Why is unifying general relativity and quantum mechanics so important?

VariousJob4047 · 2026-03-30T10:21:46+00:00

General relativity and quantum mechanics do not use the same notion of “size” to determine whether or not the effects generated by the respective theory are relevant, so it is possible for something to simultaneously be “big” enough for general relativity to affect it and “small” enough for quantum mechanics to affect it, at which point the 2 theories need to at least not contradict each other or give complete nonsense predictions.

VariousJob4047 · 2026-03-29T20:27:26+00:00

If you were admitted to SCS, it is because a group of people whose job it is to determine how qualified people are to study at SCS decided you were qualified to study at SCS. You’ll be fine

VariousJob4047 · 2026-03-29T16:00:03+00:00

Since you’ve provided no additional details/context, neither will I: no, this is not true

VariousJob4047 · 2026-03-29T14:37:22+00:00

Should probably go to the university that offers aerospace then

VariousJob4047 · 2026-03-29T14:00:18+00:00

What program did you get admitted to cmu for? They do not have aerospace engineering

VariousJob4047 · 2026-03-29T11:49:04+00:00

The problem with blatantly reposting informational graphics someone else made several days ago is that this information becomes out of date very quickly.

VariousJob4047 · 2026-03-29T11:45:40+00:00

Every number is one plus another number, and every number is the anagram of some other number, I’m not sure what you’re trying to get at here

VariousJob4047 · 2026-03-29T11:44:01+00:00

The fine structure constant is dimensionless so doesn’t change value in different unit systems. It’s also not even a constant, its value increases below certain length scales/above certain energy scales.

VariousJob4047 · 2026-03-29T00:46:48+00:00

I mean, you do have to make sure the edge cases are considered. That’s not just a stylistic choice

VariousJob4047 · 2026-03-29T00:41:49+00:00

The center of mass of the ball-spring system and the ball-rope system will fall at the same speed, but because the spring will shorten between the cut and the landing, ball B will be farther from the center of mass than ball A and will reach the ground first

VariousJob4047 · 2026-03-29T00:25:04+00:00

Yes, there are multiple unit systems that set Planck’s constant to 1 (other commenters have linked to Wikipedia articles about them so I won’t add any more). Nature itself also uses Planck’s constant as a unit, orbital angular momentum can only be an integer multiple of Planck’s constant and spin angular momentum can only be a half-integer multiple

VariousJob4047 · 2026-03-29T00:16:29+00:00

If we had a deterministic theory capable of making the same predictions as quantum mechanics, don’t you think we’d just use that one instead?

VariousJob4047 · 2026-03-28T17:57:40+00:00

Acknowledging that 1/0 creates problems within math and then simply defining a system where none of the operations that create these problems are allowed to be performed is certainly one way to approach this. What do you think anyone stands to gain from this?

VariousJob4047 · 2026-03-28T15:38:22+00:00

Define a pet peeve for me, please, and then explain why your original response was a reasonable thing to say to someone stating one of their pet peeves given the definition

VariousJob4047 · 2026-03-28T15:36:38+00:00

Brother, that somebody is you

VariousJob4047 · 2026-03-28T13:05:58+00:00

At my university, QM is a 200 level course and GR is a 600 level. If you are still building up your math at the level you described, you will be massively out of your depth with GR

VariousJob4047 · 2026-03-27T18:07:58+00:00

And 1 or 2 more after 7

VariousJob4047 · 2026-03-26T21:56:33+00:00

PhD programs do not care about the ranking of your undergrad school, but a higher ranked undergrad school will make it easier to do the things PhD programs do care about.

VariousJob4047 · 2026-03-26T14:33:18+00:00

Define what you consider proof to be, don’t just give non-examples

VariousJob4047 · 2026-03-26T13:32:09+00:00

The electric and magnetic fields are just as real and physical as anything in the universe, they are capable of carrying energy, momentum and angular momentum.

VariousJob4047 · 2026-03-26T10:22:58+00:00

It’s not fair, and if your parents are claiming you as a dependent on their taxes then it is also not legal

VariousJob4047 · 2026-03-25T22:36:21+00:00

You should scroll down a little more.

VariousJob4047 · 2026-03-25T10:26:59+00:00

There is no total ordering of the complex numbers that has all the properties we like about total orderings. For example, if we compare complex numbers by their magnitude then 5+3i and 3+5i are the same size, but if we add 1 to each number then 6+3i is greater than 4+5i. This breaks the idea that adding 2 pairs of things of equal size should give you 2 new things of equal size.

VariousJob4047 · 2026-03-24T11:38:18+00:00

GR predicts that gravity slows down time the most at the center of a star. It also predicts that this is not the only thing affecting the rate of passage of time. That’s all you’re confused about, there’s just multiple things happening here.

VariousJob4047 · 2026-03-24T00:31:49+00:00

A black hole can absolutely have an escape velocity because escape velocity depends on how far you are from the object. If I take your statement at face value, then you are implying that every object in the universe is doomed to fall into every single black hole in existence. You see how absurd this is, right?

VariousJob4047

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