying Courses Attitude Theory Absolutes Following Physics Hardest Ideology Conspiracy Originality Probability Jury Conspiracy Theory Verdict Science Physics

Author:Robert Anton Wilson

“I regard physics as that subset of magic that works fairly reliably. I regard magick, in the traditional sense, as a kind of physics that we strive to understand and render more reliable. So it all comes down to the same thing, a quest to understand and manipulate the world with a self-consistent and coherent theory .”

World Kind Self Magic Theory Regard Strive Physics Traditional Consistent Quests Manipulate

Author:Peter J. Carroll

“In thermodynamics as well as in other branches of molecular physics , the laws of phenomena have to a certain extent been anticipated, and their investigation facilitated, by the aid of hypotheses as to occult molecular structures and motions with which such phenomena are assumed to be connected. The hypothesis which has answered that purpose in the case of thermodynamics, is called that of "molecular vortices," or otherwise, the "centrifugal theory of elasticity.”

Wells Law Purpose Certain Cases Theory Structure Connected Aids Physics Branches Phenomenon Investigation Hypothesis Occult Thermodynamics Elasticity

Book:A Manual of the Steam Engine and Other Prime Movers by William John Macquorn Rankine

Source: A Manual of the Steam Engine and Other Prime Movers by William John Macquorn Rankine

“Quantum physics is no longer an abstract theory for specialists. We must now absolutely include it in our education and also in our culture.”

Culture Theory Physics Abstract Quantum Quantum Physics Specialists

Author:Claude Cohen-Tannoudji

“Now these two questions Does there exist a material reality distinct from sensible appearances? and What is the nature of reality? do not have their source in experimental method, which is acquainted only with sensible appearances and can discover nothing beyond them. The resolution of these questions transcends the methods used by physics; it is the object of metaphysics. Therefore, if the aim of physical theories is to explain experimental laws, theoretical physics is not an autonomous science; it is subordinate to metaphysics.”

Ifs Doe Two Reality Law Used Objects Materials Theory Source Aim Method Appearance Physics Resolution Sensible Metaphysics Theoretical Subordinates Autonomous Theoretical Physics

Author:Pierre Duhem

“As you know, a theory in physics is not useful unless it is able to predict underlined effects which we would otherwise expect.”

Knows Able Atheism Effects Theory Positive Atheism Physics

Book:Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track: The Letters of Richard P. Feynman

Source: Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track: The Letters of Richard P. Feynman

“Think of all the nonsense you had to learn in psychology courses. None of which was testable. None of which was measurable. We had behaviorism, Freudian psychology, all of these theories that you learn in psychology. Totally untestable. Now, we can test it, because physics allows us to calculate energy flows in the brain.”

Thinking Courses Energy Brain Psychology Theory Flow Tests Physics Nonsense Behaviorism Energy Flow

Author:Michio Kaku

“the truth and value of a theory does not depend on the number of people who are interested in it - otherwise you might compare the number of people who follow the predictions of astrologers in the daily press with those who attend lectures by Einstein, and conclude that astrology was more valuable and true than physics.”

People Doe Might Values Numbers Theory Depends Presses Valuable Physics Compare Popularity Predictions Astrology Lectures

Author:Dorothy L. Sayers

“Scientific realism in classical (i.e. pre-quantum) physics has remained compatible with the naive realism of everyday thinking on the whole; whereas it has proven impossible to find any consistent way to visualize the world underlying quantum theory in terms of our pictures in the everyday world. The general conclusion is that in quantum theory naive realism, although necessary at the level of observations, fails at the microscopic level.”

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Author:Ravi Gomatam

“The emphasis on mathematical methods seems to be shifted more towards combinatorics and set theory - and away from the algorithm of differential equations which dominates mathematical physics.”

Seems Theory Mathematics Method Physics Mathematical Emphasis Equations Algorithms Differential Equations

Book:The Neumann Compendium

Source: The Neumann Compendium

“No one must think that Newton’s great creation can be overthrown in any real sense by this [Theory of Relativity] or by any other theory. His clear and wide ideas will for ever retain their significance as the foundation on which our modern conceptions of physics have been built.”

