Presenters for 2004:   Stephanie Andrews   Christopher Bailey   Joanna Berzowska   Shushil Bhakar   and Eric Hortop   Cliff Burgess   Paulo Chagas   Dennis Dollens   Dan Falk   Ivette Fuentes-Guridi   Lila Kari   Narendra Pachkhede   Chris Salter   Chelsea Smock   Clara Ursitti   Derek van der Kooy   Yon Visell   Fabian Winkler   Panel Discussion Symposium, 2004 The Beauty in the Equations By Dan Falk Independent Science Journalist After labouring for ten years on his theory of gravity -- the general theory of relativity -- Einstein fit the last of the mathematical pieces into place, declaring that "the theory is beautiful beyond comparison." A few decades later, Paul Dirac, a pioneer in the study of quantum mechanics, said that "it is more important to have beauty in one's equations than to have them fit experiment." From the time of Galileo to the string theorists of the 21st century, physicists have often spoken of being guided by a sense of "beauty" or "elegance" as they strive to comprehend the universe. Is their aesthetic sense related to the beauty that artists and musicians speak of? Is this way of thinking somehow out of place in the seemingly cold and impersonal world of scientific research, in which experimental testing is supposed to be the ultimate arbiter of a 'good' theory? I'll explore these questions in the context of a particular scientific quest that has beguiled scientists for the last two and a half millennia: The effort to understand the universe in terms of a single theory, the so-called "Theory of Everything" -- a theory so concise that it could fit on a T-shirt. Biography Dan Falk is an award-winning science writer, broadcaster, and author based in Toronto. His first book, Universe on a T-Shirt: The Quest for the Theory of Everything, was published in 2002 by Penguin Canada. He is a frequent contributor to the Globe and Mail and the CBC Radio program Ideas.   Page Top Copyright © 2004 Subtle Technologies Festival