July 30, 2004, Hour Two: Richard Panek, The Invisible Century / Einstein vs Bohr

Science Friday > Archives > 2004 > July > July 30, 2004:
Hour Two: Richard Panek, "The Invisible Century" / Einstein vs Bohr

Is it a wave or a particle, or both, or neither? Well, maybe it depends on who is looking. In this hour of Science Friday, we'll take a new look at an old quantum question about the nature of light. A new experiment has the potential to throw a twist into the foundations of quantum mechanics. We'll find out more. (See a diagram of the experiment, courtesy New Scientist, 24 July 2004, p. 35. http://www.newscientist.com)

Plus, writer Richard Panek on the parallel worlds of Einsten and Freud. Their theories about worlds that we can't see -- the strange worlds of relativity, and the inner worlds of consciousness -- helped shape 20th century thought.

We'll also get the new odds on Stephen Hawking's black hole bet. Call in with your questions and comments at 1-800-989-8255 (3-4 Eastern), and share your opinions online in our Listeners' Lounge (registration required).

Guests:
Lawrence Krauss
Theoretical Physicist
Chair, Department of Physics
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, Ohio

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Richard Panek
Author: "The Invisible Century: Einstein, Freud, and the Search for Hidden Universes, " ; "Seeing and Believing: How the Telescope Opened our Eyes and Minds to the Heavens,"
New York, New York

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Shahriar S. Afshar
Visiting Research Professor
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Rowan Univeristy
Glassboro, New Jersey

This segment produced by Annette Heist

Archived Audio:
Hawking and Black Holes
listen in RealAudio format
listen in Windows Media format

Einstein and Freud
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listen in Windows Media format

particles or waves?
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listen in Windows Media format
streaming audio help from NPR

Books/Articles Discussed:

"The Invisible Century: Einstein, Freud, and the Search for Hidden Universes," by Richard Panek. Viking Books, 2004.

New Scientist, 24 July 2004, p. 35. http://www.newscientist.com

(find books discussed on previous broadcasts)