Theory Quotes by Charles Seife

11 Theory quotes by Charles Seife

Seife’s take on theory mixes rigor with storytelling flair. In eleven compact quotes you’ll see how he frames complex ideas in accessible language, a handy resource for readers who appreciate a narrative touch.

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“In string theory, zero has been banished from the universe; there is no such thing as zero distance or zero time. This…

Charles Seife

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“The infinite zero of a black hole-mass crammed into zero space, curving space infinitely-punches a hole in the smooth rubber sheet. The…

Charles Seife

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“Quantum mechanics has a similar problem, a problem related to the zero-point energy. The laws of quantum mechanics treat particles such as…

Charles Seife

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“Removing zero from the universe might seem like a drastic step, but strings are much more tractable than dots; by eliminating zero,…

Charles Seife

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“As mathematicians were uncovering the connection between zero and infinity, physicists began to encounter zeros in the natural world; zero crossed over…

Charles Seife

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“Zero dwells at the juxtaposition of quantum mechanics and relativity; zero lives where the two theories meet, and zero causes the two…

Charles Seife

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“Banishing zero also solves the infinity problems in general relativity. If you imagine a black hole as a string, no longer do…

Charles Seife

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“Though the Casimir force-a mysterious, phantom force exerted by nothing at all-seems like science fiction, it exists. It is a tiny force…

Charles Seife

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“How could the vacuum, which has nothing in it, have any energy at all? The answer comes from another equation: Einstein's famous…

Charles Seife

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“The key to a black hole's strange properties is the way it curves space-time. A black hole takes up no space at…

Charles Seife

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“The electron that scientists see in the laboratory-the electron that physicists, chemists, and engineers have known and loved for decades-is an impostor.…

Charles Seife

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“A bad idea, a wrong piece of information, a digital brain-altering virus can spread at the speed of light through the internet and quickly…

Charles Seife

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“The key to a black hole's strange properties is the way it curves space-time. A black hole takes up no space at all, but…

Charles Seife

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“In string theory, zero has been banished from the universe; there is no such thing as zero distance or zero time. This solves all…

Charles Seife

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“Zero and infinity are eternally locked in a struggle to engulf all the numbers. Like a Manichaean nightmare, the two sit on opposite poles…

Charles Seife

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“Skinnerian conditioning, crossed with social pressure, is now an ever-present invisible hand that tries to manipulate all of your actions on the internet. This…

Charles Seife

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“In 1933, the Indian Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar realized that the Pauli exclusion principle had only a limited ability to fight against the squeeze of gravity.…

Charles Seife

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“We tend to shy away from data that challenges our assumptions, that erodes our preconceptions. Getting rid of our wrong ideas is a painful…

Charles Seife

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“Banishing zero also solves the infinity problems in general relativity. If you imagine a black hole as a string, no longer do objects fall…

Charles Seife

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“With news and data that is tailored to our prejudices, we deprive ourselves of true information. We wind up wallowing in our own false…

Charles Seife

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“Digital information has an unbelievably high R0 [basic reproductive rate], and this means that it's hard to stop once it emerges. It spreads from…

Charles Seife

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“Christianity initially rejected zero, but trade would soon demand it. The man who reintroduced zero to the West was Leonardo of Pisa. The son…

Charles Seife

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“Zero dwells at the juxtaposition of quantum mechanics and relativity; zero lives where the two theories meet, and zero causes the two theories to…

Charles Seife

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