Where’s the computer that runs the universe?

What is physics? the how and the why: I pick up a stone. I hold it in my hand, my palm over the stone, my fingers curled underneath. I let go. The stone falls. Why? This one-word question takes us to the heart of what physics is. And, perhaps more importantly, what physics isn't. by The Last Theory

10 min listen

Different rules, different universes: When I applied a simple rule to a simple universe in episode 2, it quickly evolved into a surprisingly complex universe. But why that particular rule? Why not some other rule? What other rules could be applied to a universe? And what other universes would by The Last Theory

20 min listen

Why I’m writing about Wolfram Physics: If physics and mathematics have always eluded you, well, me too. Here's why I'm writing about Wolfram Physics, despite having lost interest in physics in 1988 and never truly got to grips with mathematics. by The Last Theory

7 min listen

What are dimensions in Wolfram’s universe?: If Stephen Wolfram is right, then our universe might not be uniformly three-dimensional. So maybe dimensionality isn't quite what we think it is. What, exactly, are dimensions? by The Last Theory

12 min listen

Beware invisible things: As I explore Wolfram Physics, I'm aware of certain invisible things that we believe in now, but we're going to have to let go, if Stephen Wolfram is right. And I'm also aware of the temptation to replace this old set of invisible things with a new set of by The Last Theory

11 min listen

Why you’ve never heard of Wolfram Physics: Wolfram Physics might be the most fundamental scientific breakthrough in your lifetime. And yet you've probably never heard of it. Here's why. by The Last Theory

8 min listen

The most fundamental scientific breakthrough of our time: Welcome to The Last Theory, an easy-to-follow exploration of what might be the last theory of physics. by The Last Theory

1 min listen

Unary, binary, ternary, k-ary hyperedges in Wolfram Physics: Here are answers to some fundamental questions about hypergraphs: a hyperedge can connect any number of nodes, and a hypergraph can include any of these different kinds of hyperedge. Let's take a look at what this means for Wolfram Physics... and at some by The Last Theory

10 min listen

Nodes, edges, graphs & rules: the basic concepts of Wolfram Physics: According to Wolfram Physics, the universe is a graph. Not the kind of graph that plots y against x. More like a network, consisting of points, called nodes, connected by lines, called edges. Here's my simple explanation of nodes, edges and graphs, along by The Last Theory

9 min listen

Space-time is dead: Thinking of space and time as effectively the same thing might be the biggest blunder physicists have ever made. Stephen Wolfram calls it the 'one wrong turn in the history of physics in the past century'. Space-time is dead. Here's why... and how physici by The Last Theory

12 min listen

What is a hypergraph in Wolfram Physics?: So far, I've been simulating Wolfram Physics using graphs. But you may have come across simulations of Wolfram Physics using hypergraphs. What's the difference? What is a hypergraph? by The Last Theory

12 min listen

Are Wolfram’s graphs three‑dimensional?: How many dimensions are there in graphs generated by Wolfram Physics? Today I'm going to answer the question. And the answer's going to be unexpected. Here's a hint: it's not two and it's not three. by The Last Theory

15 min listen

The expanse: dimension, separation & explosion: If it's to be a viable theory of physics, Wolfram Physics has to accurately model space as we know it, including these fundamental characteristics: position, distance, dimension, separation & explosion. Let's see how it measures up. by The Last Theory

10 min listen

What is space? the where and the how far: What does our universe look like? Let's start with space. By considering the most fundamental characteristics of space, we can see how the nodes, edges, graphs & rules of Wolfram Physics might accurately represent the world as we know it. by The Last Theory

10 min listen

Why I don’t like String Theory: In my conversation with Jonathan Gorard about the founding of the Wolfram Physics Project, I said that I don't like String Theory. Here's why. by The Last Theory

5 min listen

Where to apply Wolfram's rules?: The question of where to apply Wolfram's rules is not as easily answered as you might think. This seemingly straightforward question will take us into the philosophy of time, causality, consciousness, contingency and determinism. And it'll lead us towards by The Last Theory

13 min listen

Hypergraphs are everywhere: Wolfram Physics models the universe as a hypergraph. Maybe I'm just seeing things, but it seems to me that hypergraphs are everywhere: physics, chemistry, biology, neurology, ecology, sociology, technology. What I want to know is: Why? Why are hypergraphs by The Last Theory

9 min listen

Where’s the computer that runs the universe?: I've been running simulations of our universe, according to Stephen Wolfram's computational theory of physics, on my low-powered laptop. If Wolfram's right and the real universe evolves computationally in the same way as these simulated universes, where's by The Last Theory

12 min listen

What is the multiway graph in Wolfram Physics?: When we’re applying a rule to a graph in Wolfram Physics, instead of choosing one of the possible places we might apply the rule, we can choose not to choose. The multiway graph helps us visualize all the possible universes we have to keep in mind as a re by The Last Theory

13 min listen

Is space continuous or discrete?: Has every physicist from Leucippus to Einstein been right to insist that space is continuous? Or is Wolfram right to up-end millennia of settled science and insist that space is discrete? by The Last Theory

9 min listen

What’s beyond the universe?: There are two questions about Wolfram Physics I'm asked a lot: What's beyond the hypergraph? And what's between the nodes and edges of the hypergraph? Here's my response to the age-old question: What's beyond the universe? by The Last Theory

15 min listen

How to measure the dimensionality of the universe: The graphs of Wolfram Physics are going to have to be three-dimensional to be a true representation of our universe. But how can we tell whether these graphs are three-dimensional? How would we measure the dimensionality of our own universe? by The Last Theory

10 min listen

How to knit the universe by The Last Theory

11 min listen

Is Wolfram Physics the next scientific revolution?: For the last few hundred years, all our theories of physics have been mathematical. If Stephen Wolfram is right, from now on, our most fundamental theories of physics may be computational. This shift from mathematics to computation feels to me like a scie by The Last Theory

11 min listen

Graphs v hypergraphs in Wolfram Physics with Jonathan Gorard: Here’s a slightly technical question: Does Wolfram Physics really need hypergraphs? Or could it based on graphs instead? Jonathan Gorard explains how hypergraphs, rather than graphs, came to be the basis of Wolfram Physics. by The Last Theory

7 min listen

Causal invariance versus confluence with Jonathan Gorard by The Last Theory

13 min listen

How big is the computer that runs the universe?: I have my doubts about the existence of a computer that’s whirring away, applying Wolfram’s rules to Wolfram’s graphs, performing the computations required to run our universe. But let's suppose that it does exist and ask a simple question: How big would by The Last Theory

16 min listen

Where I’m going with Wolfram Physics in 2023: I've been blown away by your response to The Last Theory in 2022. Here are 7 directions I want to take The Last Theory in 2023. by The Last Theory

7 min listen

The founding of the Wolfram Physics Project with Jonathan Gorard: In 2019, Jonathan Gorard helped goad Stephen Wolfram into launching The Wolfram Physics Project. Last week, I talked to Jonathan about the revolutionary ideas that have come out of the project, at what might prove a pivotal moment in the history of scienc by The Last Theory

15 min listen

Why I took a chance on Wolfram Physics with Jonathan Gorard: Jonathan Gorard admits that it was a risk, for his academic career, to work on the Wolfram Physics project. In this third excerpt from my recent conversation with Jonathan, I asked him how he thought about that risk and why he decided to take it. by The Last Theory

9 min listen

Discover this podcast and so much more

Where’s the computer that runs the universe?

Where’s the computer that runs the universe?

Description

Titles in the series (59)

More Episodes from The Last Theory

Related podcast episodes