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Acta Mathematica (Royal Swedish Academy of Science journal) 39
aeons 292–6
ageing 5, 8, 258, 269, 318
al-Sufi, Abd al-Rahman 203
algebra 89, 372–3, 374
Alhazen: Book of Optics 198
Allen Institute for Brain Science 347, 348
Allen, Paul G. 347
Allen, Woody 303
Alpha Centauri 188
alpha particles 98–100, 119, 131, 133, 166–7, 171, 172, 173, 176
alpha waves 314–16
American Association for the Advancement of Science 46
Amiot, Lawrence 280
anaesthesia 334–5, 345
Anderson, Carl 104
Andromeda nebula 203, 204
animals: consciousness and 317–19, 322, 325; evolution and 56, 57, 61; mathematics of animal kingdom 393–4; population dynamics 48–51; species classification 107
Aniston, Jennifer 4, 324–7, 347, 359
antimatter 104
Apple 321, 322, 355
Aquinas, Thomas 297, 390–1, 406
Arago, Francois 197
Archimedes 86
Aristarchus of Samos 189–90
Aristotle 22, 32, 82, 86, 87, 95, 101, 198, 306, 368, 369, 390; Metaphysics 1, 2
Armstrong, Karen 181, 410
artificial intelligence 8, 281, 303–4, 313, 317, 322, 337–9, 345–6, 417
asteroids 2, 182
Asteroids (game) 205–6, 207, 209
astronomy 10, 40, 63, 187–211, 213–16, 218, 222, 223, 236–7, 238–9, 271, 280, 296, 413 see also under individual area of astronomy
asymmetrical twins 269–72, 283
atom 78–9, 80; atomic number 90; Brownian motion and 92, 93–5; charge and 96, 97, 98, 99–101, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110–11, 117, 118, 119, 125, 136, 142, 230, 356; dice and 64, 78, 79, 80, 91–2, 94, 103; discovery of 79–80, 95–101, 103, 104; discovery of smaller constituents that make up 95–127; electron microscopes and 78, 79; experimental justification for atomistic view of the matter, first 80, 89–92; LHC and 3–4, 98; measuring time and 123, 249, 251–2, 252, 254, 269; periodic table and 86–92; quantum microscopes and 79; strangeness and 108, 109–11, 115–16; symmetry and 111–17, 120, 121, 125; theoretical atomistic view of matter, history of 78–88, 93
atomic clock 123, 252, 254, 269
axioms 52, 367–8, 371, 377, 378–9, 383, 384–6, 387, 388, 397–8, 400, 401, 402, 403, 404, 413
Babylonians 83, 251, 366, 368, 417
Bach 77, 121, 304
Bacon, Francis 399
banking, chaos theory and 54
Barbour, Julian: The End of Time 299–300
Barrow, Professor John 236–40, 242
baryons 107, 108, 109, 110, 115, 119
Beit Guvrin, Israel, archaeological dig in 20–1
Bell, John/Bell’s theorem 170, 171, 173, 174
Berkeley, Bishop: The Analyst 87
Berger, Hans 314
Berlin Academy 382
Berlin Observatory 197
Bessel, Friedrich 201
Besso, Michele 296–7
beta particles 98, 131
Bible 192
Big Bang 237, 377; cosmic microwave background and 226, 228, 289; as creation myth 235; emergence of consciousness and 319, 377, 407; infinite universe and 219–21; singularity 278, 281–2, 284; testing conditions of 234; time before, existence of 7, 9, 248–9, 262–7, 284, 290, 291–6, 407
biology 237, 405, 416; animal see animals; breakthroughs in 4; consciousness see consciousness; emergence concept and 332; evolution of life and 56–62, 230; gene therapy 416; hypothetical theory and 405; limitations of our 406; telomeres, discovery of 5; unknowns in 7–8
Birch–Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture 376
black holes: Big Bang and 293–4; computer simulation of 352; cosmic microwave background and 293–4; Cygnus X–1 276–7; discovery of 274–6; electron creation of tiny, possibility of 126; entropy and 285–7, 288, 290, 293; future of universe and 291, 293; Hawking radiation and 182, 288–90; infinite density and 277–8; information lost inside of 167, 284–5, 287, 288, 289–90, 293, 355; ‘no-hair theorem’ 285; second law of thermodynamics and 285–6, 290; singularity 278, 279, 280, 281–2; time inside 282–4
black swan 239–40
Blair, Tony 52
Bohr, Niels 103, 123, 131, 159, 178, 418
Bois-Reymond, Emil du 382, 383
Boisbaudran, Lecoq de 90–1
Boltzmann, Ludwig 92
Bombelli, Rafael 372
Borges, Jorge Luis: The Library of Babel 187
bottom quark 120, 121
Boyle, Robert 86; The Sceptical Chymist 86–7
Bradwardine, Thomas 391–2
Brady, Nicholas: ‘Ode to Saint Cecilia’ 88
Brahmagupta 371, 372
brain: alpha waves and 314–16; Alzheimer’s disease and 313–14; animal 317–19; artificial 351–3; Broca area 308, 352; cells, different types of 348; cerebellum 306, 307, 344; cerebrum 306; consciousness and see consciousness; corpus callosum/corpus callosotomy 309–11; EEG scanner and 305, 314–16, 323, 340; fMRI scanner and 4, 305, 316, 323, 333–9, 350, 351, 354, 357; free will and 335–9; integrated information theory (IIT) and 342–5; left side of 308, 310; limits of understanding 5, 9, 376, 377, 387, 408–9, 415, 416; mind-body problem and 330–2; music and see music; neurons and 4, 5, 258, 259, 309, 311–14, 323–9, 340, 341, 342, 343–6, 347, 348, 349, 350, 351, 353, 359, 376–7; out-of-body experiences and 328–30; pineal gland 307; right side of 308–9, 310; self-recognition test and 317–19; synapses 5, 313, 314, 324, 376; two hemispheres of 308–11; unconscious 315, 336–7, 339–41; vegetative state/locked in and 333–5; ventricles 306–7, 308; visual data processing 320–30
