General relativity vs quantum mechanics

[tech knowledgest]

Forgive me if this question is a bit amateurish but i am no physicist. I know in general terms that GR and QM aren't compatible with one another, but my question is...Do they even need to be? can it not be a handoff scenario? why can't GR govern what it is supposed to govern and QM govern what it is supposed to govern and never the twain shall meet? Maybe there is math or an equation somewhere that says this is a dumb question but like i said i am no physicist that is why i am asking. Thanks!

 

[Comeback City]

I just found a good thread on this question...

https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/why-is-gr-and-qm-not-compatible.613050/

 

[tech knowledgest]

Thanks! I read through the thread and it seems to verify my suspicion. there is no reason they MUST be unified, but it would be nice. Am i way off on this?

 

[anorlunda]

@Comeback City 's reply provides a good tip for all PF members. When you type the title of the thread, a list of similar discussions appears on the bottom. I just tested it with "general relativity vs quantum mechanics" and "quantum mechanics vs general relativity" in both cases, it came up with the thread suggested by @Comeback City even before I finished typing the title.

In other words, the OP could have found the answer without even pushing the POST button to create this thread. I PF

 

[Comeback City]

Thanks! I read through the thread and it seems to verify my suspicion. there is no reason they MUST be unified, but it would be nice. Am i way off on this?

Well I do think that most physicists believe there is some grand unification that would explain a lot of things, and there is likely a lot of optimism. For example, electricity was unified with magnetism to electromagnetism, which then got unified with the weak nuclear force in the Electroweak theory. Not sure about strong nuclear force. I think the problem is that GR and QFT predict different things (for example I think someone brought up their differences on the idea of time). But technically, GR works and QFT works, although theoretically there could be some unification.

 

[tech knowledgest]

@Comeback City 's reply provides a good tip for all PF members. When you type the title of the thread, a list of similar discussions appears on the bottom. I just tested it with "general relativity vs quantum mechanics" and "quantum mechanics vs general relativity" in both cases, it came up with the thread suggested by @Comeback City even before I finished typing the title.

In other words, the OP could have found the answer without even pushing the POST button to create this thread. I PF

I didnt realize that was an option until after i posted. Good to know for next time

 

[tech knowledgest]

Well I do think that most physicists believe there is some grand unification that would explain a lot of things, and there is likely a lot of optimism. For example, electricity was unified with magnetism to electromagnetism, which then got unified with the weak nuclear force in the Electroweak theory. Not sure about strong nuclear force. I think the problem is that GR and QFT predict different things (for example I think someone brought up their differences on the idea of time). But technically, GR works and QFT works, although theoretically there could be some unification.

the only reason i even ask is because i was watching a debate between Sean Carroll and William Lane Craig. It dawned on me in the middle of the entire thing that each one of them is framing "universe" in a different way. It seemed to me that they were both correct but talking about 2 different things