What does a theoretical physicist do?

[@aplacefaraway]

"What does a theoretical physicist do?" This is one of the many unsolved problems in physics.

[@babyrazor6887]

Nice one! x 100

[@user-hr8pz6lh5w]

they teach Thermonuclear hydrodynamics.

[@rickh3714]

CERN has just announced that it's laboratories will close down as of tomorrow . "All knowledge of the physical Universe has been achieved and no scientific work beyond general Earth-keeping need be done" said the Head of CERN in a teary speech delivered to the U.N yesterday. Predictions for the year this will happen? The LHC will be converted into a luge run for the * * * * * Winter Olympics she also stated.

[@Joeyd1184]

work at black mesa? idk

[@nickmerix2900]

They screw up real physics

[@bobtimster62]

Einstein was once asked by someone, who apparently did not know what theoretical physics was, where his laboratory was. He proudly held up his pencil. Another time he was asked what his most useful tool was. His response was that it was his wastebasket.

[@einsteindrieu]

Like that !

[@arpanroy213]

Ki

[@psibarpsi]

Where did you get that info?

[@bobtimster62]

@@psibarpsi I read it in several places. Unfortunately, I can't remember where. You might find it in some biographies of Einstein. I'm not sure.

[@BruceWayne-us3kw]

I’m kinda skeptical that Einstein ever said that. There are lots of things people claimed that he said but many of them are false.

[@MICHAELYEPES]

"Physics is the only thing you can really understand; it's the rest of the world that doesn't make sense."

[@NicleT]

MICHAEL YEPES one of the most important quote from this video! It reminds me that even if I have glasses to see the world, it is fundamentally out of focus.

[@jpp9876]

That's because the laws of physics are very dependable. But also very unforgiving.

[@darxray]

It’s so weird that some scientists are constantly trying to devalue the experience of other people

[@DangDatsCrazy]

​​@@darxrayThe point is based on the notion that everything else does ultimately depend on physics. So to understand anything truly and fully, you will have to understand the physics behind it. No devaluation, no selfishness, just a thought provoking idea.

[@DC-zi6se]

​@@darxray it's a joke.

[@Thulesmann]

Physicists and Mathematicians have my highest respect. They are at the cognitive upper limit of human intelligence at this point in our evolution. I have a sense of awe when I contemplate their high intellects and their self-discipline, work ethic and ability to focus, and their idealistic hunger for the knowledge that can create a better world for all of us.

[@sneakylemon8513]

I dunno dude. I'm busy with my BSc in maths and physics. People still call me stupid all the time 😂 maybe one day when I have a phd they'll stop. I remember once when I was at school my science teacher called me an airhead, to which I pointed out that I get the best marks in his class. He just laughed and said I must have cheated. I know he was kidding but it kinda stung.

[@Thulesmann]

@@sneakylemon8513 Your science teacher was a jerk to belittle you like that. Go for the PhD. if that is your goal and don't let such negative people stop you.

[@Pclub4ever]

@@sneakylemon8513 Don't let other people dictate what you think about yourself. Get your education and focus on yourself. You'll have the last laugh. You got this.

[@carti8778]

@@sneakylemon8513 people won’t care much even if u have a phd. I will defend my phd (theoretical physics)in sept this year and life is still the same. Also , i don’t wanna continue in academia bcz there are very less permanent positions and the pay in postdocs is ridiculously low. I am planning to switch to data science/machine learning so i prepare for it alongside my phd. I know u are excited now ( i was too during bachelors) but this enthusiasm won’t be the same in grad school. Currently, U need a minimum of 2-3 postdocs (6 years) after a phd to apply for a good permanent position

[@sneakylemon8513]

@@carti8778 that's pretty sad. Yeah, my plan is actually just to finish my BSc and then do an HDE and become a highschool maths teacher. Then go overseas a bit to make some real money and then settle back in my home town and just do what I love. I've been a tutor for like 10 years and a substitute teacher for 2 years and I just love working with the kids. They're such fascinating beings 😂

[@bhangrafan4480]

Years ago I worked in Universities doing molecular biology research, but there were physics and maths departments in these places, and I always loved these subjects. What I saw of the physicists (theoretical ones) was each was locked in a little tiny office with a desk and a computer, and spent all day on the computer running simulations and doing calculations. It seemed a very isolated life compared to experimental work in a large open plan laboratory complex.

