The Importance of Everything We Don’t Know About Science – Revista Galileo

“Laziness is the mother of progress. If man were not lazy to walk, he would not have invented the wheel.” And physics is a great example of how nature works and how many questions it presents to us.

As far as science is concerned, this is half done because the lack of knowledge raises constant questions; In the other half you can walk away with the doubts that arise. At that “why” point you should always be a kid, bored for some, smart for the world.

The same is true with our knowledge of the universe. You might think that we have already solved everything with the Big Bang model, which shows the appearance of the universe from a point of infinite density, leading to space, time and everything in it. No. Increasingly accurate experimental observations actually prove this appearance and all the epochs already described in the evolution of the universe, but this still raises many questions (so far). We continue this adventure of knowledge that creates ignorance, and vice versa.

So it is in particle physics as well. Quantum field is described by theory, which is a little difficult in mathematics, but easy in concepts. The standard model describing the basic forces of nature describes how matter is made. Think of a logo: Some basic building bricks allow you to create many things in the universe. These basic bits are the particles that make up the atoms, they, I, you, your dog, the stars, the planets, the dust, the video game, the rocks, everything.

The so-called normal thing requires only three particles: electrons and upper and lower quarks. However, in the last century, physicists have discovered nine more particles and five more factors for the fundamental forces of nature. Why do we have these extra particles? Worth it for? We do not know now.

And there are many more: If three particles could create stars, planets, pizzas and pilates (off!), It would actually be just a small part of what is in the Universe. We have created something rare. Of all the things that currently exist, this is only 5% of the total we make up. Another 27% we call dark matter, which alters the rotational speed of galaxies; The remaining 68% is “dark energy”, a kind of “force” against gravity to accelerate the expansion of the universe. And ready.

Because all of this is unknown, thousands of scientists around the world are trying to explain everything we do not know, and many are experimenting in an attempt to prove a model. With permission to quote the poet from Minas, we can say that ignorance is the mother of science. Science is an adventure. As Einstein once said: “One thing I have learned throughout my life: our science is primitive and childish compared to reality – yet it is the most wonderful thing we have.”

* Marcelo Lapola is a physicist with a PhD from the Institute of Technologico de Aeronautica (ITA).