Unified Theories of Physics by Peter Woit
Their illustrious past, peculiar present, and uncertain future
The Institute of Physics and Oxford University are pleased to be hosting Peter Woit, Senior Lecturer in the Mathematics department at Columbia University. His 2006 book Not Even Wrong caused some controversy for its criticism of String Theory: the dominant approach in the physics community for unifying all the laws of physics in a single framework.
The history of physics before 1973 shows striking progress towards a unified theory. This culminated in what is now known as "The Standard Model", the equations for which can be written on a coffee cup. Since then, the subject has been a victim of its own success, entering into an unusual state with no historical parallel.
In this talk I'll try and explain some of this history, examine what has happened since 1973, and point to possible ways forward, all from a perspective informed by spending much of my career among mathematicians rather than physicists.
This will be an "in-person" talk, and we are unable to provide a live stream. Tea and coffee will be served from 18:45, with the talk starting at 19:00.
Their illustrious past, peculiar present, and uncertain future
The Institute of Physics and Oxford University are pleased to be hosting Peter Woit, Senior Lecturer in the Mathematics department at Columbia University. His 2006 book Not Even Wrong caused some controversy for its criticism of String Theory: the dominant approach in the physics community for unifying all the laws of physics in a single framework.
The history of physics before 1973 shows striking progress towards a unified theory. This culminated in what is now known as "The Standard Model", the equations for which can be written on a coffee cup. Since then, the subject has been a victim of its own success, entering into an unusual state with no historical parallel.
In this talk I'll try and explain some of this history, examine what has happened since 1973, and point to possible ways forward, all from a perspective informed by spending much of my career among mathematicians rather than physicists.
This will be an "in-person" talk, and we are unable to provide a live stream. Tea and coffee will be served from 18:45, with the talk starting at 19:00.