Braudel, Fernand 54–5
British Association of Science 10
Broca, Paul 308
Bronowski, Jacob: Ascent of Man 2, 420
Brown, Robert/Brownian motion 92, 93, 141
Bruno, Giordano: On the Infinite Universe and Worlds 192, 393
Buddhism 113, 354
C. elegans worm 4, 345, 349
caesium fountain 252
calculus 30–2, 33, 34, 36, 87, 88, 369
Caltech 104, 105–6, 115, 175, 289, 321, 323, 324, 347
Cambrian period 58
Cambridge University 30, 69, 174–5, 179, 236, 275, 334
cancer 8, 204
Candelas, Philip 155
Cantor, Georg 65–6, 393–402, 406
Cardano, Girolamo 23–4, 25; Liber de Ludo Aleae 24
Carroll, Lewis: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland 159
Carroll, Sean 236
cascade particles 110
Cassini, Giovanni 199
Castro, Patricia 226
cathode rays 96
Catholic Church 192, 235
cello 77, 78, 79, 80–1, 82, 90, 121, 122, 126, 127, 137, 138, 139, 140, 191, 225, 285, 304, 305, 308, 313, 314, 315
celluloid 91
Cepheid star 202–3, 204
Chadwick, James 100–1
Chalmers, David 347
Chandrasekhar, Subrahmanyan 275
Chaos 67
chaos theory 39–41, 43–53, 54, 55, 56, 58–9, 60, 61, 62–4, 68–72, 157, 168, 178, 179, 242, 402–3, 408, 419
charm quark 120, 121
China 15, 344, 371
chemistry: atomistic view of matter and chemical elements 81, 82, 86–8, 89–92 see also periodic table; brain see brain; breakthroughs in 4; elements and 81–2; emergence concept and 332; Greek, ancient 81–2
Christianity 13, 22, 69, 240, 390–1, 398 see also God and religion
Church, Alonso 414
Cicero 188
Clairaut, Alexis 29
Cleverbot (app) 303, 313, 317, 332
climate change 6, 53
cloud chambers 100, 104–6
Cohen, Paul 401–2
Compton wavelength 167
computers: chaos theory modelling on 61–2, 64; consciousness/artificial intelligence and 8, 281, 303–4, 313, 317, 322, 325, 336, 337–9, 345–6, 349, 351, 352, 355, 417; growth in power of 8, 53, 281
Comte, Auguste 10, 202, 243, 347, 409
Connes, Alain 300
‘connectome’ 345
consciousness 303–60, 403; anaesthesia and 334–5, 345; animals and 317–20, 322; brain as location of 306–11; brain cell types and 348; brain switching between perceptions and 320–3; Buddhism and 354; building an artificial brain that has 351–3; Chinese Room experiment and 338–9; Cleverbot app and 303–4, 313, 315–16, 317, 332, 338; computers/machines and 8, 303–4, 313, 315–16, 317, 322, 337–9, 345–6; ‘connectome’ and 345; two sides of brain and 308–11; death and 353–5; Descartes and 304, 350, 359; different qualities of 305–6; EEG/fMRI and 305, 314–16, 323, 333–9, 340, 350, 351, 354, 356–7; emergence in child 319; first emergence in universe 319–20; focus and 327; free will and 334–5; God concept and 319–20, 348–9; hard problem of 304–6, 347, 360; Human Brain Project and 352; humanities and expression of 419; integrated information theory (IIT) and 341, 342–5, 346, 347, 349, 350, 352, 353–4; internet and 345–6; language and 356–8; mathematical formula for 341, 342–5, 346, 347, 349, 352, 353–4; mind-body problem and 330–2; mirror recognition test and 317–19; mysterianism and 349–50, 351; Necker cube and 321, 323; neurons and 311–14, 323–9, 340, 341, 342, 343–6, 347, 348, 349, 350, 351, 353, 359, 376–7; out-of-body experiences and 328–30; perceptronium and 356; qualia and 325, 350; sleep and 339–41, 342, 343; synesthesia and 305, 325–6; thalamocortical system and 343–4; transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and 339–41; unconsciousness and brain activity 334–7, 339–41, 342–3; unknowable nature of 347, 349–50, 353 355–60, 407–8; vegetative state/locked in and 333–4; virtual reality goggles and 330; vision and 322–3; wave function and 156; where is? 306–9
continuum hypothesis 400–1, 403, 404, 405, 410
Copernicus, Nicolaus 178, 193, 210, 238
corpus callosotomy 309–11
cosmic horizon, visible 214, 221, 223, 226–7, 229, 230, 243
cosmic microwave background 221, 224–5, 226, 227–8, 229, 293–4
cosmic ray interactions 103, 105, 125, 142–3, 258
cosmological argument 406
cosmological constant 215, 224, 230
cosmology: ancient Greek 81; dark energy and 223–4; homogeneity and 234–5, 305; religion and 234–40 see also under individual area of cosmology
Couch Adams, John 196–7
Coulson, Charles 15
Crick, Francis 321, 347
Curtis, Heber 204
Cusanus, Nicolaus 191–2
Cygnus X–1 276–7
Dalai Lama 236, 354
Dalton, John 89
Darboux, Gaston 39
dark matter/dark energy 7, 222, 223–4, 227, 234, 365
Darwin, Charles 56, 230
Dawkins, Richard 13, 236, 237; The God Delusion 13, 15
de la Rue, Warren 10
death: consciousness and 8, 318, 354–5; dementia and 318; life after 8, 354–5; science and battle against 2
Delos, oracle of the island of 373–4
Delta baryon 108, 109, 110
dementia 318
Dennett, Daniel 358
Descartes, Rene 198, 304, 307, 330–1, 350, 359, 372, 406
Dhammapada, The 333