Thinking Has Beens Ideas Real Clear Modern Creation Theory Built Foundation Wide Physics Significance Conception Newton Relativity Theories Of Relativity

Author:Albert Einstein

“The powerful notion of entropy, which comes from a very special branch of physics … is certainly useful in the study of communication and quite helpful when applied in the theory of language.”

Language Powerful Study Special Theory Communication Notion Physics Branches Helpful Entropy

Author:J. Robert Oppenheimer

“Our acceptance of an ontology is, I think, similar in principle to our acceptance of a scientific theory, say a system of physics;we adopt, at least insofar as we are reasonable, the simplest conceptual scheme into which the disordered fragments of raw experience can be fitted and arranged.”

Thinking Principles Acceptance Theory Physics Reasonable Schemes Simplest Fragments Ontology Scientific Theory

Book:Quintessence: Basic Readings from the Philosophy of W.V. Quine

Source: Quintessence: Basic Readings from the Philosophy of W.V. Quine

“The paradigm of physics - with its interplay of data, theory and prediction - is the most powerful in science.”

Powerful Theory Physics Data Most Powerful Predictions Paradigm

Author:Geoffrey West

“It is natural that a man should consider the work of his hands or his brain to be useful and important. Therefore nobody will object to an ardent experimentalist boasting of his measurements and rather looking down on the 'paper and ink' physics of his theoretical friend, who on his part is proud of his lofty ideas and despises the dirty fingers of the other. Experiment and Theory in Physics”

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Author:Max Born

“The problem of physics is how the actual phenomena, as observed with the help of our sense organs aided by instruments, can be reduced to simple notions which are suited for precise measurement and used of the formulation of quantitative laws. Experiment and Theory in Physics”

Helping Problem Law Used Simple Theory Instruments Notion Physics Experiments Organs Precise Measurement

Author:Max Born

“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

“So far Unitarian realism claiming to possess positive knowledge about Ultimate Reality has succeeded only by excluding large areas of phenomena or by declaring, without proof, that they could be reduced to basic theory, which, in this connection, means elementary particle physics.”

Mean Reality Theory Areas Connections Ultimate Proof Physics Realism Particles Declaring Ultimate Reality Unitarian Particle Physics

Book:Conquest of Abundance: A Tale of Abstraction Versus the Richness of Being

Source: Conquest of Abundance: A Tale of Abstraction Versus the Richness of Being

“The test of science is not whether you are reasonable—there would not be much of physics if that was the case—the test is whether it works. And the great point about Newton’s theory of gravitation was that it worked, that you could actually say something about the motion of the moon without knowing very much about the constitution of the Earth.”

Ifs Earth Cases Knowing Theory Moon Tests Constitution Physics Reasonable Newton Gravitation

Author:Hermann Bondi

“I read a lot of science books - I love cosmology, quantum theory, particle physics. So my idea of a great read would probably put you directly into a coma.”

Book Ideas Theory Physics Quantum Particles Cosmology Quantum Theory Coma Science Books Particle Physics

Author:Augusten Burroughs

Source: Einstein: His Life and Universe

“Science fiction - and the correct shortcut is 'sf' - uses actual scientific facts or theories for the source ideas or framework of the story. It has some scientific content, however speculative. If it breaks a law of physics, it knows it's doing so and follows up the consequences. If it invents a society of aliens, it does so with some respect for and knowledge of the social sciences and what you might call social probabilities. And some of it is literarily self-aware enough to treat its metaphors as metaphors.”

“The theory that the biosphere was created without evolution, a few thousand years ago, is ruled out by overwhelming scientific evidence. To claim that there are 'alternative (always better) Biblical explanations of the same data', which make creationism a reasonable alternative to our best theories of biology and physics, is appalling intellectual dishonesty.”

“I have concluded that most PhD economists under appraise the power of the common-stock-based "wealth effect," under current extreme conditions... "Wealth effects" involve mathematical puzzles that are not nearly so well worked out as physics theories and never can be... What has happened in Japan over roughly the last ten years has shaken up academic economics, as it obviously should, creating strong worries about recession from "wealth effects" in reverse.”

“It is unnecessary to understand electromagnetic theory before wiring a lamp or to study physics in order to repair a pump. We count on our fingers and give no heed to the proliferating implications of the act.”

