Michio Kaku: The Universe in a Nutshell

The Universe in a Nutshell: The Physics of Everything
Michio Kaku, Henry Semat Professor of Theoretical Physics at CUNY

What if we could find one single equation that explains every force in the universe? Dr. Michio Kaku explores how physicists may shrink the science of the Big Bang into an equation as small as Einstein's "e=mc^2." Thanks to advances in string theory, physics may allow us to escape the heat death of the universe, explore the multiverse, and unlock the secrets of existence. While firing up our imaginations about the future, Kaku also presents a succinct history of physics and makes a compelling case for why physics is the key to pretty much everything.

The Floating University
Originally released September, 2011.

[Music]

(The Floating University)

[Michio Kaku] My name is Professor Michio Kaku.

I'm a professor of theoretical physics at the City University of New York

(Dr. Michio Kaku - Professor of theoretical Phyics, The City University of New York - Specialist in String Theory
The Universe in a Nutshell - The Physics of Everything)
and I specialize in something called String Theory.

I'm a physicist, and some people ask me the question:

"What has physics done for me lately? I mean, do I get better color television?

Do I get better internet reception with physics?"

And the answer is: yes. You see, physics is at the very foundation of matter and energy.

We physicists invented the laser beam, we invented the transistor,

we helped to create the first computer, we helped to construct the internet,

we wrote the World Wide Web.

In addition, we also helped to invent television, radio, radar, microwaves,

not to mention MRI scans, head scans, X rays:

in other words, almost everything you see in your living room,

almost everything you see in a modern hospital, at some point or other, can be traced to a physicist.

Now, I got interested in physics when I was a child.

(Michio Kaku - Age 8)
When I was 8, a great scientist had just died.

I still remember my elementary school teacher coming into the room and announcing that

the greatest scientist of our era has just passed away.

And that day, every newspaper published a picture of his desk,

the desk of Albert Einstein.

And the caption said - I'll never forget -

"The unfinished manuscript of the greatest work of the greatest scientist of our time."

And I said to myself: "Why couldn't he finish it? I mean, what's so hard?

It's a homework problem, right? Why didn't he ask his mother? Why can't he finish this problem?"

So, as a child of eight, I decided to find out what was this problem?

Years later, I began to realize that it was the theory of everything: the Unified Field Theory.

An equation that would summarize all the physical forces in the universe.

An equation like e = mc^2. That equation is half an inch long,

and that equation unlocks a secret of the stars.

Why do the stars shine? Why does the galaxy light up?

Why do we have energy on the earth?

But then there was another thing that happened to me when I was around eight years old.

I got hooked on the Saturday morning TV show 2:41