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
A Tragic Accident Left Her Paralyzed. Now She Dances on Wheels | Short Film Showcase
I don’t look at my disability as good or bad or indifferent; it just is. So I don’t spend any time thinking about what I could have accomplished had I not had that accident. I’m interested in what’s going on right now. This is the body I have to dance in,…
Help me INTERVIEW THE PRESIDENT - Smarter Every Day 150
[music] Hey, it’s me, Destin. Welcome back to Smarter Every Day. This is different; it’s really a big deal. I have been invited to go to the White House to sit down with the President of the United States of America for 10 to 12 minutes to discuss issues …
Estimating with multiplication
In this video, we’re going to get a little bit of practice estimating with multiplication. So over here, it says question mark is, and you have the squiggly equal sign. You could view that squiggly equal sign as being, “What is this roughly equal to?” It …
Safari Live - Day 238 | National Geographic
This program features live coverage of an African safari and may include animal kills and caucuses. Viewer discretion is advised. This is why the inclement ride is such a firm favorite. It’s Quito. [Music] It just looks ready for a fight. [Music] This is…
Steve Jobs on Failure
Now I’ve actually always found something to be very true, which is, um, most people don’t get those experiences because they never ask. Uh, I’ve never found anybody that didn’t want to help me if I asked them for help. I always call them up. I called up,…
15 RULES of MONEY
Ah, money. Some people say it makes the world go round. Some people chase it tirelessly, like a hamster running on a wheel. Some people speak about money, and others actually have it. Money doesn’t care about your self-esteem, about your religion, about w…