[@justaracoonchillinginatoilet69]

yoo ive seen you on the hippiearab podcast channel before. guess we have similar interests. damn the internet is a small place

[@itslogical3884]

Why were they locked in the office? So they can focus better, or to prevent them from escaping to the biology dept.

[@Khaosminded]

😂​@@itslogical3884

[@angelgavieiro]

I loved the final statement... that must be the reason why I watch physics youtubes, they make sense in comparison to the rest of my day... even when I am not fully (or even partly sometimes) understanding them!

[@musicalBurr]

Nice work Sabine! Save the best comment for last! (Eminently quotable) You are a great performer and know how to put on a good show, setting aside your math and physics prowess. I get so excited when I see there's a new video from you - never disappoints! Thanks again. James.

[@donald-parker]

From the great philosopher YB: "In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice - In practice, there is."

[@youmaycallmeken]

He (also) said "I never said half the things I said." Quote Investigator: There is no substantive reason to credit Berra, Einstein, or Feynman. The expression was coined before Einstein had reached his third birthday and before the other two were born. quoteinvestigator.com/2018/04/14/theory/

[@skydebnath2593]

The last line made my day... It gave me a confirmation that I am on the right track.... Thank you very much

[@dominiksrokowski8913]

Merry Christmas! and well deserved holiday! Please bring us more of you next year!

[@olivierjung913]

Frohe Weihnachten und rutsch gut ins Neue Jahr mit deinen Lieben ; )

[@MichaelZeng-hn5my]

Sabine Hossenfelder explaination on theoretical physicists do is clear n amazing. She is one of the finest best teacher lecturer in the sciencetific areas. She should appeared more on the internets channels will assist young sciencetists to think widely on physics. I always watch her programmes with alots of intesrests in physics.

[@sergeyyatskevitch3617]

Great insight, especially about the importance of being good at Math (diff equations, group theory, stochastic systems, etc.). This is why you can meet theor physicists anywhere from the Perimeter Institute to the high-frequency trading shops. To rephrase, learning math is more interesting than learning how to code. Although the latter is needed as well. Cheers!

[@captainoates7236]

Sabine is the best at the public outreach part. My presence here is living proof.

[@einsteindrieu]

Me as a Scientist worked on trying to figure out Einstein's Time slowing down as you speed up.Now that teaches me something that is a conversion of energies.There's a give and take working on this mass.This is where the start is to figure out what time is.

[@ivanfromunion3513]

Me: "You have me! I AM GOING TO BECOME A THEORETICAL PHYSICIST!" Sabine: "You get an education" and "You have to understand the mathematics"... Me: "AS SOON AS I FEED THE CAT."

[@BenReillySpydr1962]

You could just put it in a box and move on

[@mihirmyatra1302]

@@BenReillySpydr1962 it won't die until you see it. Don't see it forever ;)

[@TheRealBoeJiden]

Mihir Myatra Schrodinger called he wants his experiment back 😅

[@TheLJShow-ys8wr]

@@mihirmyatra1302 Box gotta block the smell.

[@davew4998]

@@mihirmyatra1302 Maybe.

[@manoo422]

The problem is that almost no one (outside of the field of science) understands what a 'theory' means. Almost everyone (i.e the public) think its just an 'idea' you came up with that day!

[@WestOfEarth]

Or they think 'theory' is synonymous with 'guess'. How many times do you hear someone say 'It's just a theory'?

[@massecl]

@@WestOfEarth A theory is based on a set of premises, or axioms. They are guesses, and can never be totally verified. The theories are periodically replaced by better theories, that may or may not contain the previous one as a limiting case, they are not persistent. You have been indoctrinated in thinking that theories are truth because there is some vested interest behind, but science is mainly doubt and humility.

[@massecl]

@@WestOfEarth Who are you?

[@pronounjow]

"BUT THAT'S JUST A THEORY... A GAME THEORY!" Sorry, I'm referencing another KZbin channel's closing line as a meme.

