6 amazing things we learned from Stephen Hawking

1. The past is a probability

Hawking suggested that, according to the laws of the theory of quantum mechanics, all events that we could not see with our own eyes happened at once in all possible ways. Scientists associate this phenomenon with the probabilistic nature of matter and energy: if the observer does not influence the event in any way, it will remain in a state of uncertainty.

Suppose that we know about the travel of a particle from point A to point B. If we do not follow its motion, then we will not know about the path it traveled. Most likely, the particle hit point B in all possible ways at the same time.

No matter how closely we follow the present, past and future events exist only as a spectrum of possibilities.

Dr. Joe Dispenza is also based on this theory. He is confident that there are all possible futures. We just need to choose ours.

2. Theory of everything

6 things we are grateful for Stephen Hawking

To understand how all events and processes occur in the Universe, you need to study its nature. Edward Witten developed M-theory in 1990, and Hawking refined it. M-theory is a model of the universe in which all particles are composed of "branes" - multidimensional membranes vibrating at different frequencies. If so, then matter and energy obey the laws by which these particles exist.

M-theory also assumes that, in addition to our Universe, there are many others with their own physical laws and properties.

3. How general relativity and GPS are related

Most people who have heard about Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity believe that it works only on the scale of the Universe and does not affect our life in any way. Stephen Hawking disagrees.

If the general theory of relativity was not taken into account in the work of GPS satellites, errors in determining global positions would accumulate at a speed of 10 kilometers per day.

The thing is that, according to Einstein's theory, time slows down as it approaches a massive object. This means that the onboard clocks of the satellites run at different speeds depending on how far from the Earth they are. If this effect were not taken into account, the devices would not work correctly.

4. We live in an aquarium

We believe that we have a clear understanding of the true nature of things, but this is not the case. Metaphorically speaking, our life is an aquarium. We are doomed to exist in it until the very end, because our body will not allow us to get out of it.

The city council of the Italian city of Monza was so impressed by Hawking's reasoning that it forbade keeping fish in round aquariums. This law was adopted so that the distorted light does not interfere with the fish's perception of the world around them.

5. Quarks are not alone

Quarks are fundamental particles that underlie protons and neutrons. There are six types, or flavors, of quarks in total: down, up, weird, charmed, adorable, and true. A proton consists of two "up" quarks and one "down" one, and a neutron - from two "down" and one "up".

Stephen Hawking explained why quarks never exist in isolation.

The farther the quarks are from each other, the stronger the force that binds them. If you try to separate the quarks, they will still return to their original state. Therefore, free quarks do not exist in nature.

6. The universe created itself

Hawking argues that we don't need the idea of God who created the universe because she did it herself.

There is no need for God to "light" the fire and make the universe work.

Scientific laws can explain how the universe came to be. Our understanding of time assumes that it is the same dimension as space. This means that the universe has no beginning and no end.

Since gravity exists, we can conclude that the universe is able to create itself out of nothing. Chance is the reason why we exist.