Tony Padilla is a theoretical physicist and a star of the Numberphile YouTube network, where many of his videos have been viewed by millions of people around the world.
Today’s discussion includes:
The mysterious force of gravity
The search for a so-called ‘theory of everything’
Black holes, including the black hole at the centre of our own galaxy
Entropy, and Stephen Hawking’s foundational contributions to this topic
The possibility that we may be living in a holographic universe
… and other topics.
Watch on YouTube. Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other podcast platform. Read the full transcript here. Follow me on LinkedIn or Twitter/X for episodes and infrequent social commentary.
Episode links
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrTonyPadilla
Book: https://www.amazon.com.au/Fantastic-Numbers-Where-Find-Them/dp/0374600562
Numberphile: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLt5AfwLFPxWL8KAJKO3WfHhJcWrJfjgfU
Timestamps
0:00 Intro
0:18 How did Tony become the star of Numberphile?
2:50 Why is gravity so mysterious?
7:15 The cosmological constant problem
12:16 Quantum field theory vs General relativity and the multiverse
18:35 Why are physicists skeptical about string theory?
22:50 Does a theory of everything have to be beautiful?
26:41 Fantastic Numbers and Where to Find Them
28:55 What is a black hole?
31:10 Stephen Hawking - what is he know for?
37:20 Time flows backwards inside a black hole
43:27 Imaginary time
48:32 Entropy and black holes
57:22 Holographic principle and the black hole at the centre of the Milky Way
1:04:22 Why does a holographic universe 'look' three dimensions?
1:06:52 Book recommendations!
1:08:12 Advice for other physicists
1:09:45 Greta Thunberg (really)
Tony Padilla: Black Holes and Entropy