[@GrouchierThanThou]

@@massecl Nope. Theories are not guesses. From Wikipedia: "Scientific theories are the most reliable, rigorous, and comprehensive form of scientific knowledge." Knowledge and truth are not entirely synonymous, obviously, but they are certainly terms that are closely related to each other. Knowledge and guess on the other hand, are almost diametrically opposed to each other in meaning.

[@touhoulinuxfan8399]

“What does a theoretical physicist do?” *Sometimes* they fly around with tau cannons and HEV suits

[@richardduke9788]

Sounds easy ! Read books , go to meetings, talk to people - but you have to be able to connect the dots between all of that information .

[@Simple-EDU]

Unforseen Consequences

[@Jeff-o2o]

They push crystals

[@c4t4r4c]

it's the rest of the world that doesn't make sense :D :D :D on point!

[@TheSimonScowl]

@Hell Fridge: " At least there's a tiny chance for the textbook :D" Not if it lives in Texas!

[@TheSimonScowl]

@Hell Fridge I suppose there COULD be states as backwards as Texas in other continents. I'm not putting money on it though.

[@TheSimonScowl]

Alabama, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia... are not far behind (#5 is my home state).

[@massecl]

It doesn't make sense for her because she doesn't understand it, and she dismiss any people who is able to understand it. It's a very egocentric stance, one of the most annoying trait of today's scientists.

[@xspotbox4400]

Not if you're a jackass.

[@europaeuropa3673]

I like your videos because your voice is clear and very easy to hear with the background noises usually present where I live. However, not all of your subject matter is easy to understand...........sometimes I have to make an effort to think about it.

[@petarcuric5003]

Thank you for the video❤️!!! I was wondering that question in the past few weeks!

[@I_hunt_lolis]

What does a theoretical physicist do? Clearly pushing carts and buttons all while running around in a secret underground research facility whacking interdimentional aliens with a crowbar...

[@stueyapstuey4235]

0:57 'depends strongly on the field' and (ahem) the funding...

[@assiavladimirovna8905]

I read this comment exactly at the time she said that I was like wow lol

[@jaykay2218]

You don’t really need much funding for theoretical physics

[@Brassard1985]

Yep

[@davew4998]

@@jaykay2218 If you want to eat you do.

[@ameerkherbawi8466]

@@assiavladimirovna8905 lmao me too

[@cymoonrbacpro9426]

I Love your work and honestly! Thank you

[@kenmcnearny2727]

The concepts of physics seem intuitively easy to understand oddly though I find the mathematics impenetrable. Oppositional movements of discrete bodies evolving into vectors of motion as they effect one another are easy and pleasant to visualize mentally but the math goes down like a sandpaper sandwich. Funny how people are different like that. And thank you for evoking a pleasant memory of a co-worker and doctoral candidate explaining that writing a doctoral thesis is as simple as taking a body of knowledge and rearranging it in a unique way. Anyone can do it really (not their first day of course) she said with a smile.

[@BillyLapTop]

Wonderful amount of information and inference revealed between the lines. Good explanation.

[@bestowicprimer8835]

You mean the point of administration emphasized, not normal "programing" what kinda shit is going on here and observations are not matching the math in cosmology !! It's the universe is wrong not the math. Dark matter is real the math says so!!! Geeze ok look here I saw the upset scientists when the blackhole reveal I heard them use undertones and push secret only great minds would hear literally reading between the line mentioning hawking again and again. Is the world just not ready for the neo world? I'm sorry they got to u.

[@BillyLapTop]

I found between the lines, currents of liberation from established dogma.

[@bestowicprimer8835]

@@BillyLapTop maybe perhaps it's to intentional develop unrest and talk about these topics but being a hidden evil to a brink

[@bestowicprimer8835]

Or her job made her do it... hell PBS even started declaring their opinions as such when making a video instead of calling more observed but less mathematical theory as complete bolagne... anton is on board it seems with supporting tree and not touching "climate change" just like the states controlling the spread of information dividing the masses with fear shame and sex.

[@floatthecreek]

This theoretical physicst, Sabine Hossenfelder, makes my heart skip a beat because she is not only brilliant, but is equally beautiful. Love you channel Doctor!

[@JohnVKaravitis]

Your "love" is unrequited. Deal with it, son.

