mavity?

Whilst I'm sure you're all completely justified in saying this documentary was aimed at the masses, it's worth pointing out that a degree in physics wouldn't be anywhere near enough of a prerequisite to have a technical discussion about the graviton. So unless you're all well into your PhDs in beyond the standard model particle physics, the makers of that documentary probably had you as their target audience!

There's nowt wrong with a simplification here and there to get a conceptual point across.
 
Thought it was interesting but seemed fairly dumbed down. Not that I'm particularly knowledgeable or anything.
 
Just go and get "the fabric of the cosmos" by Brian Greene and ask him about some of the stuff which doesn't have any answers . It's basically all the same stuff but much more in-depth
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I will if I can find it tomorow :)

w11tho said:
Ask him how the existence of magnetic monopoles is connected to the classification of principle G-bundles over the sphere.
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Sounds more like a question you'd get in an exam ;) but is that a question that someone could actually answer or did you just make it up? Looks like you're at Cambridge.. you doing maths or physics?
 
Spitfir3 said:
Sounds more like a question you'd get in an exam ;) but is that a question that someone could actually answer or did you just make it up?
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You'd be sitting a fairly tough course if you got that in an exam! The question is my own, but only because I know the answer! It was fairly big discovery when the link between the mathematics of fibre bundles and the physics of magnetic monopoles was made. Maxwell's equations don't allow for magnetic monopoles on contractible domains (ones which you can continuously shrink to a point), but Dirac had an idea which made them possible on other domains, and it transpired that his argument had strong connections to modern concepts in differential geometry.

It's certainly a question I'd expect a competent mathematical physicist to be able to answer. I just don't think it's a question he would expect!
 
mavity really gets me down :(

Ahem. The bit I don't understand is how attraction occurs over monumental distances at 'approximately' the speed of light (I don't get that bit either. It has to be the speed of light surely?).
 
"Atom" is in the middle of being repeated on BBC2 at the moment. Was on BBC4 originally. Episode 2 was on Monday at 11.20pm. Unfortunately doesn't seem to be on iPlayer.

I like the imagery he uses -
"There are more atoms in a glass of water than there are glasses of water in all of the worlds oceans."
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