Theory of Everything

Catalog description

Can all physical aspects of nature be described by one coherent and all-encompassing set of physical laws? This course provides a global viewpoint on some of the most theoretical foundations of science, which take place within and across theoretical physics and mathematics. The course will survey the theories that describe the universe from smallest scale (particles) to the largest scale (cosmology) and emphasize general guiding principles which include symmetry and consistency. "Everything" is about the concept of the (sought after) theory of everything or grand unification of all the natural forces of nature: Gravity (e.g. falling objects, planets), weak nuclear force (e.g. radiation), strong nuclear force (e.g. nuclei of atoms), and electromagnetism. Einstein spent the last 30 years of his life on a quest to unify the forces of nature (known at the time). While his attempts were not successful, his pursuit was certainly worthwhile and the mantle is being carried today by researchers from modern perspectives. The course will survey these fascinating topics and pursue a conceptual approach that is accessible to students.