[@toddq6443]

I admire her mind so much that she could look like Joseph Carey Merrick and I would still find her beautiful. TNQ

[@gsalien2292]

Hope your Holiday is perfect! Thank you for the video!

[@jaykay2218]

GS Alien damn it you genius

[@ngdnhtien]

I can't thank you enough for making this video, Dr Hossenfelder. It helped, a lot!

[@user-ox5nw7gn6d]

Thank you for this video Dr. Sabine Hossenfelder.

[@ErvinKrauss]

Hello Dr. Hossenfelder - thank you for these great videos. Your explanations are clear and succinct. I'm able to follow ideas that would otherwise escape me. Tschüss. -Ervin

[@ferretappreciator]

Dear god..... Not only do o have to understand math but I have TO TALK TO PEOPLE????? I'd never make it in theoretical physics...

[@ravichanana3148]

Apart from picking an existing problem, one can discover new science also while exploring science and technology.

[@DIGtotheIT]

Great video, as per usual 🙂

[@isabelab6851]

I enjoyed this video...I knew some physics students in college (I have a math major) but went to the dark side of business...but it is interesting to hear where it is today. I am reading your book and I hope that science reaches back to the scientific process. Otherwise I think that they risk losing credibility in the eyes of lay people that think that it is mumbojumbo, crazy talk🤣🤣😂😂 😎

[@mahaabdelmoneim7635]

May you enjoy your vacation. Thanks for your video :)

[@semmering1]

Dear Sabine, physics is the only thing that can be understood, it´s the rest of the world which is often not logic and understandable. That is the best statement I ever heard so far from you. You speak straight out of my heart...

[@jwb52z9]

The people who tell you they don't understand Physics are also probably people who don't understand math very well either. I'm one of them. Academic related information just doesn't typically stay in my memory for long enough for it to do me any good. I seem to have a memory with no rhyme or reason for what stays and what doesn't. The only thing I have noticed over my lifetime is that the more I actively try to remember something, the worse I am at doing so.

[@abkhodadad]

Theoretical physicists develop theories to explain (known or unknown) physical phenomena. Mathematics, often regarded as the universal language, serves as the framework that enables these theories to be expressed, tested, and understood. It provides a structured “playground” where theoretical ideas can be analyzed, either to prove or disprove them. Mathematics translates complex theoretical concepts into a simpler and more precise language, facilitating deeper understanding and validation. Imagination is the power tool of theoretical physicists because imagination travels far where maths can’t.

[@paulfrancis8836]

A good physicist only talks to someone long enough to tell them they are wrong.

[@richardsammut1339]

Has anyone else just been watching big bang theory and wanted to google what does Sheldon actually do all day

[@cmilkau]

That sounds like an amazing occupation, all of it.

[@MrClaudiograssi]

Generally the thing a theoretical physicist is best at is causing the Pauli effect :-)

[@SabineHossenfelder]

Ha!

[@extradimension7356]

You just have to send said sensitive equipment "Good vibes" (not too many sideways judgmental looks in its general direction) ... Ever noticed that computers fain failure when one is the most stressed out or a ridiculous deadline is looming. Perhaps theoretical physicists are a stressful presence in a hands on laboratory ;-).

[@Finnec123]

And most of us have no clue what that is.... 😒

[@sergeyyatskevitch3617]

This is what maintains a healthy balance between the number of theoretical physicists and the number of experimental physicists. Another application of the Lotka-Volterra model :)

[@johnnyb8629]

I totally agree with your final statement, religion, human behavior, the human brain, all are things that seem like we will never understand really. physics, absolutely, and will lead us to achieve the highest levels of technology eventually. personally, I have difficulty with calculation, i can do it when it's applied to something i can see but learning it in abstract was always really hard for me and therefore i could never justify the time and effort to go very far with it. I live very close to Fermilab and I grew up in and around the lab complex and so I grew up following the achievements in particle physics my whole life. When i hear people tell me that they do nothing there that applies to everyday life , i like to point out that the people who work their , work with the most power life altering technology ever in human history. It's those people who brought us the nuclear age, the nuclear bomb, electronics, nuclear medicine, nuclear imaging, etc etc... people are ignorant. This is why public engagement from the physics community is of the utmost importance and I would propose the lack of this is why the high energy physics program in the US has been cut so much in the last few decades and we are no longer in the head of the field and why the SSC was scraped and the LHC is the world leader in high energy physics.

