Is it the end of physics

[Kowalski]

since a long time physics was one of the fields that attracted scientists and boggled their minds , ... since then the discoveries of different phenomenas and the elaboration of the laws that governs them has taken a fast pace . That was a big fortune for many other domains who have benefited greatly from these discoveries .

but since many years , we notice the the frequency of these discoveries has decreased and physics comes to an era where its facts are becoming more like science fiction , the duality of light , the multiverse , the quantum entanglement , ... etc

now we wonder , has physics come to its end ? , are we going to see in the incoming days some other great discoveries ?

and , for me physicists have to focus more on the applicable results , not just predictions and hypothesis .

 

 

 

sorry for my horrible english .

[timo]

That causes three immediate questions:

1) How long is "a long time"

2) How many years are "many years". Particularly, what time span is left after I substract "many years" from "a long time"?

3) What experience are you footing your statement about lack of applicable results on? I happened to attend a cell biology conference 1-2 years ago. The hottest topic seemed to be the new microscopy technologies invented in physics. I'd also count CPUs as somewhat recent applied results.

[swansont]

but since many years , we notice the the frequency of these discoveries has decreased

 

We do?

[EdEarl]

In my lifetime, since 1945, the first electronic computer and first computer language were developed, ENIAC (1946), assembler language, and Fortran (1950). When I was studying for my degree, it seemed possible that I could learn everything about computers, except developments continued faster that I could learn. Now, there is more to know about computers than I could learn in 100 lifetimes. The acceleration of computer science is not unique, the knowledge in all sciences are increasing faster and faster.

 

Radioactivity was discovered in 1896, and all of nuclear physics has been learned since then. Edwin Hubble discovered galaxies outside the Milky Way in 1922–1923, and since then the cosmos has grown to over 100,000 million galaxies, which was discovered by the Hubble space telescope when it captured the image known as the Hubble Deep Field in December, 1995, and refined by the Hubble Extreme Deep Field in September, 2012. We now know that we can only see about 5% of the Universe, because 95% neither emits or reflects light. And, we know that the Standard Model of subatomic particles is not the Holy Grail of particle physics; there is much more to learn.

 

In fact, I'm reasonably sure that most scientists would agree that we know some things, but more things are unknown than known. And, that would apply to the Earth, which is a planet we know most about. However, we know almost noting of other planets in our solar system, much less about other solar systems, our galaxy, and the remainder of the universe.

[howlingmadpanda]

How exactly is physics coming to an end? In the past few years a rumoured invisibility cloak was made by a Canadian company, the Higgs Boson was discovered, a quantum computer capable of factoring 15 was built, and that's nothing. As we our brains evolve to handle more and we research more chances are it will be many many many years or until the end of humanity before we can't research more, and even then we can always improve upon things.

[Delta1212]

How exactly is physics coming to an end? In the past few years a rumoured invisibility cloak was made by a Canadian company, the Higgs Boson was discovered, a quantum computer capable of factoring 15 was built, and that's nothing. As we our brains evolve to handle more and we research more chances are it will be many many many years or until the end of humanity before we can't research more, and even then we can always improve upon things.

I agree with everything except that our brains are evolving to handle "more" anything. At the very least not in any measurable way over timescales that are relevant to the development of physics.

[DevilSolution]

I agree, with everyone who's anyone looking to unify the quantum with the classical, the end seems on the horizon.

 

Though the OP is completely wrong in terms of the frequency of discoveries, the unification seems to spell the end.

 

I think a new chapter will open in terms of manipulation of these principal laws such as engineering them to perfection.

How exactly is physics coming to an end? In the past few years a rumoured invisibility cloak was made by a Canadian company, the Higgs Boson was discovered, a quantum computer capable of factoring 15 was built, and that's nothing. As we our brains evolve to handle more and we research more chances are it will be many many many years or until the end of humanity before we can't research more, and even then we can always improve upon things.

 

He's talking in terms of discoveries not practical application.

[arc]

now we wonder , has physics come to its end ? , are we going to see in the incoming days some other great discoveries ?

 

He's talking in terms of discoveries not practical application.

 

Many physicists believe that all four of the fundamental forces are, in fact, the manifestations of a single underlying (or unified) force which has yet to be discovered.

 

It just seems to go on and on.

[DevilSolution]

 

 

Many physicists believe that all four of the fundamental forces are, in fact, the manifestations of a single underlying (or unified) force which has yet to be discovered.

 

It just seems to go on and on.

 

I dont personally think theres a new force waiting to be discovered that will unify the 4 forces, i think they fit together like a jigsaw, like were trying to reverse engineer the programming used but are missing a critical equation that allows them traverse.

 

Gravity somehow being the key, maybe the odd one out, but i dont suppose any fit together?

Edited November 5, 2013 by DevilSolution

[timo]

[The OP] is talking in terms of discoveries not practical application.

 

While possibly true, howlingmadpanda and me seemed to have a different interpretation of the statement

for me physicists have to focus more on the applicable results , not just predictions and hypothesis

[Enthalpy]

As the LHC seems to discover nothing beyond Higg's boson, newspaper put titles like "the end of physics". But hey, physics doesn't limit to particles!

 

Few examples at random:

Superconductors. Understand them, find better materials, make better coils, invent machines that use them.

For electricity storage, everything remains to be done, and this is uuuuuuurgent!

If finally we have good storage for hydrogen, then we must produce it - preferably not through electricity - and transport it properly.

Dark matter.

Earth. Solar system.