Lex Fridman Podcast Sean Carroll: Quantum Mechanics and the Many-Worlds Interpretation
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Nov 1, 2019 
Sean Carroll, a theoretical physicist at Caltech and author renowned for his work in quantum mechanics, dives deep into the complexities of our universe. He discusses the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, explaining how branching realities could coexist. The conversation examines the nature of reality versus perception, and delves into quantum entanglement and its strange implications. Carroll also reflects on human cognition's limits in grasping physics and the philosophical questions raised by infinity and observable phenomena.
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Newton's Absurdity and Chaos
- Newton, despite developing classical mechanics, found its interpretations, especially action at a distance, absurd.
- He nearly invented chaos theory, recognizing the solar system's instability without divine intervention.
Understanding Fields and Abstraction
- Sean Carroll believes he understands field concepts intuitively, despite not visualizing complex math like Ed Witten.
- He suggests humans cross an abstraction threshold, becoming Turing machine-like, manipulating formal structures.
Beauty of Conservation of Momentum
- Conservation of momentum is the most beautiful idea in physics because it shifts our view from nature's teleology to patterns.
- Things simply follow patterns, instantaneously and impersonally, without future goals.
