Mysteries of Modern Physics: Time

Watch Mysteries of Modern Physics: Time

  • 2012
  • 1 Season

Mysteries of Modern Physics: Time is a captivating lecture series from The Great Courses, which features Professor Sean Carroll, an esteemed physicist and renowned author. In this intellectually stimulating and thought-provoking course, Professor Carroll explores the perplexing concept of time in modern physics, discussing the latest theories and research on this fundamental aspect of our universe.

Throughout the course, Professor Carroll gradually introduces the audience to various aspects of time, from its origins in the early universe, through to the laws of thermodynamics and the nature of entropy. He explains complex theories and principles using accessible language, allowing everyone - from those with no background in physics to advanced students and professionals - to understand and appreciate this enigmatic field.

One of the most interesting aspects of the course is the discussion around the concept of time itself. Professor Carroll invites viewers to reconsider the notion of time as a linear and immutable entity and instead encourages a view of time that is relative, malleable, and dependent on the observer. Through detailed explanations and real-world examples, Professor Carroll is able to create a new, more nuanced understanding of time for his audience that reflects the complexity of modern physics.

Throughout the series, viewers will also learn about some of the most important questions in the field of physics today. For example, the course explores the possibility of time travel and the nature of causality. Professor Carroll discusses some of the most popular theories on these topics, as well as the ethical and practical implications of manipulating time. Beyond this, he also explores the nature of time and its relationship with our perceptions of reality.

One of the strengths of Mysteries of Modern Physics: Time is the depth and breadth of topics that it covers. Professor Carroll has a passion for physics that is both deep and broad, allowing him to approach topics from different angles and use multiple lenses to help his audience understand abstract ideas. From quantum mechanics to thermodynamics, and from philosophy to metaphysics, Professor Carroll is able to link different areas of study to create a more complete picture of time and its relationship to the universe.

Throughout the course, the audience is invited to engage with important questions that have been asked for centuries, as well as more recent inquiries that have arisen in contemporary physics. By exploring these questions deeply, Professor Carroll leaves the audience with a new appreciation for the nature of time, and the complex challenges that it presents to our understanding of physics, philosophy, and reality itself.

In conclusion, Mysteries of Modern Physics: Time is a fascinating and engrossing course that combines accessible language, real-world examples, and deep theoretical inquiries into a comprehensive and thought-provoking series. From the origins of time to the nature of causality, Professor Carroll leads the audience through the most significant and relevant questions in contemporary physics, leaving them with a newfound appreciation for the complex and mysterious nature of our universe.

Mysteries of Modern Physics: Time is a series that ran for 1 seasons (24 episodes) between September 1, 2012 and on The Great Courses