Giving Order Study Theory Fingers Physics Unnecessary Lamps Implications Heed Pumps Wiring

Author:James R Newman

“Earlier in this century, the Heisenberg Principle established that the very act of observing a natural phenomenon can change what is being observed. Although the initial theory was limited in practice to special cases in subatomic physics, the philosophical implications were and are staggering.”

Natural Principles Practice Cases Special Century Theory Philosophical Physics Phenomenon Initials Observing Implications Staggering Natural Phenomena

Author:Al Gore

“This is often the way it is in physics - our mistake is not that we take our theories too seriously, but that we do not take them seriously enough. It is always hard to realize that these numbers and equations we play with at our desks have something to do with the real world. Even worse, there often seems to be a general agreement that certain phenomena are just not fit subjects for respectable theoretical and experimental effort.”

World Way Real Hard Enough Play Seems Certain Realizing Numbers Effort Mistake Subjects Theory Fit Physics Agreement Real World Desks Equations Theoretical Respectable

Author:Steven Weinberg

“I think it laughable, frankly, that the physics community comes up with a theory for everything. There isn't one theory for everything. There is not one explanation. We may eventually have several theories that can tie things together nicely but there is not a single theory of everything.”

Thinking May Together Community Theory Come Up Physics Explanation Ties Laughable

Author:Edgar Mitchell

“It is often stated that of all the theories proposed in this century, the silliest is quantum theory. In fact, some say that the only thing that quantum theory has going for it is that it is unquestionably correct.”

Facts Science Century Theory Physics Quantum Quantum Physics Quantum Theory Astrophysics Going For It

Author:Michio Kaku

“Evolutionary theory tends to explain quite well in retrospect how various species emerged. It's not very good on prediction. Nevertheless, one cannot say that there isn't a lot of knowledge that's been obtained in this field. In the same way, with these complex physical phenomena between solid state physics, you can say a lot of things without necessarily knowing the next step.”

Way Wells States Next Steps Knowing Fields Theory Species Complexes Very Good Various Physics Nevertheless Predictions Next Steps Retrospect

Author:Kenneth Arrow

“Like most young physicists, when I was a kid enraptured with physics, I thought, "Everything can be explained by the theory of the atom!" But as I've gotten older, and I look at the world, I think there's a lot of ways in which that kind of building up from the smallest building blocks doesn't actually account for the world. As I've gotten older, I've also become sensitive to the ways - to all that is not amenable to explanation. Things that, even if you had an explanation, what good would it be?”

Ifs Thinking World Way Looks Kind Kids Young Building Theory Accounts Physics Block Sensitive Explanation Atoms Smallest Physicist Building Up Building Blocks Amenable

Author:Adam Frank

“If you look at the last 150 years, about every 30 years or so, a new scientific discipline emerges that starts spinning out technologies and capturing people's imaginations. Go back to 1900: That industry was chemistry. People had chemistry sets. In the 1930s, it was the rise of physics and physicists. They build on each other. Chemists laid the experimental understanding for the physicists to build their theories. It was three physicists who invented the transistor in 1947. That started the information revolution. Today, kids get computers.”

“Today's preoccupation with physical theories of everything takes a wrong turn from the purpose of science - to question all things relentlessly. Modern physics has become like Swift's kingdom of Laputa, flying absurdly on an island above the earth and indifferent to what is beneath.”

Today Earth Purpose Turns Modern Theory All Things Physics Flying Kingdoms Islands Indifferent Preoccupation Wrong Turn Modern Physics

Author:Robert Lanza

“I'm very moved by chaos theory, and that sense of energy. That quantum physics. We don't really, in Hindu tradition, have a father figure of a God. It's about cosmic energy, a little spark of which is inside every individual as the soul.”

Littles Soul Father Individual Energy Figures Theory Tradition Moved Chaos Physics Sparks Cosmic Quantum Quantum Physics Father Figure Chaos Theory Cosmic Energy

Author:Bharati Mukherjee

“Ultimately, my Ph.D. is in mathematical physics, focusing on quantum field theory and curved space-time, and I worked with Stephen Hawking.”

Space Fields Theory Physics Mathematical Quantum Space Time

Author:Nathan Myhrvold

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