dice: ancient world and 21–2, 31, 32; atomic structure of 72–3, 77, 78–80, 81, 82–4, 88, 91–2, 94, 103, 111–13, 114, 121, 125, 127, 175, 187; Bell’s theorem and 171; black holes and 285, 289; calculus and 30–2, 33, 34, 88; Cantor set and 65–6; Cardano and 23–4; chaos theory and 41, 43, 44, 48, 54–5, 66–8, 157, 408, 419; consciousness and 304, 308–9, 321, 325, 338, 343; evolution and 56–7, 58–9; God and 22; infinity and 187, 188, 220, 242–3; microscope and 78–9, 80; Newton’s laws of motion and 32–3, 35–6, 67, 78, 88, 154; Pascal/Fermat and 24–8; predicting fall of, history of 21–8; quantum entanglement and 172–3; shape of universe and 188, 207, 208–9; symmetry and 111–17, 120, 121, 125; uncertainty principle and 160, 163–4, 167; uranium decay and 132–3, 158; what we cannot know and 407, 408, 414, 417, 419, 420
Diophantus 371; Arithmetica 374–5
Dirac, Paul 104, 174
DNA 1, 4, 56–7, 59, 61, 321
Doppler effect 214–15, 268
double-slit light experiment 134–6, 143, 144–7, 148, 149, 150, 151, 152–3, 154, 157, 161–2, 163, 165, 166, 169, 170, 171, 173
Douspis, Marian 226
down quark 117, 118, 119, 120, 121
dualism 330–1, 332
echolocation 57
Eddington, Arthur 271–2, 277
EEG 305, 314–16, 323, 340
Egypt, ancient 251, 332, 366, 368
Ehrsson, Henrik 329, 330, 331
eightfold way 113, 118, 119
Einstein, Albert 131, 275, 276, 277, 299; black holes and 277; Brownian motion and 92, 93–5, 123; cosmological constant and 215, 224; E=mc2 and 108, 167, 168; equivalence, principle of 267–9; expanding universe and 215–17; model of light 139, 141, 142, 143, 147; photoelectric effect and 141, 142, 143, 147; religion and 296–7; quantum entanglement and 172–3; quantum physics and 132, 170, 171, 172–3; space-time, reaction to concept of 262, 264; theory of general relativity 5, 6, 7–8, 115, 143, 168, 215, 219, 220, 248, 265, 267–72, 273, 275–6, 277, 278, 281–2, 285, 288, 293, 299; theory of special relativity 11, 105, 141, 143, 248, 252, 253–64, 296–7, 299, 359
élan vital 358, 408
electricity, Thomson’s experiments to understand 95–6, 140
electromagnetic force 107, 108, 274
electromagnetism 34, 104, 107, 108, 136, 138–43, 417
electron 48, 407; chaos theory and 70, 402; discovery of 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101; electromagnetic force and 107; hydrogen atom and 274; mass of 126, 127, 230; muon and 104, 105; particle model of light and 136–7, 140–3; periodic table and 103, 106, 116, 125; photoelectric effect and 140–1; quarks and 119–20, 125, 126, 127; string theory and 127; uncertainty principle and 133, 167–70; Young’s double-slit experiment and 143–56, 160, 161–3, 171, 173
electron microscopes 78–9
Elkies, Noam 375
emergent phenomena/emergence 331–2, 356
entropy of a system 285–7, 288, 290, 293
environment, man’s effect upon 2, 6, 53
epileptic seizures 309, 323–4, 326
epistemology 70, 170, 177–8, 179, 226, 411–12, 418
equivalence, principle of 267–9
Erdős, Paul 377–8
Eta particle 115
Euclid 271, 378–9, 380, 401; Elements 367–8, 390
Euler, Leonhard 34, 415
European space agency 187
event horizon 276, 277, 278, 282, 283, 285, 287, 288, 289, 290, 405
Everett, Hugh 155
evolution 2, 8, 56–66; Cambrian explosion of life 58; consciousness and 319–20, 346; Dalai Lama and 354; discovery of new knowledge and 2, 233; fractal tree of life and 60–2; God and 230, 411; mismanaged ecosystems and 55; origin of life and 56–66; pattern spotting and 20; probability/chaos theory and 54–5, 56–66; random mutation and 8, 56–62; solar system/universe 32–41, 43, 55, 133, 155, 177, 206, 220, 223, 234, 299, 377, 411
expanding universe 3, 5, 7, 214–29, 248, 291, 292, 293, 294, 335, 365; accelerating rate of expansion 3, 7, 221, 222–5, 291, 365, 408; Big Bang and 219–21; discovery of 214–18, 365; infinite universe and 225–9; multiverse and 227–35
extraterrestrials 8, 143, 239–40
Fermat, Pierre de 24, 25, 26–7, 28, 36; Fermat’s Last Theorem 4, 8, 36, 176–7, 374–5, 410, 420
Fermi, Enrico 106
Fermilab 122
Ferreira, Pedro 226
Feynman, Richard 3, 121, 131, 132, 155, 159, 174, 276, 305; diagrams 121; Lectures on Physics 158
Fitch, Frederic 413
Flanagan, Owen 349–50
fluid dynamics 34, 44–5
fMRI scanner 4, 305, 315–16, 323, 333–9, 350, 351, 354, 356–7, 416
Fourier, Joseph 34
fractals 60–2, 65, 66, 67, 68, 168, 364; fractal tree of life 60–2
fractions 49, 82–6, 101, 117, 191, 369, 370, 391, 394–5, 396
Franklin, Melissa 122–5, 240
Franklin, Professor W. S. 46
Fraunhofer telescope 197
free will 22, 70–1, 174, 334–9, 382
French Academy of Sciences 39
fundamental particles 5, 7, 28, 113, 114, 116, 117, 118, 120, 127, 171, 258, 387
Galilei, Galileo 5, 24–5, 29, 87, 193, 198, 235, 257, 296, 299, 305, 391–2, 394; Two New Sciences 392
Galle, Johann Gottfried 197
gallium 90–1
Gallup, Gordon 317, 318
gamma rays 100, 131
Gamow, George 3; Mr Tompkins in Paperback 148–9
Gardner, Martin 3
Gastineau, Mickael 63
Gauss, Carl Friedrich 392
Geiger, Hans 99
Gell-Mann, Murray 109, 110, 115, 117–19, 120, 125, 174–5
gene expression 8
general relativity, theory of 5, 6, 7–8, 115, 143, 168, 215, 219, 220, 248, 265, 267–72, 273, 275–6, 277, 278, 281–2, 285, 288, 293, 299
