Epic Effort to Ground Physics in Math Opens Up the Secrets of Time
1 min read
Summary
In 1900, mathematician David Hilbert identified 23 key mathematical challenges that he hoped would shape the 20th century of mathematical research.
The sixth problem on his list asked whether the laws of physics could be derived in the same rigorous, axiomatic way that mathematicians derive geometric proofs — and whether they could be proved to be airtight.
Three mathematicians have now provided such a result, proving a connection between the equations that describe the behavior of individual particles and the equations that describe macroscopic behavior.
The techniques they developed are “paradigm-shifting,” and may be applicable to other physics scenarios, researchers say.
Their work not only resolves a longstanding mathematical question, but also taps into questions about the irreversible nature of time.
