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PrincePhoenix
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Why are theories of Quantum Mechanics and Relativity not possible to combine? I read this on wikipedia and heard this on a documentary on TV.
tom.stoer said:One basic problem in combining GR and QM is that according to QM space must be quantized.
Ah, that is a much better way of describing it. Thanks.tom.stoer said:With "must be quantized" I do not mean that there are discrete quanta of space, but that one must apply a quantization procedure. Discretization and quantization are two different things, unfortunately often confused.
Theories of quantum mechanics and relativity are fundamentally different and incompatible with each other. Quantum mechanics explains the behavior of particles on a very small scale, while relativity describes the behavior of space and time on a large scale. These theories have different mathematical frameworks and cannot be unified into one comprehensive theory.
Both quantum mechanics and relativity have been extensively tested and proven to accurately describe the physical world. Any modifications to these theories would need to be supported by experimental evidence, which is currently lacking. Also, any modifications would likely result in a completely new theory, rather than a simple integration of the existing ones.
A unified theory, also known as a theory of everything, is a long-standing goal in physics. It would provide a complete understanding of the fundamental laws that govern the universe. It would also allow us to better understand and predict phenomena that currently cannot be explained by either quantum mechanics or relativity alone.
Many physicists have attempted to develop a theory that combines quantum mechanics and relativity, such as string theory and loop quantum gravity. However, these theories are still in the early stages of development and have not yet been proven experimentally.
It is possible that there may be a different theory that explains both quantum mechanics and relativity, but it has not yet been discovered. Many scientists continue to search for such a theory, but until it is found, we must work with the separate theories of quantum mechanics and relativity to understand the physical world.