"Give Me the Numbers" Approach to Theoretical Physics

by Dr Sebastian Mizera (Princeton University)

Tuesday Nov 5, 2024, 3:00 PM → 5:00 PM Europe/Berlin

This talk reviews a growing paradigm in theoretical physics I call the "give me the numbers" approach. It states that every good theory should be capable of reliably producing explicit numerical predictions, even if they are not directly testable in experiments. These theoretical outputs, derived analytically or numerically, serve as the "theoretical data." The very process of generating theoretical data, by whatever means necessary, puts a stress-test on our understanding of the theory itself.

I will argue that the "give me the numbers" approach is increasingly more important in mathematical physics. Through historical and modern examples, I will illustrate how this strategy has led to new structural insights as well as unexpected interdisciplinary connections, from population dynamics to particle physics, string theory, and gravitational waves.

MPP colloquium split.pdf