geometry: atoms and 81, 82; axioms and 367–8, 369, 378–80; consciousness and 325; dice and see dice; Euclid and 271, 367–8, 378–9, 380, 390, 401; fractals and 61; gravity and 267; Greek, ancient 22, 31, 262, 271, 367–8, 369, 373, 374–5, 378–9, 380, 390, 401; imaginary numbers and 417; light and 134, 209; parallel postulate 378–80, 401; Poincaré conjecture 4, 36–41, 42, 44, 62, 64, 375; shape of universe and 209–10, 262, 264, 265–6, 308–9; space-time and 262, 264, 265–6, 267, 296, 297; spherical and hyperbolic geometries 380, 401; symmetries and 112, 113, 114, 116, 125; vacuum and 183
Gettier, Edmund 412
God: aeon theory and 296; author and 13–14; Barrow and 236–40, 242; chaos theory and 69–71, 178–9; collapsing wave function and 178–9; consciousness and 319–20, 348–9, 355; cosmology and 235–7, 406; creation of idea of 13; Darwinian evolution and 230; Dawkins and 13, 15, 236, 237; definition of as things we cannot know 14–15, 68–71; dice and 21–2, 27–8, 36, 68–71, 242; Erdős’ concept of The Book and 377–8; ‘God of the gaps’ 14–15, 410, 411; imaginary number, as an 409–11; infinite regress and 180–1, 402, 406; infinity and 180–1, 190–2, 296–8, 391, 393, 398, 399, 401–2, 406; knowing the will of the gods 20–2; life after death 355; mathematics as a way to prove existence of 14, 26–8, 377–8; multi-mindset and 411; multiverse and 229–35, 238, 242; Newton and 35, 71; Pascal’s wager and 27–8, 36, 242; Polkinghorne and 69–70, 174–9, 240, 355; probability and 21–2, 27–8, 36, 69–71, 242; quantum physics and 174, 178–9, 180–1; question of why there is something rather than nothing and 180–1; ultimate laws of nature and 9; unanswered questions about the universe and 15, 181, 402–4, 409–11; uncertainty principle and 178–9, 180
Gödel, Kurt 265, 364, 377, 383–8, 397–8, 401, 402, 403, 414
Goldbach’s conjecture 376, 388
Google 6
Gordon, Carolyn 225
Gould, Stephen Jay 61
Grabski, Juliusz 67
graphene 4
gravity: aeon concept and 291, 293; black holes and 274–6, 277, 282, 283, 291; caesium fountain and 252; consciousness and 319; dark matter and 227; expanding universe and 215, 222, 223, 365; four fundamental forces and 107; general theory of relativity describes geometric nature of 215, 267–72, 281, 282; gravitational constant 230; Newton’s theories of 29, 30, 32, 33, 34, 37, 38, 72, 88, 196, 278–9; quantum 7, 168, 182, 183, 215, 218; singularities and 278–9, 281, 282
Greece, ancient 21, 22, 31, 32, 80, 81–5, 87, 97, 101, 107, 150–1, 188, 193, 198, 200, 201, 220, 262, 304, 306, 322, 366–9, 371, 373, 374–5, 389, 390
Gregory, James 193–4
group theory 374
Grishchuk, Leonid 226
Guth, Alan 228
Haldane, Andrew 54
half-life 105, 258–9
Halley, Edmond 194, 195
Harrington, Leo 388
Harvard College Observatory 202–3
Harvard University 122, 202–3, 375
Hawking, Stephen 157; A Brief History of Time 9, 277; black holes and 182, 276–7, 288–90, 293, 294, 298; Hawking radiation 288–90; on ‘illusion of knowledge’ 420; shape of space-time and 266
Haynes, John-Dylan 335, 336, 337
heat flow 34, 136–8
Heisenberg, Werner 107, 113, 123, 131, 132, 133, 159, 160, 162, 163, 165, 166–7, 169, 179, 180, 181–2, 243, 266, 274, 288, 388
Heron of Alexandria 198
Herschel, Friedrich Wilhelm 195–6, 197, 200–1
Hertz, Heinrich 96
Higman, Graham 376
Higgs boson 3–4, 272, 352, 356
Hilbert, David 381–2, 383, 384, 385, 386, 398, 400
Hippasus 83–4
homogeneity 235, 305
Hooker telescope 204
Hubble, Edwin 204, 211, 214–15, 216, 219
Human Brain Project 352
Hume, David 414–15
Hyatt, John Wesley 91
hydrogen atom 79, 86, 91, 97, 98, 100, 274–5
hyperbolic geometries 380, 401
I Ching 27
imaginary numbers 369, 372–3, 409–11, 417
Imperial College, London 115
‘inference to the best explanation’ 233
infinity 66; animal kingdom and 393–4; Cantor and 393–402, 406; Cohen and 401–2; comparing size of different infinities 391; continuum hypothesis and 400–1, 403, 404, 405; counting infinities 398; history of idea 389–92; infinite complexity 64–6, 168; infinite divisibility of time and space 86, 87, 95; infinite regress 126–7, 180, 402, 406; infinite universe 7, 53, 187–92, 205, 217, 218, 219–20, 225–7, 237, 238, 241–4, 247–8, 265, 294–5, 389, 391, 393, 405–6, 407, 419; mathematics and 66, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 95, 120, 126–7, 157, 168, 180, 243, 277–82, 374–5, 376–8, 381, 384–5, 388, 389–420; physically existence of 187–92; potential and actual 390, 392; proving 405–6, 407; symbol for 392, 398; theology/religion and 391, 393, 398, 401–2, 406
inflation 5, 228–9, 232–3, 234
Ingenhousz, Jan 93
Innes, Robert 201
integrated information theory (IIT) 342–3, 347, 349, 350
International Congress of Mathematicians 381–2
irrational numbers 84–6, 243, 374
‘island universes’ 203
Jaynes, Julian 319–20
Joyce, James: Finnegans Wake 117–18
Jupiter 63, 64, 190, 193, 196, 198–9
Kac, Mark 225
Kant, Emmanuel 144, 145, 203, 416, 418
kaons 106, 107, 110–11, 115, 118
Kapitaniak, Marcin 67
Kapitaniak, Tomasz 67
Karolinska Institute, Sweden 329–30
