Wheeler–DeWitt equation
Okay, so let’s pretend you’re sitting down to solve a puzzle. This puzzle is the universe. And let’s say you want to figure out how everything in the universe fits together.
Well, that’s exactly what physicists and cosmologists are trying to do. They want to find a way to combine Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity (which explains how gravity works on a large scale) with quantum mechanics (which explains the behavior of subatomic particles). This would give us a complete understanding of how everything in the universe fits together.
But there’s a problem. These two theories don’t work together very well. To make them fit, physicists came up with a new equation called the Wheeler-DeWitt equation.
Now, this equation is pretty complicated even for grown-ups, so let’s start with what it tries to do. It essentially tries to figure out how the universe evolved from the very beginning to now.
Imagine a movie that shows the entire history of the universe from the Big Bang until today. Well, the Wheeler-DeWitt equation tries to describe the whole movie in one mathematical formula. This means it has to take into account every possible moment in time, from the very first moment of the universe to the current moment.
So, why is this so hard? Well, the problem is that these two theories, general relativity and quantum mechanics, seem to contradict each other when it comes to time. Einstein's theory assumes that time is one of the fundamental elements of the universe, while quantum mechanics suggests that time is just a byproduct of everything else.
The Wheeler-DeWitt equation tries to bridge that gap by taking out time altogether. It treats the whole universe as if it was one single object, with no beginning or end. It’s kind of like trying to describe a book without using any words. Instead, you use pictures.
But here's the catch – we don’t entirely understand how to solve this equation yet. Some physicists think it’s incomplete, while others say it’s just too hard to figure out. What we do know is that this equation has caused a lot of debate among scientists and has led to a lot of new ideas and theories.
So, that's the Wheeler-DeWitt equation – a complicated formula that tries to describe the entire evolution of the universe from its beginning until today, without worrying about time. It’s still a work in progress, but it has helped physicists make some big strides in understanding our universe.
Well, that’s exactly what physicists and cosmologists are trying to do. They want to find a way to combine Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity (which explains how gravity works on a large scale) with quantum mechanics (which explains the behavior of subatomic particles). This would give us a complete understanding of how everything in the universe fits together.
But there’s a problem. These two theories don’t work together very well. To make them fit, physicists came up with a new equation called the Wheeler-DeWitt equation.
Now, this equation is pretty complicated even for grown-ups, so let’s start with what it tries to do. It essentially tries to figure out how the universe evolved from the very beginning to now.
Imagine a movie that shows the entire history of the universe from the Big Bang until today. Well, the Wheeler-DeWitt equation tries to describe the whole movie in one mathematical formula. This means it has to take into account every possible moment in time, from the very first moment of the universe to the current moment.
So, why is this so hard? Well, the problem is that these two theories, general relativity and quantum mechanics, seem to contradict each other when it comes to time. Einstein's theory assumes that time is one of the fundamental elements of the universe, while quantum mechanics suggests that time is just a byproduct of everything else.
The Wheeler-DeWitt equation tries to bridge that gap by taking out time altogether. It treats the whole universe as if it was one single object, with no beginning or end. It’s kind of like trying to describe a book without using any words. Instead, you use pictures.
But here's the catch – we don’t entirely understand how to solve this equation yet. Some physicists think it’s incomplete, while others say it’s just too hard to figure out. What we do know is that this equation has caused a lot of debate among scientists and has led to a lot of new ideas and theories.
So, that's the Wheeler-DeWitt equation – a complicated formula that tries to describe the entire evolution of the universe from its beginning until today, without worrying about time. It’s still a work in progress, but it has helped physicists make some big strides in understanding our universe.