Physics of the Impossible
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In this book, the author, Michio Kaku, who has a PhD. in Theoretical Physics, writes that 150 years ago technological advances, that we take for granted today, were declared impossible. [ [Lord Kelvin ]] (1824 – 1907) , a mathematical physicist and engineer, was a leader in science, on the cutting edge of physics in its modern form, and he is known for developing the Kelvin scale of absolute temperature measurement. He said publicly that “heavier than air” mechanisms were impossible. “He thought X-rays were a hoax, and that radio had no future” Ernest Rutherford (1871 – 1937) is known for discovering the structure of the atom and was able to declare the existence of the atom. He thought the atom bomb was impossible “comparing it to moonshine.” Televisions, computers, and the internet would seem incredibly fanstastic to the turn of the 20th century science and culture. Black holes were science fiction and even Einstein showed that black holes could not exist. At the end of the nineteenth century science had determined that it was impossible for the earth to be billions of years old. Even in the 1920’s and 1930’s Robert Goddard was scoffed at because it was believed that rockets would never be able to go into space. [1]
Such advances were considered impossible because science and society had not accessed the level of astrophysics, physical sciences, and the atomic level that we have today. The basic laws of physics and science were not understood as they are understood today. Dr. Kaku states that “as a physicist he learned that the impossible is often a relative term.” So, he asks the questions – isn’t possible to think that we might build space ships that can travel distances of light years, or think that we might teleport ourselves from one place to the other? [2]
Dr. Kaku writes that scientists understand the basic laws of physics nowadays. "Physicist today understand the basic laws extending over a staggering forty three orders of magnitude, from the interior of the proton out to the expanding universe. He goes on to say that physicists can discern between future technologies that are merely improbably and those technologies that are truly impossible. He uses a system of Class I, Class II, and Class III to divide those sci-fi, future technologies that are believed to be impossible today:
- Class I Impossibilities “are technologies that are impossible today, but that do not violate the known laws of physics. So they might be possible in this century or the next, in modified form.” [3]
- Class II Impossibilities “are technologies that sit at the very edge of our understanding of the physical world. They might be realized on a scale of millennia to millions of years in the future. [4]
- Class III Impossibilities “are technologies that violate the know laws of physics. Surprisingly, there are very few such impossible technologies. If they do turn out to be possible, they would represent a fundamental shift in our understanding of physics” [5]
Background
As a child, Dr. Kaku was immersed early on in the world of science fiction from its omnipresence in much popular culture. Inspired by shows like Flash Gordon, he soon realized that although the protagonist was always triumphant over whatever new evil emerged, the series had no premise without the scientist. Science always underlined and strengthened the plot; in his words, "without science, there is no science fiction." But reality insisted that science fiction was just that- fiction, nothing more than quips at the impossible. In order to further his fascination with the impossible, he decided that physics and mathematics were the best choices for study. With a background in physics, he might end up knowing if the seemingly impossible was or could be remotely real. Through hard work and dedication, his dream was realized, as he earned a scholarship to Harvard and pursued the study which he loved. He further notes that the impossible is often relative, as what was impossible a hundred or thousand years ago may be commonplace today. The supposed impossible has been proven true several times within Dr. Kaku's own lifetime, with plate tectonics and the KT extinction as examples. Thus, this led him to try to explain how today's "impossible" may eventually become the future's "everyday."
References
- ↑ Kaku, Michio. Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel. New York. Double Day. 2008. Preface pages x to xiii
- ↑ Kaku, Michio. Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel. New York. Double Day. 2008. Preface pages x to xiii
- ↑ Kaku, Michio. Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel. New York. Double Day. 2008. Preface page xviii
- ↑ Kaku, Michio. Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel. New York. Double Day. 2008. Preface page xvii
- ↑ Kaku, Michio. Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel. New York. Double Day. 2008. Preface page xvii
Contents
Each chapter clearly states the technology mentioned and how it might become a reality, although chapters become somewhat more general towards the end of the book due to lack of research. Some of the technologies mentioned are explained as per a slightly altered form, which remains as true to the original concept as possible while remaining practical. Dr. Kaku concludes his book with a short epilogue detailing the newest frontiers in physics and how there is still much more to be learned about physics and our universe.