Kelvin, Lord 10, 11, 12
Kennard, Earle 163
Kepler, Johannes 29, 33, 193
Khayyam, Omar: The Rubaiyat 213
King’s College, London 115
Klein-Gordon equations 121
knowledge: awareness that we don’t know as crucial to progress 419–20; can we know anything? 411–18; can we really ever know we won’t know? 242–4; definitions of 412; desire to know 2; Gödel’s incompleteness theorem and 377, 383–8, 402–3, 413; humanities as best language for what it means to be human 419; justified true belief and 412–13; the know-it-all professorship 4–6; knowing when you can’t know 48–51; known unknowns 7–9; paradox of unknowability 413–14; science as narrative that only appears to describe reality 418; success rate of science and production of true knowledge 416; unknowability of ‘things in themselves’ 416, 418; what we cannot know 407–14, 418–20; what we don’t know 7–9; what we know 3–4; what we will never know 9–13 see also proof and under individual area of knowledge
Koch, Christof 321–3, 324–5, 328, 347–51, 352, 353–5, 359–60
Kronecker, Leopold 398–9
Kurzwell, Ray 8; The Singularity is Near 281
Lakatos, Imre: Proofs and Refutations 415
Lamb, Willis 106
Lambda baryons 107, 119
Lambert, Johann Heinrich 85
language: consciousness and 305, 308, 310, 311, 315, 338–9, 352, 356–8; limits of knowledge and 408–9; linguistic competence and linguistic performance, distinction between 388; origin of 382; paradoxical/slippery nature of 364, 381, 384
Laplace, Pierre-Simon 34, 36, 64, 71, 72, 133, 156, 275; Philosophical Essay on Probabilities 34–5
Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN 3–4, 98, 103, 115, 119, 120, 121, 124
Lascaux caves, France 20, 249–51
Laskar, Jacques 63
law of octaves 90
laws of motion, Newton’s 32–7, 67, 72, 87–8, 97
laws of nature, search for ultimate 9, 36, 238
Leavitt, Henrietta 202–3, 204
Leibniz, Gottfried 5, 71, 252, 253
Lemaître, Georges 215, 219, 235
Leonardo da Vinci 307
Leverrier, Urbain 196–7
light: aeon theory and 291; Big Bang and 220–1, 282; black holes and 275–6, 277, 282, 285, 288; cathode rays and 95–6; curvature of space and 275–6; Doppler effect and 214–15; electromagnetic force and 108; expanding universe and 214–16, 222, 224, 408; infinite universe and 207, 208–11, 220; measuring distance to planets and 216; measuring galaxies from 214–15; Newton’s theory of 88, 134; particle nature of 88, 134–49; red and blue wavelengths of 214–18, 220, 222, 224; special theory of relativity and 253–8, 259, 260–1, 262–3, 264, 268, 269–72, 281–2; speed of 72, 105, 176, 198–200, 217, 224, 228, 253–8, 259, 260–1, 262–3, 264 268, 269–72, 275, 281–2, 291; star emission and analysis of 10, 202, 203, 204 see also photons
Lightman, Alan: Einstein’s Dreams 273
Linde, Andrei 229
Lippershey, Hans 193
Lloyd, Seth: ‘Computational Capacity of the Universe’ 377
Lorenz, Edward 44–5, 46; ‘Does the Flap of a Butterfly’s Wings in Brazil Set Off a Tornado in Texas?’ 46
Louis XI, King 22
Lucas, John: ‘Minds, Machines and Gödel’ 387
Lucretius: On the Nature of Things 93
Luminet, Jean-Pierre 225
luminous material 238
Lyapunov exponent 62–3
Mach, Ernst 92, 249
Magellan, Ferdinand 206, 207, 210, 211
Major, John 52
Manhattan Project 117
many worlds’ interpretation of physics 155–6
Marino, Lori 318
Markram, Henry 352
Mars 190
mathematical universe hypothesis (MUH) 297–8
mathematics: ancient Greek see Greece, ancient; breakthroughs in 4, 375–8; can we know anything at all in? 415–18; certainty and 364–6; consciousness and see consciousness; conjectures as lifeblood of 420; cracking of great unsolved problems 375–8; dice and see dice; God and see God; infinity and see infinity; limit of senses and 417–18; mathematical universe hypothesis (MUH) 297–8; proof and 6, 366–73, 377–8, 401, 405–6, 417; proves that certain things are beyond knowledge 369–73, 401, 405–6, 417; quantum physics and see quantum physics; science vs. 364–6; theorems see under individual theorem name; timeless nature of 297–8; unknowns in see under individual area of mathematics; ‘unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics’ 298 see also individual area of mathematics
Maxwell, James Clerk 34, 136, 142, 143, 419; Matter and Motion 47
May, Robert M. 51–3, 72; chaos theory and 48–54, 55, 56, 57, 72; ‘Simple Mathematical Models with Very Complicated Dynamics’ 48–51, 56
McCabe, Herbert 15, 181
McGurk effect 328
Mendeleev, Dmitri 89–90, 91, 106, 108, 116
Mercury 63–4, 190, 194
Méré, Chevalier de 24–5, 26
Mermin, David 154, 155
Messiaen, Olivier 305
MET office 46–7, 61–2
Michell, John 275
Michelson, Albert Abraham 10–11, 253, 254, 255, 275
microscopes 78–9, 88, 93, 126, 305, 307, 416
Milky Way 203, 204, 227
Millikan, Robert Andrews 142–3
mind-body problem 330–2
Minkowski, Hermann 261–2, 270
Mittag-Leffler, Gösta 39–41, 204, 399
Moon 20, 34, 37, 38, 189, 190, 198, 206, 250, 251, 267
Moore’s law 8, 281
Mora, Patricia 280
Morley, Edward 253, 254, 255, 275
Mount Wilson, California 105–6, 204
multiverse 227–35, 238, 242, 298, 382, 404–5
