A question to follow, a project to make your own. Browse these possibilities, or bring an idea of your own.
Can all the fundamental forces and laws of physics be unified into a single framework? Explore the competing approaches to a "theory of everything," the mathematical ideas behind them, and why reconciling quantum mechanics with general relativity remains so difficult.
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Could familiar physical rules follow from a few requirements about how observations combine? Build a small rules laboratory comparing classical probability with a simple quantum-interference model. Vary assumptions about how alternative paths and successive steps combine, and explain which outcomes depend on which assumptions and how they might be checked experimentally.
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What happens when quantum behavior becomes visible on a macroscopic scale? Explore superfluid helium, Bose–Einstein condensates, superconductors, and supersolids. Compare frictionless flow, zero electrical resistance, magnetic flux expulsion, and quantized vortices. Use mathematical models or simulations to investigate what these systems share and how they differ.
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What makes quantum computation fundamentally different from classical computation, and what kinds of problems might it solve better? Build a quantum circuit simulator, experiment with quantum algorithms, or run small programs on an actual quantum computer.
Link to this ideaAll 25 project ideas, the mentoring invitation, and next steps in one illustrated lookbook.
Mike Andrews P'28 · Independent ISP mentorship