Einstein's theory of general relativity was monumental. However, despite all of its successful predictions, general relativity cannot be the final word on gravity. The theory fails when we try to derive gravitational forces at extremely small distances of order 10-35 metres. At these length scales, which have to be probed if we want to understand issues such as the origin of the big bang or what happens inside a black hole, only a new gravitational paradigm can succeed.
Understanding gravity at all length scales and reconciling it with quantum mechanics isn't the only challenge faced by particle physics. Our theories of particle physics don't yet explain some important questions about particles and forces, such as why we have the particular fundamental particles we do and what is the origin of their masses. It is clear to physicists that we haven't yet arrived at the theory of everything. However, many physicists ...
20:00 03 July 2008
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