Mysteries of Modern Physics: Time
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Seasons
Approaches to the Arrow of Time
24. Approaches to the Arrow of Time
September 1, 2012
Use what you have learned in the course to investigate a range of different possibilities that explain the origin of time in the universe. Professor Carroll closes by presenting one of his favorite theories and noting how much remains to be done before conclusively solving the mystery of time.
The Multiverse
23. The Multiverse
September 1, 2012
Dig deeper into the possibility that the big bang originated in a multiverse, which provides a plausible explanation for why entropy was low at the big bang, giving rise to the arrow of time. But is this theory and the related idea of an anthropic principle legitimate science or science fiction?
The Big Bang
22. The Big Bang
September 1, 2012
Explore three different ways of thinking about the big bang--as the actual beginning of the universe; as a "bounce" from a symmetric version of the universe on the other side of the big bang; and as a region that underwent inflationary expansion in a much larger multiverse.
Evolution of the Universe
21. Evolution of the Universe
September 1, 2012
Follow the history of the universe from just after the big bang to the far future, when the universe will consist of virtually empty space at maximum entropy. Learn what is well founded and what is less certain about this picture of a universe winding down.
Black Hole Entropy
20. Black Hole Entropy
September 1, 2012
Stephen Hawking showed that black holes emit radiation and therefore have entropy. Since the entropy in the universe today is overwhelmingly in the form of black holes and there were no black holes in the early universe, entropy must have been much lower in the deep past.
Time Travel
19. Time Travel
September 1, 2012
Use a simple analogy to understand how a time machine might work. Unlike movie scenarios featuring dematerializing and rematerializing, a real time machine would be a spaceship that moves through all the intervening points between two locations in spacetime. Also explore paradoxes of time travel.
Curved Spacetime and Black Holes
18. Curved Spacetime and Black Holes
September 1, 2012
By developing a general theory of relativity incorporating gravity, Einstein launched a revolution in our understanding of the universe. Trace how his idea that gravity results from the warping of spacetime led to the discovery of black holes and the big bang.
Time and Relativity
17. Time and Relativity
September 1, 2012
According to Einstein's special theory of relativity, there is no such thing as a moment in time spread throughout the universe. Instead, time is one of four dimensions in spacetime. Learn how this "relative" view of time is usefully diagramed with light cones, representing the past and future.
Memory and Consciousness
16. Memory and Consciousness
September 1, 2012
Remembering the past and projecting into the future are crucial for human consciousness, as shown by cases where these faculties are impaired. Investigate what happens in the brain when we remember, exploring different kinds of memory and the phenomena of false memories and false forgetting.
The Perception of Time
15. The Perception of Time
September 1, 2012
Turn to the way humans perceive time, which can vary greatly from clock time. In particular, focus on experiments that shed light on our time sense. For example, tests show that even though we think we perceive the present moment, we actually live 80 milliseconds in the past.
Complexity and Life
14. Complexity and Life
September 1, 2012
Discover that Maxwell's demon from lecture 10 provides the key to understanding how complexity and life can exist in a universe in which entropy is increasing. Consider how life is not only compatible with, but is an outgrowth of, the second law of thermodynamics and the arrow of time.
Boltzmann Brains
13. Boltzmann Brains
September 1, 2012
One possible explanation for order in the universe is that it is a random fluctuation from a disordered state. Could the entire universe be one such fluctuation, now in the process of returning to disorder? Investigate a scenario called "Boltzmann brains" that suggests not.
Memory, Causality, and Action
12. Memory, Causality, and Action
September 1, 2012
Can physics shed light on human aspects of the arrow of time such as memory, cause and effect, and free will? Learn that everyday features of experience that you take for granted trace back to the low entropy state of the universe at the big bang, 13.7 billion years ago.
The Past Hypothesis
11. The Past Hypothesis
September 1, 2012
Boltzmann explains why entropy will be larger in the future, but he doesn't show why it was smaller in the past. Learn that physics can't account for this difference except by assuming that the universe started in a state of very low entropy. This assumption is called the past hypothesis.
Playing with Entropy
10. Playing with Entropy
September 1, 2012
Sharpen your understanding of entropy by examining different macroscopic systems and asking, which has higher entropy and which has lower entropy? Also evaluate James Clerk Maxwell's famous thought experiment about a demon who seemingly defies the principle that entropy always increases.
Entropy and Counting
9. Entropy and Counting
September 1, 2012
After establishing in previous lectures that the arrow of time must be due to entropy, begin a deep exploration of this phenomenon. In the 1870s, physicist Ludwig Boltzmann proposed a definition of entropy that explains why it increases toward the future. Analyze this idea in detail.
Time in Quantum Mechanics
8. Time in Quantum Mechanics
September 1, 2012
Quantum mechanics is the most precise theory ever invented, yet it leads to startling interpretations of the nature of reality. Probe a quantum state called the collapse of the wave function that may underlie the arrow of time. Are the indications that it shows irreversibility real or only illusory?
Time Reversal in Particle Physics
7. Time Reversal in Particle Physics
September 1, 2012
Explore advances in physics since Newton's time that reveal exceptions to the rule that interactions between moving particles are fully reversible. Could irreversible reactions between elementary particles explain the arrow of time? Weigh the evidence for and against this view.
Reversibility and the Laws of Physics
6. Reversibility and the Laws of Physics
September 1, 2012
Isaac Newton's laws of physics are fully reversible; particles can move forward or backward in time without any inconsistency. But this is not our experience in the world, where the arrow of time is fundamentally connected to irreversible processes and the increase in entropy.
The Second Law of Thermodynamics
5. The Second Law of Thermodynamics
September 1, 2012
Trace the history of the second law of thermodynamics, considered by many physicists to be the one law of physics most likely to survive unaltered for the next thousand years. The second law says that entropy--the degree of disorder in a closed system--only increases or stays the same.
Time's Arrow
4. Time's Arrow
September 1, 2012
Embark on the quest that will occupy the rest of the course: Why is there an arrow of time? Explore how memory and aging orient us in time. Then look at irreversible processes, such as an egg breaking or ice melting. These capture the essence of the one-way direction of time.
Keeping Time
3. Keeping Time
September 1, 2012
How do we measure the passage of time? Discover that practical concerns have driven the search for more and more accurate clocks. In the 18th century, the problem of determining longitude was solved with a timepiece of unprecedented accuracy. Today's GPS navigation units rely on clocks accurate to a billionth of a second.
What Is Time?
2. What Is Time?
September 1, 2012
Approach time from a philosophical perspective. "Presentism" holds that the past and future are not real; only the present moment is real. However, the laws of physics appear to support "eternalism"--the view that all of the moments in the history of the universe are equally real.
Why Time Is a Mystery
1. Why Time Is a Mystery
September 1, 2012
Begin your study of the physics of time with these questions: What is a clock? What does it mean to say that "time passes"? What is the "arrow of time"? Then look at the concept of entropy and how it holds the key to the one-way direction of time in our universe.
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Where to Watch Mysteries of Modern Physics: Time
Mysteries of Modern Physics: Time is available for streaming on the The Great Courses website, both individual episodes and full seasons. You can also watch Mysteries of Modern Physics: Time on demand at Apple TV Channels, Amazon Prime, Amazon, Kanopy and Hoopla.
  • Premiere Date
    September 1, 2012