[@carpo719]

So, not much? :) Thanks Sabine, appreciate your concise videos

[@vitor4944]

they run around with a crowbar smashing aliens heads

[@derdagian1]

Right, through out, word by word, succinctly, and concise! Thank You Or, detect gold in Alaska

[@ibji]

Congrats on reaching 50k subs.

[@willemvandebeek]

Merry Christmas, Sabine! :)

[@extradimension7356]

As to 4:20 That's why publicly funded research is so important as it can be put into the public domain... I wonder what the ratio of research (commercial/ private and governmental) is under "Lock-and-key" vs. "Public domain" is ? Big science perhaps being slightly better at sharing ?

[@ceeaki22ndcentury]

Everything humanity discovers about space is weaponized and used for control. Until we have the information we're just dogs chasing our tails.

[@giuseppeLizzi-rj3er]

Trying to escape death 💀 and all life

[@guitarmusic6227]

Danke schön!

[@brianlaudrupchannel]

I always just imagine an equation on the white board that they have been trying to work out for 10years and have a lot of tea breaks

[@inkpoisoning592]

"Gordon doesn't need to hear about this he's a highly trained professional"(if none of you get this joke I'm going to be very disappointed)

[@potato1907]

Greetings!

[@soldtobediers]

Sabine 3:16 to 4:30 Just as echoes of past math teachers notes had demanded... ''Show all you're work'' 4:30 ''Theoretical Questions Are mankind's constant pioneering vacuums Which are found creeping into All of Creation's empty spaces.'' -122019

[@upasanapanigrahi4796]

Thank you for showing direction.

[@dancasey9660]

Trying to build on or improve what was discovered by previous generations. Sounds about right!

[@nrv8013]

I do really love this channel! How honest Dr Sabine is absolutely refreshing and new in the actual context of science communication! But I would like to ask a question, that is why the new fashion in theoretical physics is to talk about many universes and the anthropic principal to our universe; the 5 or 6 hypothesis for many worlds interpretation....black holes that may create new universes... Is that physics or philosophy? Shouldn't physics by about the fundamental questions that have not been answered yet? Or are those questions to difficult to the current means / money in disposal to science?

[@RonLWilson]

Having come from an engineering rather than a physics background I can see a number of similarities between theoretical physics and engineering R&D. For example both rely heavily on math, though perhaps somewhat different branches of math. Both rely on modeling. Both deal with ever complex problems (e.g. for engineering, self driving cars). So while math makes a great foundation it seems to also be in some ways a limiting factor in that it is so hard to learn the math and once one has learned it hard to follow complex calculations. I keep thinking there must be a better way one that builds upon that math but adds to it as well. Math is sort of like DOS. What would be cool if one could come up with something more graphica that preserves the underlying math but provides a more graphic and less symbolic depiction of the thing it is modeling. Graphs/plots plots are a strat in that direction but it seems that there could be more. For without that we might reach a limit where even the smartest people can't advance in that the complexity in doing so is simply so overwhelming for even the best and brightest to master, not to mention lessor mortals.

[@cloud-w2v]

The problem is the loss of precision in graphical descriptions. Drawing is just an approximation or a sketch of whatever you're describing. While with symbolic descriptions, we can accurately and precisely describe things that are impossible to draw. For example, how exactly can you draw a 10-dimensional vector space? With symbols, we are able to perfectly describe it without loss of precision. But depicting it graphically is useless for us, we cannot visualize 10 dimensions. We cannot accurately draw y=x^2 on a sheet of paper. But with symbols, we can describe every single (x,y) perfectly. I think graphical depictions help a lot with developing intuition for abstract concepts and I agree that they should be used more. However, for the reasons stated above, they cannot replace symbolic representations. Some people also find symbolic descriptions easier to work with than graphical descriptions. As for calculations and computations, I believe that the computer is currently our best tool.

