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Why three dimensions? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedians Chuck Nice and Hasan Minhaj celebrate 100 years of quantum physics and everywhere it’s taken us, joined by theoretical astrophysicists Brian Greene and Janna Levin live at the Beacon Theater.
We begin in the 1920s with the famous Shapley-Curtis debate: were spiral nebulae entire galaxies or just “space lint”? We discuss how Edwin Hubble spotted Cepheid variables and shattered the idea that the Milky Way was the entire universe. Discover how Henrietta Leavitt's data, Georges Lemaître’s math, and Einstein’s “cosmological constant” all collided in a revolutionary era that gave birth to expansion.
As the universe expanded, so did our questions. Was there a beginning? What happened at time zero? The Big Bang theory emerged, colliding with the idea that the universe is in a steady state, and intrigued members of the clergy. What is quantum mechanics really telling us about reality? Why did the idea of a beginning disturb scientists? And how do wave functions, tunneling, and the Heisenberg uncertainty principle reshape reality?
Plus: Why do we think the universe has three dimensions? Could dark energy be spillover from other dimensions? And how do relativity and quantum mechanics still refuse to play nice? Chuck blows a gasket, and so does Brian on this special live taping of StarTalk.
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Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction: Live at the Beacon
01:37 - Preparing for StarTalk Live
04:46 - Why 3 Dimensions?
07:22 - Debating Island Universes
18:06 - Inventing Galaxies
22:11 - Discovering Expansion
29:00 - The Big Bang Theory
35:12 - Running the Clock Back & How Big is the Future
44:00 - Relativity Bending the Knee to the Quantum
52:26 - Can We Quantize Gravity?
57:20 - The Many Worlds Hypothesis & Wave-Particle Duality
01:09:39 - Explain String Theory Real Quick
01:15:30 A Cosmic Perspective
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About StarTalk:
Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up!
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