#504 Physicist Sean Carroll on Understanding Quantum Worlds

Welcome to The Not Old Better Show. I'm Paul Vogelzang, and this is episode #504.

As part of our Smithsonian Associates Inside Science series, we have a wonderful show and a great guest in Dr. Sean Carroll.

Celebrated 20th-century physicist Richard Feynman famously said, "I think I can safely say that nobody really understands quantum mechanics." Our guest today, Dr. Sean Carroll, an acclaimed theoretical physicist, is determined to reintroduce this vital science to a new generation.

Dr. Sean Carroll will be presenting at the Smithsonian Associates program via Zoom, Dec 15, and we'll offer more details, links, and resources in our show notes today.

Dr. Sean Carroll believes that many of his fellow physicists need to acknowledge gaps in the understanding of quantum mechanics—which seems to have ossified somewhere in the 1930s. Drawing on his new, excellent book Something Deeply Hidden, Carroll attempts to demystify quantum mechanics.

Today on the show, we'll discuss with Dr. Carroll that the best way we currently have to understand quantum phenomena is the Many Worlds Theory. You'll come to know this principal well from Dr. Carroll, but it states: Every time there is a quantum event, a world splits off with everything in it the same, except in that other world that quantum event didn't happen.

Dr. Carroll tackles the major objections to this theory and discusses its far-reaching implications for how we think about ourselves, our place in reality, and how we should examine long-standing issues such as reconciling quantum mechanics with general relativity, Einstein's theory of spacetime and gravity.

I'm a fan of Dr. Sean Carroll. I like his podcasts, Mindscape Podcast with Dr. Sean Carroll, so please join me in welcoming to The Not Old Better Show via internet phone, Smithsonian Associate, Dr. Sean Carroll.

My thanks to Dr. Sean Carroll, who'll be appearing at the Smithsonian Associates Tuesday, December 15, 2020 - 6:45 p.m. ET, and the title of his presentation is Understanding Quantum Worlds.' Please check out our website for more details. My thanks, too, to the Smithsonian Associates team for all they do to support the show. And, of course, my thanks to you, my wonderful Not Old Better Show audience, for all your love and support. . Stay safe, be well, practice smart social distancing, and remember, let's talk about better. The Not Old Better Show. Thanks, everybody.

For more information about Sean Carroll and the Smithsonian Associates program, please click here: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/physicist-sean-carroll-on-understanding-quantum-worlds

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