AaS! 181: What is the Principle of Least Action?

Ask a Spaceman!

Paul M. Sutter

Astrophysics, Science, Cosmos, Holes, Black, Astronomy, Natural Sciences, Universe, Cosmology, Space, Physics

4.8 • 853 Ratings

🗓️ 2 August 2022

⏱️ 37 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What makes the principle of least action so important? Who came up with it? Is it all just a bunch of math or does it actually mean something? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman!

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Thanks to Cathy Rinella for editing.

Hosted by Paul M. Sutter, astrophysicist and the one and only Agent to the Stars (http://www.pmsutter.com).

Transcript

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0:00.0	Before I dig into today's topic, I wanted to recommend a book to you.
0:12.4	You are always asking for recommendations.
0:14.2	Well, here it is.
0:15.5	And I've started this amazing partnership with CHRP, an audiobook retailer known for their
0:20.0	great deals without any
0:21.3	commitments or subscription. And we've got a book club going on that you can join. And my pick for
0:27.9	this month is the Copernicus Complex by Caleb Scharf. You know my book Our Place
0:33.2	in the Universe? The original title was You Are Not Special. And this book is a perfect companion piece to it. It's about the universe. The original title was You Are Not Special, and this book is a perfect companion
0:39.9	piece to it. It's about the discovery of our cosmic insignificance, how important that revelation
0:45.1	was, and how that's something that drives scientists even today, including me and my many
0:51.2	late-night existential crises. It really digs into the facets of this
0:55.6	complex topic, and it's a really, really fun read. So to get it, you go to chirpbooks.com
1:01.6	slash spaceman and get the Copernicus complex on sale from $19 to only $2.99 for a limited time.
1:08.8	And be sure to press Follow to join my club to stay in the loop on future
1:12.9	picks and other exclusive content from me. That's chirpbooks.com slash spaceman. Going there
1:18.8	really helps to support the show and I appreciate it.
1:25.0	There are laws of physics. and then there are laws of physics.
1:33.8	Folks, today I got to warn you, it's an especially nerdy topic today, but I want to do it because a bunch of you asked, And the punchline is worth it. It's going to blow
1:45.9	your mind in a surprising way. We're used to having our minds blown by supernovae or the
1:51.7	beginnings of the universe or the intricacies of string theory. This is a very subtle mind blowing
1:57.8	that I think as a dedicated listener of this show, you are going to appreciate it.
2:02.7	And it's going to take a little bit to get to the punchline.
	...

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