Juliet Ironastronomer and member of the Mexican Academy of Language (AML), will be speaking this Thursday, June 23 at 1:00 p.m. about the unification of physics, from Newton to String Theory, in the Cycle AML Statutory Readings.
“We will be disruptive in this space dedicated to language,” the also popularizer joked. “I have been a member for so many years that I can now relax, really. At first I was scared to death every time I had to speak, but now I can do whatever I want at this point in life.”
In a more serious way, she assures that she sees her classmates as extraordinary beings “and they usually listen to academics from the world of letters, with very interesting texts, but I would be incapable of writing that way and even less of reading that way.” way. We scientists are used to talking and passing a power point, our communication system is alternate”.
And that is what the doctor proposes for this opportunity to communicate science, specifically physics. “You have to know that I am not going to talk about grammar, or poetry, but about physics, but perhaps if you listen to it, it will catch your attention to see how humanity has made an effort to understand things and how it is worth approaching science. science all of a sudden and how fascinating and powerful it is.”
He explains that physics is constantly seen as complex because from the outset you need to know two languages, first English, because it is the lingua franca of science, and mathematics, which is the language of nature. On the other hand, in schools sciences are learned by heart “and the truth is, who has ever used the multiplication table of 13 or the periodic table of the elements, I think nobody, not even scientists”.
However, this talk will seek to explain how physics tries to find the basic laws of nature and express them in a transparent, simple and often elegant way, “because finally nature works on its own, like when a baby is going to be born, it is known that it will come perfect naturally. Finally the laws are diaphanous”.
Where did the topic to expose come from?
The Dr. Iron talk to The Economist that previously the UNAM Gazette He proposed a talk to explain the unification of physics “I foolishly said: ‘Yes, of course’, and I started studying, I spent a month preparing that and I said to myself: ‘What a father is this’, I loved the subject, That’s why I thought it was a great topic to present”.
He said his goal is to make it interesting, but also clear, “to show how fantastic physics is and what powerful tools it has built. That’s why I started from the historical point of view, which is always nice. As Newton said ´the apple has to fall to the earth, and I send a cannon shot and it advances a certain distance, but if I give more speed it advances farther and farther, until it could be a satellite of the earth´. He was talking about the Moon, that’s why the moon spins, the same thing happens with the sun, at that moment he realized that the laws of the earth are the same as those of the universe, that was one of the first unifications of physics ” .
He adds that the human effort to understand nature has been enormous, but it has been centuries and we continue without solving problems, but “that is precisely the beauty of science, that it is not a dogma that says: Here is the whole truth, on the contrary science gets it wrong, it starts over and that’s part of its charm.”
Juliet Iron concludes that it is a success of the Academy of the Language uploading the statutory readings to the network, “because in those sessions you can hear wonderful things, a Eduardo Matos who talks about archaeological discoveries, or Vicente Quirarte reading poetry, each reading is fascinating”.
“The one who has left the academy and is for everyone is to be applauded. In this historical moment that Mexico is experiencing, where knowledge is not necessarily appreciated, it is very important that people know that there are people who are doing work in all areas, particularly in Spanish, which is our way of communicating. It is something free that we must preserve, register and take care of”.
Who is Julieta Fierro?
Since 2004 he occupies chair XXV of the Mexican Academy of Language. She is an astronomer, science popularizer and one of the most important researchers in Mexico. She has been awarded multiple prizes such as the Klumpke-Roberts from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific; the Primo Rovis medal from the Trieste Astrophysics Center; the UNESCO Kalinga and recently the Medal of Merit in Science 2021, Ing. Mario Molina, awarded by the Congress of Mexico City.
The conference will be broadcast on the page of Facebook and through the channel Youtube of the AML https://www.academia.org.mx/ this Thursday, June 23, at 1:00 p.m.
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