"It is difficult to overstate the importance (not to speak of the beauty) of what we have learned: The exchange of a spin 0 particle produces an attractive force, of a spin 1 particle a repulsive force, and of a spin 2 particle an attractive force, realized in the hadronic strong interaction, the electromagnetic interaction, and the gravitational interaction, respectively. The universal attraction of gravity produces an instability that drives the formation of structure in the early universe. ... Denser regions become denser yet. The attractive nuclear force mediated by the spin 0 particle eventually ignites the stars. Furthermore, the attractive force between protons and neutrons mediated by the spin 0 particle is able to overcome the repulsive electric force between protons mediated by the spin 1 particle to form a variety of nuclei without which the world would certainly be rather boring. The repulsion between likes and hence attraction between opposites generated by the spin 1 particle allow electrically neutral atoms to form. The world results from a subtle interplay among spin 0, 1, and 2. In this lightning tour of the universe, we did not mention the weak interaction. In fact, the weak interaction plays a crucial role in keeping stars such as our sun burning at a steady rate."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Educators from ChinaNon-fiction authors from ChinaImmigrants to the United StatesPhysicists from ChinaAcademics from China
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
pp. 36–37
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Anthony_Zee
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Anthony Zee
17 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Anthony Zee →
Related Quotes
"Normally, the entropy of a system is extensive, that is, proportional to its volume. Somehow, a black hole has an ent…"
"Although group theory is certainly relevant for nineteenth-century physics, it really started to play an important ro…"
"Rotations in 3-dimensional Euclidean space ... form the poster child of group theory and are almost indispensable in …"
"We show that the introduction of a charged scalar particle into the standard theory leads to numerous phenomenologica…"
"In the last few years, an interesting new subject, the study of topological quantum fluids, has emerged. Examples of …"
"We discuss the problem of adding random matrices, which enable us to study Hamiltonians consisting of a deterministic…"
"One reason I went to Princeton University as an undergraduate was that I had read about a Professor John Wheeler sugg…"
"Ah, group theory! The entire subject is amazing and amusing. Who would have expected that three Platonic solids—the c…"
"That the exchange of a particle can produce a force was one of the most profound conceptual advances in physics. We n…"
"It is almost an article of faith among theoretical physicists, enunciated forcefully by Einstein among others, that t…"