Pertains to any question concerning the ideas that are formulated, whether mathematically or not, to explain or describe physical phenomena.
4
votes
2answers
870 views
Do the laws of physics evolve?
Hubble's constant $a(t)$ appears to be changing over time. The fine stucture constant $\alpha$, like many others in QFT, is a running constant that varies, proportional to energy being used to measure ...
22
votes
4answers
991 views
What is information?
We're all familiar with basic tenants such as "information cannot be transmitted faster than light" and ideas such as information conservation in scenarios like Hawking radiation (and in general, ...
4
votes
2answers
868 views
What does a Field Theory mean?
What exactly is a field theory?
How do we classify theories as field theories and non field theories?
EDIT:
After reading the answers I am under the impression that almost every theory is a ...
11
votes
5answers
6k views
How exactly does time slow down near a black hole?
How exactly does time slow down near a black hole? I have heard this as a possible way of time traveling, and I do understand that it is due in some way to the massive gravity around a black hole, but ...
6
votes
4answers
357 views
Matter-Antimatter Asymmetry in Experiments?
As I hope is obvious to everyone reading this, the universe contains more matter than antimatter, presumably because of some slight asymmetry in the amounts of the two generated during the Big Bang. ...
2
votes
4answers
335 views
Laws of Atomic Theory - how is this possible?
Not sure if this is the right place to post, but how is it possible to have laws of a theory?
A theory is not able to be a law, since it's just an explanation that can always be disproven. So how is ...
15
votes
2answers
6k views
Lev Landau's “Theoretical Minimum”
The great russian physicist Lev Landau developed a famous entry exam to test his students. This "Theoretical Minimum" contained everything he considered elementary for a young theoretical physicist. ...
10
votes
2answers
532 views
Is the G2 Lie algebra useful for anything?
Seems like all the simpler Lie algebras have a use in one or another branch of theoretical physics. Even the exceptional E8 comes up in string theory. But G2? I've always wondered about that one. ...
15
votes
7answers
1k views
What Do We Get From Having Higher Generations of Particles?
Background: I have written a pop-science book explaining quantum mechanics through imaginary conversations with my dog-- the dog serves as a sort of reader surrogate, popping in occasionally to ask ...
2
votes
1answer
473 views
Is anti-gravity possible in theoretical physics?
Is anti-gravity possible in string theory?
I have read some articles about scientists making assumptions about the existence of anti-gravity, but is it possible in string theory?
12
votes
9answers
171 views
In astronomy what phenomena have theory predicted before observations?
As far as I know, astronomy is generally an observational science. We see something and then try to explain why it is happening. The one exception that I know of is black holes: first it was thought ...
6
votes
1answer
453 views
Alternative theories to the big bang?
Hey all, are there any theories out there on the origins (or infinite existence of) the universe beside the big bang that actually adhere to current scientific knowledge and fact?
3
votes
1answer
201 views
How is the apparent significance of (length) scales in physics explained?
From what I understand, especially from reading arguments on Physics.SE, different (length) scales of a system are extremely important. It's clear that if there are two scales $\delta,d,D,\Delta$ with ...
1
vote
1answer
131 views
Does the positive mass conjecture indicate a necessity of interactions in our universe?
The positive mass conjecture was proved by Schoen and Yau and later reproved by Witten. Total mass in a gravitating system must be positive except in the case of flat minkowski space, where energy is ...
10
votes
3answers
483 views
Can physics get rid of the continuum?
Almost every physical equation I can think of (even though I don't actually feel comfortable beyond the scope of classical mechanics and macroscopic thermodynamics, as that's enough for dealing with ...
6
votes
1answer
144 views
What is the origin of flavor? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Origin of lepton/quark generations?
In the standard model (and in nature), Fermions appear in different generations, or flavors. Besides up and down quarks and ...
4
votes
4answers
410 views
what is the difference between a blackhole and a point particle
Theoretically, What is the difference between a black hole and a point particle of certain nonzero mass. Of-course the former exists while its not clear whether the later exists or not,
but both have ...
3
votes
2answers
201 views
Has anyone else thought about gravity in this way?
Picture yourself standing on a ball that is expanding at such a rate that it makes you stick to the ball.
Everything in the universe is expanding at this same rate.
To escape the earths gravitational ...
1
vote
1answer
159 views
Are there any theories or suggestions for how the multiverse came into existence?
I've just seen a documentary about the multiverse. This provides an explanation for where the big bang came from. But it leaves me wondering: how did the multiverse come into existence?
Because this ...
-3
votes
2answers
243 views
why is dark matter the best theory available to explain missing mass problems?
Why is dark matter the best theory to explain the missing mass problem?
Why is dark matter mathematically necessary to explain the missing mass problem?
On a side not I believe dark matter is ...
