AaS! 134: Is There a Fifth Force of Nature?

Ask a Spaceman!

Paul M. Sutter

Astrophysics, Science, Cosmos, Holes, Black, Astronomy, Natural Sciences, Universe, Cosmology, Space, Physics

4.8 • 853 Ratings

🗓️ 18 August 2020

⏱️ 32 minutes

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Summary

Are there more than four forces of nature? Is dark matter connected to dark energy? What the heck are dark photons? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman!

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Music by Jason Grady and Nick Bain. Thanks to Cathy Rinella for editing.

Hosted by Paul M. Sutter, astrophysicist and the one and only Agent to the Stars (http://www.pmsutter.com).

Transcript

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0:00.0	What does it mean for there to be a force of nature?
0:15.0	We're surrounded by things that are constantly happening.
0:19.0	You drop your keys and have to pick them up. The chair creaks
0:21.8	when you sit in it. The sun feels good on your skin. What's that smell? Mmm. The world around us
0:28.5	is alive and buzzing with activity. It appears as if reality is made of objects that are
0:35.1	constantly interacting in a number of weird and wonderful ways.
0:39.3	So what's the difference between an interaction and a force of nature?
0:45.3	The forces of nature are fundamental.
0:49.3	This is a very, very important word.
0:51.3	It means that this force, a cause of an interaction, cannot be broken down into smaller bits.
1:02.0	It itself can explain a variety of interactions.
1:07.5	It explains a bunch of phenomena.
1:09.4	It can't be broken down.
1:10.7	It is important. It is phenomena. It can't be broken down.
1:12.4	It is important.
1:13.7	It is essential.
1:14.9	It is critical.
1:16.6	It is fundamental.
1:23.6	What we call a force of nature is our theory of an interaction.
1:31.1	We see something happening in the universe, whatever that thing is, and we ascribe a force to it.
1:35.0	The force is what we use to explain the interaction.
1:36.4	You drop your keys.
	...

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