yego.me
💡 Stop wasting time. Read Youtube instead of watch. Download Chrome Extension

We Can’t Prove Most Theorems with Known Physics


2m read
·Nov 3, 2024

Processing might take a few minutes. Refresh later.

The overwhelming majority of theorems in mathematics are theorems that we cannot possibly prove. This is Girdle's theorem, and it also comes out of Turing's proof of what is and is not computable. These things that are not computable vastly outnumber the things that are computable, and what is computable depends entirely upon what computers we can make in this physical universe.

The computers that we can make must obey our laws of physics. If the laws of physics were different, then we'd be able to prove different sorts of mathematics. This is another part of the mathematician's misconception: they think they can get outside of the laws of physics. However, their brain is just a physical computer. Their brain must obey the laws of physics.

If they existed in a universe with different laws of physics, then they could prove different theorems. But we exist in the universe that we're in, and so we're bound by a whole bunch of things, not least of which is the finite speed of light. So there could be certain things out there in abstract space which we would be able to come to a more full understanding of if we could get outside of the restrictions of the laws of physics here.

Happily, none of those theorems that we cannot prove at the moment are inherently interesting. Some things can be inherently boring; namely, all of these theorems which we cannot possibly prove as true or false. Those theorems can't have any bearing in our physical universe. They have nothing to do with our physical universe, and this is why we say they're inherently uninteresting. There's a lot of inherently uninteresting things...

More Articles

View All
How Lasers Work (in practice) - Smarter Every Day 33
Hey it’s me, Destin. Welcome to Smarter Every Day. So I’m in the Netherlands today and I’m hanging out with a buddy of mine that I met through a research project. His name is Johan Kr… Reinink. That. So, anyway, Johan is a laser expert, and I’ve worked…
Dopamine Detox: Become Invincible
What if I told you that you’re an addict and you don’t even know it? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. We all are, or most of us at least. And here’s a little experiment to prove it: once this video ends, turn off your phone and leave it in a drawer for the…
How to Brute Force your way to $1 Million
Let’s get something out of the way: one million dollars isn’t what it used to be. Yes, it won’t be enough to live a lavish lifestyle for the rest of your life, but it would definitely make your life exponentially better than it is right now. Here’s someth…
This Is What It's Like to Live in a World Without Smell | Short Film Showcase
I wish I had more of these dreams. I had one dream I woke up so happy; it was so real. I remember being in the kitchen, and all of a sudden, I smelled broccoli. I took it out of the fridge. It was just so real, and when I woke up, I was happy. My friends …
Shower Thoughts: Space Is Weird
The universe is a mind-boggling place. Actually, I’m not even sure I can call it a place. NASA says the universe is everything, but what they really mean is that it contains everything— all of space, energy, time, and matter, like you and me. But there’s …
What you MUST KNOW about Robinhood Investing
What’s the guys? It’s Graham here. Now, normally I would never make two Robin Hood videos like this back-to-back, but I gotta say, this entire event has been extremely mind-boggling. There have been some new events that have just come up over the last day…