[@RonLWilson]

@@cloud-w2v What you are saying is typically true but not necessarily true. I am thinking that one can develop methods (perhaps yet to be invented) that employ graphics that do not lose any precision from the symbolic representation and in fact in one sense is more precise in that it more precisely connects wit the thing being modeled. For just what did X stand for anyway in that equation. The graphical solution could show just what that x is referring. Also just what assumption went into that equation? You have to read the accompanying text to find out those things so mathematics alone does not tell the whole story, it just shows the mappings between variables. A paper with just equation would typically be pretty useless and would ebeds words as well, so any mathematical formulation in one sense is incomplete, even if precise.

[@cloud-w2v]

@@RonLWilson Also, no one claimed that mathematics is complete. In fact, with Kurt Gödel's Incompleteness theorems there shall always be a bigger picture in the game of mathematics.

[@rclrd1]

@@cloud-w2v Visual imagination is an important component in the thinking of many mathematicians and theoretical physicists. This often takes the form of rough sketches (not accurate diagrams...) that help them to grasp the meaning of the symbols and equations. Mathematics is more than juggling with abstract symbols. Examples are Faraday’s ‘lines of force’, Feyman diagrams, Penrose diagrams, etc. Of course, in higher dimensions it gets problematic but intuitions drawn from the three-dimensions we are familiar with still help.

[@RonLWilson]

@@rclrd1 I think perhaps the issue here may be a bit in the semantics of what is a graphical solution. That might mean a plot but I am using the term more abstractly. For example consider a circuit diagram. One can from such a diagram write equations for currents and voltages but without the circuit diagram one would be pretty hard pressed in understanding those equations other than for a very simple circuits. Also consider Feynman diagrams. Or one could even consider the game of chess. One could play that using symbols, King's Knight to Queen's Bishop 4, but a chess board and pieces really help, even if playing N Dimensional chess. So by a graphical solution I am not just meaning a graph as in a data plot but graphical like circuit or feynman diagrams form which one can write equations but also conveys what those equations represent.

[@Forever._.curious..]

"Physics is only thing we can understand and rest of the world doesn't make sense" , well said

[@cdl0]

Nice explanation, except the only point I would disagree with is on condensed matter, where you will find significant separation between people who do experiments and those who do theory, where the latter are much fewer than the former. There are a few individuals who do both, but they are quite rare. You can also draw some distinctions between those whose main job is developing new theory, or making improvements to existing theory, which is mainly mathematical work; those who build complex software packages to implement the theory as some kind of numerical approximation, which is part mathematics and part computer science, and the individuals who mainly dedicate their time to doing the calculations using these packages, and interpreting the results. Almost invariably, everything is a joint effort among all the participants, who, hopefully, all know what they should be doing. :-)

[@hankseda]

Happy Holidays! Hope you enjoy a big rise in your potential energy.

[@alanhamilton9633]

Nope, Einstein did the thought experiments first and then tried to find the maths that backed it up. A very analogue approach that I personally find refreshing. Not saying you’re wrong, but different approaches are really useful.

[@spookd8700]

When do we start talking about resonance cascades

[@zoebettina]

Somehow that was the best explanation of theoretical physics I've ever heard

[@MrSiah007]

My fascination with this and my lack of ability to comprehend this level of mathematics is such punishment to me lol it’s like growing up loving music but it being able to write or play it.

[@talldarkhansome1]

I love the accent. Love the common sense. Love the intellectualism.

[@recluse9978]

In half life it means you are apart of a, dire mistake and use your own abilities to fix the problem, ending up being sent 20 ~ 30 years in the future to fix another problem where aliens have taken over the world, and then you left on the cliff hang, after almost finding the solution to all the problems.

[@hen2005]

Excellent video. Thank you.

[@Philiptanzer]

I wonder if I may ask a question about Quantum vs Newton/Einstein, why do so many physicists favour Quantum? I know very little about the physics, but I know a little about the maths. From what I know (which is admittedly little) our equations for big things are consistent with continuitity and convergence (they *need* these mathematical theories) but the very little I know about Quantum involves ignoring convergence (I've seen them discard non-convergent infinite series in the equations, and I've heard the phrase "don't think about just calculate" was used popularly). So my question is why do physicists seem to want to go with the Quantum side (looking to expand it to gravity for example) when it ignores a pretty fundamental theorem? Just when I see someone replace an infinite non-convergent series with a number I get a scream of *"WHAT HERESY IS THIS??!!"* in my brain, has this been solved?