muon 104, 105, 106, 258–9
Museum of the History of Science 188
music 77, 78, 79, 80–1, 82, 85, 88, 89, 90, 101, 121, 122, 126, 127, 137, 138, 139, 140, 177, 191, 195, 308, 314, 369, 419
mysterianism 349–50, 351
National Physical Laboratory, London 252, 254
Navier–Stokes equations 34
Ne’eman, Yuval 115
Necker cube 321, 323, 328
Neddermeyer, Seth 104
negative curvature 210
negative numbers 371–2
Neptune 197, 227
neurons: ageing and 258, 259; C. elegans worm complete neuronal network published 4, 345, 349; consciousness and 5, 309, 311–14, 323–9, 340, 341, 342, 343–6, 347, 348, 349, 350, 351, 353, 359, 376–7; Jennifer Aniston neuron 4, 324–7, 347, 359; Ramón y Cajal discoveries 311–13, 348
neutrinos 105, 221, 407
neutron 79, 90, 95, 100–1, 103, 105, 106, 107, 110, 116, 119, 125, 126, 165, 166
New Scientist 2, 4
Newlands, John 90
Newton, Sir Isaac 5, 6, 28–9, 53, 86, 131, 141, 156, 168, 176, 179, 262, 272; calculus and 30–2, 87; dice and 35–6, 154; God and 71; gravity and 29, 30, 32, 33–4, 37, 38, 72, 88, 196, 278–9; laws of motion and 29, 32–7, 38, 67, 72, 78, 87–8, 97, 133, 143, 153, 154, 159, 278–9, 280; life of 29–30; Opticks 88, 134; Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica 29, 32–5, 88, 252, 257; planetary motion and 33–41, 72, 280; relativity and 257; space and time, view of absolute nature of 252, 253, 262; Theory of Everything and 35; theory of light 88, 134, 135, 141
Nishijima, Kazuhiko 109–10
Nobel Prize 5, 106, 143, 204, 236, 321
non-commutativity 164
novae 204
nuclear fusion 274
nucleons 107–8
number theory 378, 384–8, 401–2, 403, 404
observation, quantum physics and 148–58, 168–70, 173, 178
Occam’s razor 233
Old Babylonian Period 83
omega particle 115–16
ontology 70, 170, 177, 178, 179, 418
Oppenheimer, Robert 117
Oresme, Nicolas 190–1, 218, 235, 391–2, 393, 394
Oscar II of Norway and Sweden, King 37–8, 62
out-of-body experiences 328–30
Owen, Adrian 333–4
Pais, Abraham 109
Papplewick Pumping Station 137–8, 139
paradox of unknowability 413–14
parallax 200–1, 202
parallel postulate 378–80, 401
Paris, Jeff 388
Parkinson’s UK Brain Bank 307–8, 313–14
Pascal, Blaise 24–5, 26–8, 36; Pascal’s wager 26–8, 241, 242; Pensées 389
Penrose, Roger 277–8, 290, 291–6, 387
pentaquark 120, 124
Pepys, Samuel 35–6
perceptronium 356
Perelman, Grigori 375–6
periodic paths 38–9
periodic table 86–7, 89–92, 95, 97, 101, 103, 106, 116, 125, 274
Perrin, Jean Baptiste: Les Atomes 94
photoelectric effect 140–3, 147
photons 10, 108, 141, 147, 148, 149, 150, 155, 156, 163, 168–9, 207, 208, 220–1, 227–8, 284, 287, 291, 292
physics: limits of discoveries 10–11, 12, 20, 123, 405, 418; many worlds’ interpretation of 155–6; no mechanism to explain 230; tension between mathematics and 404–5; unification of general relativity and quantum physics 7, 168, 219, 220 see also under individual area of physics
pions 106, 107, 108, 109, 110–11, 115, 118
Planck, Max: Planck constant 138–9, 141, 163, 407; Planck length 167–8, 407 Planck spacecraft 226
planets: detecting new 195–8, 200–1, 227; distances between 193–5; measuring time and 251, 259, 267, 269, 278–9, 280; modelling of future trajectories 63–4, 72; motion of 29, 33–41, 62–4, 72, 88, 193, 279, 280; multiverse and 231; music of the spheres and 81; new habitable 3; singularities and 280
Plato 81–2, 113, 188, 208–9, 304, 368, 373, 409–10, 412
Pleiades 20, 250
Plough or Big Dipper 190, 191, 213
Podolsky, Boris 172
Poincaré, Henri 4, 36–41, 42, 44, 62, 64, 375
Poisson, Siméon-Denis 34
Polaris star 188
Polkinghorne, John 69–70, 174–9, 240, 355
Popper, Karl 233, 239, 415
population dynamics 1–2, 48–51, 56, 62, 65, 176, 280–1
PORC conjecture 376–7, 388, 420
Preskill, John 289–90
prime numbers 8, 157, 404, 415
probability 21–2, 23–8, 35, 37, 60, 92, 94, 146–8, 153, 154, 155, 157, 158, 159, 162, 178, 308, 349, 403, 405, 408
proof: birth of idea 366–9; by contradiction 83–4, 243; certain knowledge and mistakes in mathematical 39–41, 377, 383–8, 402–3, 412–16; chance to establish more permanent state of knowledge and 6, 366–7; false 412–13
proprioception 416–17
proton 79, 90, 95, 98–9, 100, 101, 103, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 116, 117, 119–20, 123, 125, 126, 166
Proxima Centauri 188, 201, 202
punctuated equilibria 61
Pythagoras 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 89, 117, 127, 206, 243, 255, 256, 262, 324, 325, 326, 359, 363, 370, 374
qualia 325, 350, 357
