In this article, the author ventures out to communicate to the readers the major five problems of physics, the solution of any one of which shall largely, to a great extent affect the lives of one and all. Also, the author's own viewpoint on them is provided. In this article the first three shall be discussed, and the last two shall be dealt with separately as they require a higher degree of knowledge of Physics. The five major controversies in the field of physics, as the author sees them, are: Validity of Theory of Relativity Formation and Evolution of Galaxies Existence of Life elsewhere Presence of higher dimensions, which leads to The Holy Grail of Physics, the Grand Unification of All Forces Validity of the Theory of Relativity: The General Theory of Relativity has withstood all the experiments and tests meted out to it so far. However, still, the possibility of it failing at some level, is not out. The General Theory of Relativity yields accurate results even at the galactic level, however, it is to be seen whether it holds true at the threshold of time itself, a black hole. Moreover, there is a hypothesis known as the Dirac's Large Number Hypothesis that states that the Gravitational Constant may itself vary with time. If that is true, then The Theory of General Relativity can be proved wrong. Though this hypothesis has not been proved as yet, it may be proved some day in the future. Though general relativity has withstood the tests of time so far and is unrivalled, it is to be remembered that it is the theories without effective rivals that need the most vigilant testing. Formation of Galaxies: The exact model of the formation of galaxies has not yet been completely understood, it is still under much speculation. With recent evidence of the presence of supermassive black holes at the centre of galaxies, a very likely model is that the formation of galaxies is related to the formation of the black hole at the galactic centre. A few scientists believe that the formation of a black hole might have triggered the formation of a galaxy. Existence of life elsewhere: This question, whether life exists elsewhere or not, is gaining popularity. There are many who are quite optimistic of the idea whereas a few others don't quite encourage this thought. The author falls into the former category. It shall be too egoistic to imagine we are the sole life-form in this vast universe. However, only time will tell. |
