[ RESEARCH ]
[ L A S T S E E N : I N T H E WA S H I N G M A C H I N E ]
PA R AD OX
GR AVITY Caused by massive objects that warp the fabric of space & time
Caused by forces such as magnetism
GEN ERAL RELATIVITY
Q UANT UM M ECHAN ICS
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Describes behaviour of particles at a cosmic scale = big things like warping of space & time
Describes behaviour of particles at an atomic scale = small things like atoms & electrons
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All the fundamental particles at the cosmic / atomic scale obey the laws of these theories – except gravity.
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Both theories and their relation to gravity are needed to explain what happens inside black holes and the big bang.
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But both disagree on how gravity works, leading to paradoxes and things like singularities, where the theories break down.
--singularity: a point at which a function takes an infinite value, especially in space–time when matter is infinitely dense, such as at the centre of a black hole.