quantum physics 11, 12, 28, 69, 70, 104, 126, 127, 131, 132, 133, 143–58, 159–83, 219, 220, 228–9, 231, 241, 274, 284, 288, 289, 297, 338, 354, 355, 402, 407, 408–9; black holes and 274, 284, 288, 289, 355; chaos theory and see chaos theory; Copenhagen interpretation of 178; counterintuitive nature of 132, 159, 164, 284; density of electron and 126; double-slit light experiment 134–6, 143, 144–7, 148, 149, 150, 151, 152–3, 154, 157, 161–2, 163, 165, 166, 169, 170, 171, 173; electromagnetism, attempt to unify with 104; general relativity, unifying with theory of 7, 168, 219, 220; inflation and 229; language and 408–9; observation and 148–58, 168–70, 173, 178; particle nature of light and 88, 134–49; quantum entanglement 172; quantum fluctuations 182, 183, 228–9, 231, 288; quantum gravity 7, 168, 183; quantum microscopes 79; quantum tunnelling 165–6; quantum Zeno effect 150–1; radioactive uranium emission of radiation and 131–3, 143–4, 150, 151, 158, 159, 160, 166–7, 171–2, 173–4, 176, 177, 178, 179, 180, 183; repeating an experiment in 408; reversible laws of 284–5, 355; trusting the maths of 165; uncertainty principle and 133, 159–60, 162–3, 164, 165, 166–7, 168–70, 180, 181–3, 243, 266, 274–5, 288, 290; wave function 5, 146–9, 153–8, 165, 169, 173, 177, 178–9, 402
quark 3, 79, 116–21, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 175, 187, 298, 335, 407
quidditism 298
Rabi, Isidor 105
radioactivity 98–9, 107, 131, 132–3, 171, 173
Ramón y Cajal, Santiago 311–13, 348
randomness 70, 131, 133, 143–4, 153, 154–5, 171–2, 174, 230, 338
redshift 214–16, 220, 222, 224
Rees, Martin 418
Reiss, Diana 318
relativity, theories of 5, 6, 7–8, 12, 72, 105, 115, 141, 143, 168, 219, 220, 248, 252, 253–72, 273, 275, 277, 278, 281, 282, 285, 288, 291, 293, 296, 299, 359
religion 13–15, 68–71, 174–8, 179, 181, 235–40, 320, 348–9, 355, 393, 399, 401–2, 410, 411 see also God
rhetoric, art of 368, 369
Riemann, Bernhard 261–2, 376, 377, 388, 402, 404, 413, 420
Robertson, Howard 163
Robinson, Julia 401
Rømer, Ole 199
Rosen, Nathan 172
Rosetta Stone 113
Rovelli, Carlo 300
Royal Academy of Sciences, Paris 199
Royal Institution Christmas Lectures 2–3
Royal Observatory 197
Royal Society 90, 326–7
Royal Swedish Academy of Science 39
Rufus of Ephesus 306
Rumsfeld, Donald 11
Rushdie, Salman: Midnight’s Children 247, 264
Russell, Bertrand 380–1, 412
Rutherford, Ernest 98, 99, 100, 119, 120
Saint Augustine 22, 296; City of God 391; Confessions 249
Sartre, Jean-Paul 337
Saturn 63, 64, 190, 196
Schopenhauer, Arthur 77, 78
Schrödinger, Erwin 5, 131, 132, 146, 154, 177
Schumacher, Heinrich Christian 392
science/scientific discovery: constantly evolving nature of 364–6; dominance of 1–2; exponential growth in 3–4, 8–9; laws of nature, search for ultimate 9; mathematics vs. 364–6; only appears to describe reality 418; questions that can never be resolved 9–13, 295, 347, 349–50, 353, 355–60, 405–6, 407–20; success rate of and production of true knowledge 416
Scientific American 2
Searle, John 338–9
self-recognition test, animals and 317–19
sense of self 317, 319–20, 331, 342, 343
senses: limit of 416–18; out-of-body experiences and 328–30, 416
Serber, Robert 117, 119
S4 (group of symmetries) 112
Shakespeare, William 219, 399
Shapely, Harlow 204
Sigma baryons 107, 108, 109, 110, 115, 119
singularity 8–9, 219, 220, 238, 248, 278–82, 283, 284, 289, 290, 293, 294
61 Cygni 201, 202
sleep, consciousness and 315–16, 339–41, 342, 343, 344, 346
Small Magellanic Cloud 203
Socrates 412
space-time: black holes and 276–8, 283, 284, 285; God and 296–8; origin of concept 262–4; shape of 264–72, 275–8, 283; singularities and 283, 284, 293
special relativity, theory of 105, 141, 143, 248, 252, 253–64, 275, 296, 359
Sphinx observatory, Switzerland 213–14, 223
square number 392, 394
‘squaring the circle’ 373–4
Stanford University 229, 401; Stanford Linear Accelerator Center 119
stars: Andromeda nebula 203, 204; Big Bang and 220; black holes and 274–7, 284; chemical composition of 10; collapse of 222, 275, 276, 277; Comte predicts we will never know constituents of 10, 202, 243, 347, 409; creation of a 274; curved space-time and 271–2; death of 222; expanding universe and 214–18, 220, 222–3, 224, 227; fusion of atoms in 274; general theory of relativity and 271, 272; luminous matter and 238; measuring distance/brightness of 202–5, 214–16; paper star globe 187–8, 190, 195, 200, 201, 225, 227, 244; red giant 63; redshift and 214–16, 220, 222, 224; shape of universe and 187–8, 208–9; size of universe/infinity and 187–8, 190–2, 202–7; speed of light and 253; stellar parallax 200–1, 202; supernova and 222; white dwarf 274–5 see also under individual star and constellation name
stellar parallax 200–1, 202
Stoppard, Tom: Arcadia 19, 53
strange quark 117, 118, 119, 120, 121
strangeness 108, 109–11, 115–16
string theory 127, 168, 234
strong nuclear force 107, 108, 109–10
Strzalko, Jaroslaw 67
SU(3) (symmetrical object) 5, 111–12, 113, 114, 115, 116–17, 120, 125
SU(6) (symmetrical object) 121
Sun 188, 189, 190, 193, 196, 199–200, 201, 203, 275; black holes and 276, 277; as centre of universe 193, 227, 413; Cepheid stars and 203, 204; chemical composition of 10; creation of 274; curved space-time and 271; distance of Earth from 193–5, 201, 206; entropy and 287; gravity and creation of 274; mass of 34, 275; measuring time and 251, 253, 271; pattern of movement 20, 188, 227, 251, 253, 271; planets orbit of 176, 193–6, 227; red giant, evolution into 63; size of 189; speed of light and 198, 199–200, 201, 253; time measurement and 251, 253, 271; trigonometry and 189, 201
