Author Archives: woit

Will Machines Have Good Mathematical Taste?

Posted on October 14, 2022 by woit

A question that has always fascinated me about mathematics is that of how the field manages to stay healthy and not degenerate in the way I’ve seen theoretical physics do as it lost new input from experiment. On Twitter, Ash … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 23 Comments

This Week’s Hype

Posted on October 5, 2022 by woit

The hype campaign marches on, just three very recent examples: Can stringy physics rescue the universe from a catastrophic transformation? Cosmic strings’ greatest power? Their ability to confound physicists. TF1 Snowmass Report: Quantum gravity, string theory, and black holes

Posted in This Week's Hype | 56 Comments

Something about England

Posted on September 27, 2022 by woit

Heading to Oxford today, this evening I’ll give a talk there on Unified Theories of Physics. On Saturday I’ll try to find some way to get to the HTLGI Festival in London despite a national rail strike, where I’ll give … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 29 Comments

Some News, Then More of the Same

Posted on September 11, 2022 by woit

Some News: I’ll be in England later in the month, in Oxford much of the week of the 26th-30th. That week is the week of the 2022 Clay Research Conference and Workshops. The evening of Tuesday the 27th I’ll be … Continue reading →

Posted in Multiverse Mania, Uncategorized | 48 Comments

This and Next Year’s Hype

Posted on September 5, 2022 by woit

I normally try and avoid getting into the vast topic of the hype problem in other subjects than string theory, but a couple things I’ve seen recently make it hard to resist. So, just this once… Quantum Computing Michio Kaku … Continue reading →

Posted in This Week's Hype | 25 Comments

LHC News

Posted on August 24, 2022 by woit

I see today via the LHC Page 1 Vistar that a problem at a cooling tower will cause part of the accelerator to need to be warmed up to room temperature, putting the LHC out of business for the next … Continue reading →

Posted in Experimental HEP News | 2 Comments

Various and Sundry

Posted on August 18, 2022 by woit

A random collection of things that may be of interest: September 17 and 18 I’ll be at the How the Light Gets In Festival in London, participating in discussions of the relation of math and physics, and theories of everything. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 7 Comments

Symmetry and Physics

Posted on August 6, 2022 by woit

It’s getting late, but I can’t help myself. Reading too many wrong things about symmetry and physics on Twitter has forced me to do this. And, John Baez says I don’t explain things. So, here’s what the relationship between symmetry … Continue reading →

Posted in Quantum Mechanics | 32 Comments

Glashow Interview

Posted on August 2, 2022 by woit

David Zierler, the oral historian at the American Institute of Physics, has done many in-depth interviews with theoretical physicists in recent years. Today I came across a 2020 interview with Shelly Glashow, which was very interesting in general, and also … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 28 Comments

Before the Big Bang: The Origin of the Universe from the Multiverse

Posted on July 29, 2022 by woit

There’s a new book out this month, Before the Big Bang: The Origin of the Universe from the Multiverse, about which we’re told: One of the world’s most celebrated cosmologists presents her breakthrough explanation of our origins in the multiverse. … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Multiverse Mania | 17 Comments