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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.

Edward Witten

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Edward Witten
Age: 73
Born: 1951
Born: January 1
Mathematician
Physicist
Researcher
Theoretical Physicist
University Teacher
Baltimore
Maryland
Ed Witten
History
Einstein
Change
Speculation
Might
Quantum
Long
Classical
Unlike
Gravity
Theory
Topology
Possible
Scientism

More quotes by Edward Witten

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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.
Edward Witten
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Im actually, for the most part, a complete agnostic politically.
Edward Witten
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We know a lot of things, but what we don't know is a lot more.
Edward Witten
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You enter a completely new world where things aren't at all what you're used to.
Edward Witten
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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.
Edward Witten
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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.
Edward Witten
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String theory is 21 st century physics that fell accidentally into the 20th century.
Edward Witten
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M stands for Magic, Mystery, or Matrixaccording to taste
Edward Witten
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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.
Edward Witten
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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.
Edward Witten
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1/r^2 has a nasty singularity at r=0, but it did not bother Newton-the Moon is far enough.
Edward Witten
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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.
Edward Witten
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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.
Edward Witten
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There is a difference between knowing what is true and knowing why it is true
Edward Witten
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One of the basic things about a string is that it can vibrate in many different shapes or forms, which gives music its beauty.
Edward Witten