[@filename1674]

Because they believe that quantum physics works differently. They tend to observe about small things and ignore the bigger things which the big thins is the product of small things.

[@Philiptanzer]

@@filename1674 Big things from smaller things I accept, but why does ignoring convergence get a free pass? It is a fundamental theorem and I just want to understand if this issue has been solved or at least why it is something that they are happy to live with.

[@cmilkau]

What do you mean by "favour"? Both are fully accepted and well-tested theories. They are not really contradicting each other. It's more like, their limits don't overlap. As you said, one works for big (gravity dominated) structures and the other for small (and also high energies, it does include special relativity). For gravity interacting with quantum effects (like black hole horizons should have), we have no theory. We can take the equations of the theories we do have and apply them outside their tested domain, which is called extrapolation. In this case, that extrapolation produces nonsense. So we need a new theory. We could make a third one, maybe we should, but most physicists prefer a single theory. That single theory would then have to match what we already know, so it has to be BOTH quantum and fully relativistic.

[@Philiptanzer]

@@cmilkau But there is a contradiction, either convergence is a fundamental theorem or it can be put aside when it is inconvenient. This willingness to put aside convergence is what I mean by favouring.

[@marcossidoruk8033]

@@Philiptanzer can you please use specific terminology, there is no theorem named "convergence" that is just a word that can be used in many ways inside the field of mathematics. For example, an infinite sum may be convergent under certain sumation criteria, and on the other hand the limit of a function is said to be convergent if it can be proven to have a certain value that satisfies the formal definition of a limit. Now that being said, I don't know what do you mean by "ignoring convergence" as I said before convergence is just a word and I don't know what you could mean by ignoring it.

[@mrtubeyou77]

Thanks! Very interesting and useful!

[@ZJProductionHK]

Do u sit around all day dream up new particles. This line lmao. What i laugh even most is that she didnt laugh when she said this line

[@otiebrown9999]

What does he do? Write papers, attempt to get them published, and argue.

[@barryhornby3303]

Speaking of being on vacation and theoretical physics, perhaps one of these physicists could take up the phenomena of time compression while on vacation!

[@Paul__3mwn]

Refund specifics and anticipated actions: let's get into the nitty-gritty

[@commonsense1103]

The math is perfect. No errors But they broke all the rules.

[@unpaidcomintern]

They cause resonance cascades

[@chrimony]

I tried to understand Einstein's original special relativity paper but got lost in the math. He takes particular care to define rulers, clocks, and moving systems, almost in painstaking detail, then at some point he hits you with a partial derivative that doesn't seem justified at all.

[@Sciolist]

Now I'm confused between seminar and conferences

[@SabineHossenfelder]

A seminar is something like a lecture for which you get invited. Most departments have a weekly seminar series to which speakers come from other places. A conference is a meeting with back-on-back talks.

[@Sciolist]

@@SabineHossenfelder thanks but I was joking.

[@MrSunrise-]

@@SabineHossenfelder Thank you, I was wondering about that.

[@alok2007]

A really funny thing happened to me : when the video started and she repeated the question at "what does a theoretical physicist do ? " accidentally my thumb skipped the whole video 😂

[@nfazal4065]

Hoodbhoy is considered one the 100 most influential people in the world like Lisa Randall. Hope to see your name in that list soon(if you keep it up-that is an incentive for you. Prof.Dr.Fazal

[@cyanmagentablue313]

Theoretical physicists are practitioners of constructive reference work, sometimes involving the study of wormholes.

[@alexdevisscher6784]

That explains the theoretical physicist in my back yard.

[@cyanmagentablue313]

@@alexdevisscher6784 Indeed. Although they are not particularly known for landscaping, it does explain how that one ended up there.

[@davidschneide5422]

I like that Sabine spends some time teaching during pauses from fantasizing about new particles.

[@neilnelson79]

The physical interpretation of Church's Thesis implies that computable mathematics is sufficient for all physical description, that reality is computable.

[@BANKO007]

I like the idea that theory and experiment / observation are inextricably linked but does that mean string theorists not really physicists?

[@jfr9964]

Read Mrs Hossenfelder's book, she tries to answer this question

[@MrSunrise-]

Not currently, but perhaps in the future.

