Nature's Imagination
We can’t directly witness the world of tiny pieces of light or matter where experiment reveals behaviours quite different to our everyday experience. Even though we have had unprecedented success with equations predicting results with enormous accuracy we are at a loss to explain what is going on in familiar terms. This led me to ask ‘What is the character of Nature at such small scales and can we share what what we find with everyone?’ The answer is this short film.
The history of science with its many puzzling questions along the way can sometimes drive and dominate discussion and the scientist’s ways of talking and labels can also influence how we think. I have tried to work through these, to accept Nature as it is and describe what we can. I have found Nature to be of marvellous and consistent character, rich in pattern, invisible organisation and incredible reach, seemingly without concern for space or time.
Our lively analyses and discussions along the way have been wonderful fun and mind expanding. We have had to dive into the details, though we have kept returning to the big picture to create this short film for everyone. It is inspired by Nature’s luminous and mysterious elegance which I hope you enjoy like a glass of pure water.
Thank you to the scientists, who’ve explained, analysed, reviewed, created and debated: Jonathan Halliwell, Sania Jetvic, Terry Rudolph, Mike Tarbutt.
Images: Bell Inequality workings with Geraldine’s drawn interpretation of entangled electron spin statistics; Examination of interference in the interferometer when an atom ‘detects’ the photon path.
For those of you who want to see a little more - this one and a half minute Epilogue brings the main themes from 'Nature's Imagination' together in a single simple example.