Gian Daniele T.

Caguiat D Dental Medicine

2015 06526 TFE 2 (Physics)

The Dawn of the Majestic Cosmos

Physicists believe that the search for the ultimate explanation of how the universe works

is the holy grail of modern physics. Over the years, their goal was to find a revolutionary

approach to unify the four fundamental forces- Gravity, Electromagnetism, Strong Force,

and Weak Force. Unification, is the formation of a law that describes everything in the

universe from a single idea or Master Equation. It is the whole aim of fundamental

physics. All of this began in 1665, when Isaac Newton stated that the force that pulled the

apple to the ground was the same force that pulls the moon to orbit around the earth. He

therefore called this force Gravity. Physicists at that time were all thrilled about Newtons

theory, because that was the beginning of the understanding of unification of the heavens

and the earth.

In Einsteins late 20s, after nearly 10 years of racking his brain, he came to think of the

three dimensions of space and the single dimension of time has bound together in a single

fabric of space-time. In his theory of special relativity, determined that the laws of

physics are the same for all non-accelerating observers, and he showed that the speed of

light within a vacuum is the same no matter the speed at which an observer travels. As he

worked out the equations for his general theory of relativity, Einstein realized that

massive objects caused a distortion in space-time. Imagine setting a large body in the

center of a trampoline. The body would press down into the fabric, causing it to dimple.
A marble rolled around the edge would spiral inward toward the body, pulled in much the

same way that the gravity of a planet pulls at rocks in space.

James Clerk Maxwell is an English scientist who devised a set of four elegant

mathematical equations that unified electricity and magnetism in a single force called

Electromagnetism. In electromagnetism, everything is made up of tiny bits of matter

called atoms. Each of these atoms has an outer shell that is made up of negative electric

charges. These electric charges repel each other and this is the force that prevents a

falling object from plummeting down to the center of the earth to its core. This proves

that Electromagnetism is billions and billions of times stronger than gravity.

Quantum Mechanics is the theoretical basis of modern physics that explains the nature

and behavior of matter and energy on the atomic and subatomic level. It predicts the

chance or probability of something happening. In the 1930s, scientists introduced two

new kinds of forces- the Strong Nuclear Force and the Weak Force/ The strong nuclear

force is the force that acts like a superglue that holds the nucleus of every atom together,

binding protons to neutrons. While the weak force allows neutrons to turn into protons

while giving off radiation.

On July 16, 1945 at 5:29 in the morning, in the middle of the desert in New Mexico,

scientists detonated the worlds first nuclear device. They removed or unbound the force

that binds the protons and the neutrons. The explosion was equivalent to 20 000 tons of

TNT.

A German physicist named Karl Schwarzschild used Einsteins equations to show that a

black hole could exist. He stated that nothing, not even light could escape its gravitational
pull. According to the general theory of relativity, it is the result of the curving of space-

time caused by a very dense mass. Around a black hole there is a position of no return,

called the event horizon. It is called "black" because it absorbs all the light that hits it,

reflecting nothing, just like a perfect black body in thermodynamics. Under the theory

of quantum mechanics black holes have a temperature and emit Hawking radiation,

which makes them slowly get smaller. In order to explain black holes, the unification of

Gravity and Electromagnetism is needed. Because a black hole is massive and very dense

and at the same time microscopic black holes are necessarily quantum and their

properties governed by quantum or semi-classical gravity, evaporation through Hawking

radiation is a typical effect of these black holes.

According to physicists, our understanding of the universe is based on two sets of laws

that dont agree. Their solution is, they believe in the existence of tiny bits of energy,

strings vibrating like the strings on a cello. The basic idea of the String Theory is that

everything in the universe, from the tiniest particle to the most distant star is made from

one kind of ingredient: small vibrating strands of energy called strings that vibrate in a

multitude of ways.

In the String Theory, we may be living in a universe where reality meets science fiction,

because with this theory also comes the existence of the parallel universes and the 11

dimensions. The problem with this theory is that strings are very tiny that they cannot be

observed or even verified. Therefore the idea remains as a theory or a philosophy.

astronomy, and there are about 400 Billion of them in our galaxy alone. The Pillars of

Creation is a stellar nursery where stars are born in the center. Hydrogen is the lightest

and most abundant gas in the universe.

Stellar evolution is the process in which the forces of pressure (gravity) alter the star.

With these forces acting upon stars, their characteristics change dramatically over the

period of their existence.

It is inevitable as stars deplete their initial fuel sources. The search for new fuel sources

affects the properties of stars as they evolve. This evolution is a process that consists of

many different stages with fuel consumption as the dominant life cycles of an evolving

star.

Stellar evolution, in the form of these fuel consumption stages and their finality, is

important because it is responsible for the production of most of the elements (all

elements after Hydrogen and Helium). Moreover, stages in the life cycle of stars are a

vital part in the formation of galaxies, new stars and planetary systems.

Since the Big Bang, 13.7 billion years ago, the universe has passed through many

different phases or epochs. Due to the extreme conditions and the violence of its very

early stages, it arguably saw more activity and change during the first second than in the

all the billions of years since. Named after German physicist Max Planck, the founder of

quantum theory, a unit of Planck time is the time it takes for light to travel, in a vacuum, a

single unit of Planck length. Taken together, they part of the larger system of natural units

known as Planck units.

units of measurement defined exclusively in terms of five universal physical constants.

These are the Gravitational constant (G), the Reduced Planck constant (h), the speed of

light in a vacuum (c), the Coulomb constant (k), and Boltzmanns constant (kB),

sometimes k).

How did reading, and learning about the universe affect me? As a student, it had helped

me to somehow understand and appreciate not only our world, but also the universe a

little bit better. Through this course, I have understood the concepts and theories proposed

by the different scientists and physicists. Even though Im sure that I didnt have a full

grasp of each and every concept because of its complexity, it helped me to have a look on

their insights, ideas, discoveries and theories. From the smallest particles like atoms and

strings, to the macroscopic objects and the majestic heavenly bodies. Its amazing to

think how objects that are drastically different, may it be in their size and composition,

could be bound together in a simple equation. I hope that someday, with the gradual

evolution of technology, I would be one of the persons alive to witness the time when

physicists would finally be able to discover and formulate the Theory of Everything. The

single equation that would explain and grasp everything that happens in the whole

universe.