A Brief History of Quantum Mechanics - with Sean Carroll

The mysterious world of quantum mechanics has mystified scientists for decades. But this mind-bending theory is the best explanation of reality that we have.

Whether it’s Schrödinger's cat or the many worlds interpretation, the ideas quantum mechanics throws up about the reality we live in can seem incredibly strange and daunting.

In this talk, Sean walks you through the history of quantum discoveries, from Einstein and Bohr to the present day, guiding you through the most intriguing subject in science and explaining his own favourite theories along the way.

Sean M Carroll is a theoretical physicist, specialising in quantum mechanics, gravitation, cosmology, statistical mechanics, and foundations of physics, with occasional dabblings elsewhere. His official titles are Research Professor of Physics at Caltech and Research Professor at the Santa Fe Institute. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, writer Jennifer Ouellette.

This talk was filmed in the Ri on 22 January 2020.

---
A very special thank you to our Patreon supporters who help make these videos happen, especially:
Alan Latteri, Andrew McGhee, Anonymous, Dave Ostler, David Crowner, David Lindo, David Schick, Greg Nagel, Jan Bannister, Joe Godenzi, John C. Vesey, Kellas Lowery, L S, Lasse T. Stendan, Matt Townsend, Osian Gwyn Williams, Paul Brown, Rebecca Pan, Robert Hillier, Robert Reinecke, and Roger Baker.

---

Product links on this page are affiliate links which means it won't cost you any extra but we may earn a small commission if you decide to purchase through the link.

[Nienormalny]

Listening to this guy is a genuine pleasure. Not only the content but the delivery is top notch. No boring stuff, no excess nerd humor, a little irony.. all is nicely spoken. Wonderful content. Also he speaks with absolute clarity in terms of understanding by non english language native people. Amazing.

[peterburandt]

I have spent 56+ minutes suspended in a state of superposition of both, understanding and not understanding Sean Carrolls lecture.
And yet I have enjoyed it immensely and consider it a time well spent.
Somewhere in a multiverse of possibilities I am ready to receive my honorary quantum mechanics degree.
No, wait... the cat is actually asleep.

[jwvandegronden]

It is amazing how again and again he is able to shine this light of knowledge and understanding on a subject so complex, yet through his knowledge and ability to compartmentalize pieces of information, giving the audience a sense of understanding of something otherwise well beyond it's reach! Amazing.

[k.p.redmond]

Thank goodness for YouTube. I can stop Sean's lecture, look up words, and replay the last section. If I had been sitting in the audience I would have been totally lost. The quantum world is a wonderful mystery!

[NimbleBard]

Just a reminder, Sean has a podcast on YouTube called Mindscape. He talks about everything from wine, conciousness, end of the universe to physics. Still, much of it is physics.

[ariprabowo]

I'm not here for the lecture. I'm here to support my parallel self who is here for the lecture.

[datang]

This is way beyond my expectation ! Best lecture on this topic I have ever learned. I am so grateful to find this lecture. Allow me to express my highest respect to you Prof. Carroll.

[DrUdaiSSingh]

Thank you. I took undergraduate and graduate classes in quantum mechanics and NO ONE ever explained it as succinctly as you have.

[MarkoTManninen]

To me, it looks like Sean is reaching a mature pedagogical perfection in Quantum lectures! It is always a great service for students, researchers, and seekers to see and hear lucid talks like these. Thanks and looking forward to the progress of the theory.

[edwardrichardson]

Outstanding. I love when people are great speakers. A good lecturer can keep you interested, get you laughing here and there, but a great energetic speaker with a great voice carries you along on a wave of modulation - this man is that.

[ElinT]

I love the brilliance of Sean Carroll and how clear he can explain theories. Sean Carroll's explanations will enable me to get as close to understanding quantum mechanics as I ever will. Thank you for this very interesting lecture!

[twac]

I sat in on a couple of lectures of his “General Relativity” class at the University of Chicago in the Autumn Quarter of 2001. Left after the math got too heavy for me (a Divinity School grad student at the time). He was very kind and allowed me not only to sit in on his lectures but even answered wild questions I would ask him as the physics students would all sit there wondering who the hell this crazy guy (that would be me) was. Great to hear this lecture. I’ll bet he’s still one of the nicest geniuses you’ll ever meet.

[TheWuschi]

I was so afraid when I saw the title, that I would not understand one bit of this - but it was explained so great and with so much enthusiasm and clearness, that even a Humanities scholar of Very Little Brain and with English as second language like me could follow (and, of course, love it). Thank you, Royal Institution, and thank you very much, Sean Carroll!

[jmcsquared]

As much as I think many worlds isn't right, I love his attitude. He isn't sugarcoating the problem, he's attacking it head on. Nobody knows how quantum mechanics works, and we'll never know how gravity interacts with particles until we understand quantum mechanics, at least better than we do now.

[rachelbrown]

Absolutely the best presentation I have seen on Quantam Mechanics anywhere in the past 20 years.

[StewartKeigher]

Simply fabulous and a really lucid example of testing thinking skills before reaching a scientific conclusion. I'm buying the book!!

[marcmarc]

Sean Carroll is back!




Edit: Just found time to watch this amazing science communicator return to the RI (this time without his wife).


The talk has forever changed the way I think about quantum mechanics and the universe. A very memorable talk that tempts me into buying his new book "Something Deeply Hidden".


I thought it was such a bold move by Prof. Carroll; to take these quantum mechanical "interpretations" and make them 'theories'.
Its exactly what this field of science needs right now. Creating new theories based from entanglement and getting people to stop using classical mechanics as a starting point would forever change physics.


Thanks again to the RI for bringing back Sean Carroll for another insightful lecture!

[zfdfmkc]

The idea of linking quantum entanglement with spacetime-geometry/curvature is just so fascinating.

[daverichardson]

I am not a scientist but I love listening to this. My incomprehension of quantum mechanics seems so much clearer now.

[silmarmonte]

Perfect lecture! Besides, his engligh is so clear that I could understand more than 90%! Thank you for sharing!