Simplification of Complications in Quantum Physics

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I think it's sort of an interesting question because when we talk about simplifying away the complications, we're doing it in the service of answering a question. And so a lot of the what if questions, the question is just kind of broadly what would happen. But in every case, you know, the simplifications you're making are guided by like that question you're trying to answer.

What’s the fastest way to get a human being around a racetrack, if we ignore all the rules of racing? How many pages would you have to read to absorb all of the government laws that apply to you? It’s hard to imagine a better person to tackle these kinds of slightly-askew questions than Randall Munroe, creator of the xkcd webcomic. He collected some answers in his book What If?, and has released a sequel, What If? 2. We dive into how one goes about choosing the right questions and answering them, and how to make it funny along the way.

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Randall Munroe received a degree in physics from Christopher Newport University, before working for a while at NASA’s Langley Research Center. He is now the creator of xkcd and the author of several books. What If? and What If? 2 are based on a regular feature in which he tackles questions asked by readers.

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