To Space and Beyond

GEK1508: Einstein’s Universe and Quantum Weirdness

To Space and Beyond

A short story on General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics

Synopsis:

This story follows a young boy, James as he travels through our universe in the strangest of situations along with the unlikeliest of companions. We accompany him, through the extraordinary experiences he encounters and the learning he undergoes as he begins as a physics undergraduate student.

Without further ado, let us begin our story.

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TTTRRRRINNNGGGG !

“James ! What are you still doing in bed? Wake up and get ready. We can’t be late for your first day at college. Hurry up, young man.” The date was 4 Aug, 2050 and James was very excited as he got ready. He finished his breakfast as quickly as possible and joined his mother, who would drop him off on her way to work. He was to take the bus back home after class. At the university, he made his way to the big blue building which housed the lecture theatre. As he entered the room, he heard the lecturer say, “Welcome to Physics 101, today we will talk about...”. A wide grin spread across his face, as he found himself a seat near the front of the class.

As the buzzer sounded, James packed his notes and prepared to leave. The last words of his lecturer had a very disturbing effect on him. “Everything in physics has been discovered and explained. There is nothing new now. All that remains is more and more precise measurement.”.”1 This made James very sad, he had always wanted to be a physicist for the reason that he could discover something new. To hear that there is nothing left for him to discover had a disappointing effect on him. He slowly made his way across the road to the bus stop, to take the ride back home.

Lord Kelvin had made the same remark exactly 150 years ago. Only to be proved wrong by the vast  development in modern physics post‐1900. 

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As he was waiting, he saw...