Speaker: Dr. Christine Aidala (University of Michigan)

Abstract:

Reverse Physics, part of the broader Assumptions of Physics research program (https://assumptionsofphysics.org/), is an approach to the foundations of physics that aims to dissect the mathematical structures of all physical theories to find exactly why they are needed and what they represent physically. We will present the general methodology and a series of results in classical mechanics, quantum mechanics, and statistical mechanics, showing how these share a lot more foundational aspects than typically realized. As a few highlights, we will see how placing a lower bound on the entropy imposes an uncertainty principle in classical mechanics, and that classical mechanics is the high-entropy limit of quantum mechanics.