supernova 222, 275
symmetry 103, 110, 111–17, 120, 121, 125, 269–72, 273, 327, 342, 344, 374, 376
synesthesia 325–6
Taleb, Nassim: The Black Swan 12
Tartaglia, Niccolò Fontana 25
technology: brain studies and 306, 314, 329–30, 336; singularity 281; rate of change/growth in 8, 281
Tegmark, Max 297–8
telescope: Andromeda and 204; discovery of new planets and 3, 195–8; invention of 189, 190, 192, 193–5, 200, 296, 305, 416; measuring distance of planets and 193–5; name 193; neural 305, 314–16, 323; paper 322–3, 325–6, 328; speed of light and 198–9, 200; stellar parallax and 201; trigonometry as 189–90
telomeres 5
Templeton Foundation 236, 237
Templeton, Sir John/Templeton prize 235–6, 237
Thales of Miletus 366–7
‘The Great Debate’, Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, 1920 203–4
theory of abduction 233
Theory of Everything 9, 34–5
thermal time hypothesis 300
thermodynamics, second law of 285–6, 287, 290, 293
Thomson, J. J. 95, 96, 97, 98, 104–5, 140
Thorne, Kip 277, 289, 290
time: aeon concept and 292–6; asymmetrical twins and 269–70; atomic clock 123, 252, 254, 269; before Big Bang, existence of 7, 9, 248–9, 262–7, 284, 290, 291–6, 407; black holes and see black holes; calculus and 30, 31; day, measuring the 251; Einstein and see Einstein, Albert; emergence and 331; entropy and 286–7; equivalence and 267–9; existence of 7, 299–300; future of universe and 291–3; general relativity and 5, 6, 7–8, 115, 143, 168, 219, 220, 248, 265, 267–72, 273, 277, 278, 281–2, 285, 288, 293; God and space-time 296–8; Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle and 181–3; incompleteness of knowledge, as an expression of 299–300; infinite 192; Leibniz belief in relative nature of 252–3; muon decay and 258–9; nature of 247–72, 273; Newton’s belief in absolute nature of 252, 253, 262; relative nature of 252–64; second, measuring the 251–2; shape of 264–72, 275–8, 283; space-time, origin of concept 262–4 see also space-time; special relativity and 105, 141, 143, 248, 252, 253–64, 268, 269–72, 275, 281–2, 296, 359; speed of light and 72, 105, 176, 198–200, 217, 224, 228, 253–8, 259, 260–1, 262–3, 264, 268, 269–72, 275, 281–2, 291; thermal time hypothesis 300; time and space, infinite divisibility of 87, 252–4, 261–4; what is? 249–52 see also space-time
Tononi, Giulio 339, 340, 341, 342, 343, 345, 346, 347, 349, 352, 353, 355
top quark 3, 120, 121, 122
transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) 339–41
trigonometry 189–90, 194, 195, 201
Truman Show, The 205, 206
turbulence 8
Turing, Alan 150, 151, 338, 359
twin primes conjecture 376
UCL 229
uncertainty principle 133, 159–60, 162–3, 164, 165, 166–7, 168–70, 180, 181–3, 243, 266, 274–5, 288, 290
universe: birth of/Big Bang 219–21, 228, 234, 237, 248, 262, 264, 265, 266–7, 272, 278, 281–2, 284, 289, 290, 291, 292–6, 311, 377, 407; clockwork/deterministic 34–6, 38, 69–70, 71, 72, 133, 155, 158; collisions 229; cut-out 187–8, 190, 195, 201, 225, 227, 244; emergence of consciousness in 319–20; end of 291–6; entropy and see entropy; expanding 3, 5, 7, 214–29, 248, 291, 292, 293, 294, 335, 365; finite without an edge 205–11; God and see God and religion; holographic 290; infinite 7, 53, 187–92, 205, 217, 218, 219–20, 225–7, 237, 238, 241–4, 247–8, 265, 294–5, 389, 391, 393, 405–6, 407, 419; ‘island universes’ 203; mathematical universe hypothesis (MUH) 297–8; multiverse 7, 227–35, 238, 242, 298, 382–3, 404–5; rewinding 218, 219–21; shape of 188–9, 206–7, 208–11, 231, 264–78, 283, 308–9; simulation 418
University of California 338
University of Hertfordshire 326
University of Wisconsin–Madison: Centre for Sleep and Consciousness 339
up quark 117, 118, 119, 120, 121
Upsilon Andromedae 64
Ur, Mesopotamia 21
uranium 98, 99, 131–3, 144, 150, 151, 158, 159, 160, 166–7, 171–2, 173–4, 176, 177, 178, 179, 180, 183, 275
Uranus 195–6, 200–1
Venus 64, 190, 193–5
Villard, Paul 100
Vilenkin, Alexander 229
Virgo, constellation of 188
virtual reality goggles 330
vitalism 358
von Foerster, Heinz 280
Wallis, John 392, 398
weak nuclear force 107, 108, 109, 110
weather prediction 45, 46–7, 53, 61–2, 63
Weil, André 387
Well, David 225
Wernicke, Carl 308
Wheeler, John 276
white dwarf 275
whole numbers 80–1, 82, 84–5, 89, 97, 98, 101, 117, 126, 243, 374, 375, 391, 395, 396, 397, 400, 401, 404
Wigner, Eugene 298
Wikipedia 5, 6
Wiles, Andrew 375, 410, 420
Williamson, Timothy: Knowledge and Its Limits 413, 414
Wiseman, Richard 326–7
Wittgenstein, Ludwig 415; Philosophical Investigations 356–8; Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus 420
Wolpert, Scott 225
Woodin, Hugh 404
Wright, Thomas 203
Xi particles 107, 115, 119
Yajnavalkya 413
Yale University 83
Young, Thomas 134, 135, 136, 143, 144, 147
Zel’dovich, Yakov 226
Zeno of Elea 87, 150–1
Zhihong Xia 72, 280
Zweig, George 119