Friday, August 10, 2012

So why physics?

While I am very inexperienced when it comes to this, I dare say that the most important part of a profession is that you are able to enjoy your work. While everything in physics does not appeal to me, most of it does and I find it fun learning about the nooks and crannies of the world we live in, so I think it`s safe to assume that I meet that prerequisite.

But that`s not always enough. Indeed, some people find it sufficient to live a hedonistic life. While it may be gratifying for them, I eventually grow restless. I get the urge to do something. 

They call it the theory of everything. Or sometimes the grand unifying theory. Whatever people choose to call it, to me it is the answer to every question. Things are not so simple, ofcourse, but I think it`s a shot worth taking. Certainly better than taking no shot at all. And just like that I`m off to the seemingly impossible quest of finding the holy grail of science.

String theory promises me the answers. It`s not sure if it even has any basis in our Universe. If I were hearing about it making successful predictions that match observation, I`d be much more encouraged to investigate further. Instead I hope to find what I seek in the most simple things in life - elementary particles.

It could very well be that the final theory itself is of the utmost simplicity. Should that be the case, it`s only a matter of finding the actual elementary particles and their behaviors, then slowly zooming outwards to more complex scales. But it is also a very dark matter. We might still be missing a big piece of the puzzle.

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