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| Standard theory of particle physics |
We have now two great physical theories:
·
On
one side, quantum mechanics, which applies
primarily to very small objects (those scarcely affected by gravity), and is
the basic tool for the standard theory of particle physics.
·
On
the other, general relativity, which
applies to very large objects (from the planets to the whole universe, those
for which almost nothing matters except gravity), and is the main tool for the
standard cosmological (Big Bang) theory.
Unfortunately, the two theories are not
mutually compatible, so that physics is far from having resolved its outstanding
issues. Moreover, these two theories depend on about forty independent
variables. Many physicists think that they are too many. If it were true, it
would mean that the configuration space of nature has about forty dimensions.
If it is difficult to imagine a four-dimensional space, what about forty!