[@ivanfromunion3513]

"experiment / observation are inextricably linked but does that mean string theorists not really physicists?": Yes.

[@onethreefiveeye]

Happy vacation to you... und überhaupt. 🍀

[@SabineHossenfelder]

Thank you :)

[@alexanderjohnson2309]

This was great... thank you!

[@silverphoenix_1756]

3:13 the main reason why this profession seems interesting to me the most.

[@swavekbu4959]

Observe nature. Fit a theory to nature. The theory is in the form of a succinct mathematical function. The theory is necessarily wrong to some extent, but can be useful in making predictions. The theory in this sense can be perceived more globally and generally as a "narrative" to account for experience. What does a theoretical physicist do? The same thing you do everyday, which is observe and seek to explain, then predict. They do it on different matter however, and seek greater precision. What function best describes this or that data? To the extent that the theory isn't perfect, it will contain some error in prediction. Why is mathematics the language of physics? Because it best succinctly describes data, such that we can communicate these results with other scientists. The role of mathematics is precision and rigor, and "communicability" of the theory. It's entirely possible however that the best theory out there (for a given area) is beyond quantifying mathematically. Theoretical physicists, like other scientists, are limited by the tools available to them to describe data, not unlike the piano player is limited by the keys before him to produce music.

[@PauloRenatoRodriguesprr]

Merry Xmas and Happy New Year!!!

[@ivanfromunion3513]

"The thing that a lot (OF, correct transcript) people don’t understand is just how constraining mathematics is in theory development. You cannot just dream up a particle, because almost everything that you can think of will not work if you write down the mathematics": WHAT exactly went wrong with supersymmetry in Physics?!?! I am all for it myself (how could I not be when all of Lunatica is SuSy?) and yet it didn't "inspire" me to "invent" even a modest particle! Sometimes I regret not finding the Ivanon... or the photonic structure, if only to call the photonic nucleus a phocleus- one guess as to how I pronounce that. But not really. The difference in approaches is what is staggering to me. What happened to Susy in real life?!?!?!

[@massecl]

Shallow reasoning leads the theoretical physicist to believe that since mathematics is so constraining, then everything that is mathematically correct must occur in Nature. No, by a wide margin, and there are many example including SuSy. Physics is not mathematics. Dreaming up a particle is actually very easy, just enlarge the gauge group of the standard model (or add a generation.) That's the case of most grand unified theory. Thus it is clear that what is most constraining is experiment, and nobody knows why the gauge group of the standard model is which it is. Physics is an experimental science.

[@ivanfromunion3513]

Thank you, Nickel Chrome, that was more than worth the read. Only one more add-on comment: "nobody knows why the gauge group of the standard model is which it is": Of the people, millions of people, who could possibly offer an answer, how many of them even know what the hell that is supposed to be??? That is not actually a question, mind you. I am used to think that there is no theory I can't add to... once i understand it. And in this case I don't. Froostrating, mon! Guess I am waiting for the "color by number" version of gauge theory. My "version" of "gauge growths" doesn't quite fit yet, and I don't even have a computer. The good news is that I can wait forever🤣🤣🤣 Thx!!!

[@machinelearning171]

What a nice description of theoretical physicist’s working philosophy, well, I think that applies to all fields except politics, thanks

[@davidw4987]

The wry observation that "the rest of the world doesn't make sense" was well made. In your list of things theoretical physicists do you forgot to mention "make informative youTube clips".

[@Jim_Bo]

What does a theoretical physicist do on vacation ? :) Seasonal greetings !

[@toddq6443]

Anything that they can dream up! TNQ

[@galaxia4709]

Thinking about what theoretical physicists do and doing public outreach, o and then visiting a christmas market, preferably in her neighboring country to the south west because they are the best :p

[@latt.qcd9221]

They keep thinking about research.

[@mobatyoutube]

A theoretical physicist is a physicist whose existence you postulate so that the equations work out.

[@shamrezaraeen6175]

How theoretical physicist get income by publishing their scientific research paper

[@SkyDarmos]

Should be "mathematics", not "mathemathics". 3:15; 3:19; 3:25; 3:38; 3:48; 3:54; 4:05; 4:36.

[@jungastein3952]

this is too difficult, I'm going back to watching electric mousetraps and a guy shoot rats with an air rifle