Passage
Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity is a century old next year and, as far as the test of time is concerned, it seems to have done rather well. For many, indeed, it doesn’t merely hold up: it is the archetype for what a scientific theory should look like. Einstein’s achievement was to explain gravity as a geometric phenomenon: a force that results from the distortion of spacetime by matter and energy, compelling objects – and light itself – to move along particular paths, very much as rivers are constrained by the topography of their landscape. General relativity departs from classical Newtonian mechanics and from ordinary intuition alike, but its predictions have been verified countless times. In short, it is true.
Einstein himself seemed rather indifferent to the experimental tests, however. The first came in 1919, when the British physicist Arthur Eddington observed the Sun’s gravity bending starlight during a solar eclipse. What if those results hadn’t agreed with the theory? ‘Then,’ said Einstein, ‘I would have been sorry for the dear Lord, for the theory is correct.’
That was Einstein all over. As the Danish physicist Niels Bohr commented at the time, he was a little too fond of telling God what to do. But this wasn’t sheer arrogance, nor parental pride in his theory. The reason Einstein felt general relativity must be right is that it was too beautiful a theory to be wrong.
This sort of talk both delights today’s physicists and makes them a little nervous. After all, isn’t experiment – nature itself – supposed to determine truth in science? What does beauty have to do with it? ‘Aesthetic judgments do not arbitrate scientific discourse,’ the string theorist Brian Greene reassures his readers in his book The Elegant Universe. ‘Ultimately, theories are judged by how they fare when faced with cold, hard, experimental facts.’ Einstein, Greene insists, didn’t mean to imply otherwise – he was just saying that beauty in a theory is a good guide, an indication that you are on the right track.
Einstein isn’t around to argue, of course, but I think he would have done. It was Einstein, after all, who said that ‘the only physical theories that we are willing to accept are the beautiful ones’. And if he were simply defending theory against too hasty a deference to experiment, there would be plenty of reason to side with him – for who is to say that, in case of a discrepancy, it must be the theory and not the measurement that is in error? But that’s not really his point. Einstein seems to be asserting that beauty trumps experience come what may.
He wasn’t alone. Here’s the great German mathematician Hermann Weyl: ‘My work always tries to unite the true with the beautiful; but when I had to choose one or the other, I usually chose the beautiful.’ So much for John Keats’s ‘Beauty is truth, truth beauty.’ And so much, you might be tempted to conclude, for scientists’ devotion to truth: here were some of its greatest luminaries, pledging obedience to a different calling altogether.
Question for 100 RCs for Practice Questions- 64
Try yourself:What is the main point of this passage?
Explanation
Option 1 is incorrect. Throughout the passage, the author talks about how some scientists – especially Albert Einstein – claim that the authenticity of a theory can be judged by its beauty and verified through experience, rather than through experiments. Though the author mentions other scientists who question such a view, it is not the focus of the passage. Eliminate option 1.
Option 2 is incorrect. To say scientists prefer beautiful theories rather than verifiable ones is a misrepresentation. The passage does not imply this preference. The particular point discussed in the passage through Einstein’s example is that relativity is such a beautiful theory that its beauty indicated its truth – thus, its experimental confirmation which had to follow was even irrelevant to Einstein. Eliminate option 2.
Option 4 is incorrect. The suggestion that Einstein and other scientists have “proved” that beauty is important, misrepresents the intent of the passage, which is beauty arises from the truth of the theory. Beauty alone is not the aim of a scientific theory. Eliminate option 4.
Option 3 is correct. It, correctly and precisely, sums up the main point of the passage, which is how beauty, truth, and experimental confirmation are related to one another. Retain option 3.
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Question for 100 RCs for Practice Questions- 64
Try yourself:Which of the following is NOT true about Einstein’s theory of general relativity, as per this passage?
Explanation
Option 1 is true and thereby incorrect. Paragraph 1 states that Einstein explained “gravity as a geometric phenomenon: a force that results from the distortion of space-time by matter and energy …” The terms ‘matter and energy’ imply that any object can distort space-time. Thus, option 1 is true and can be rejected. Eliminate option 1.
Option 3 is true and thus an exception. Paragraph 1 states thus: “Einstein’s achievement was to explain gravity as a geometric phenomenon.” Thus, option 3 is true. Eliminate option 3.
Option 4 is true and thus an exception. Refer paragraph 1: “… gravity [is] a geometric phenomenon: a force that results from the distortion of space-time by matter and energy, compelling objects – and light itself – to move along particular paths …” Thus, we can conclude that matter and energy distort spacetime, thereby compelling light to bend. Thus, option 4 is true as per the passage and can be eliminated. Eliminate option 4.
Option 2 cannot be concluded to be true from the passage and is thus incorrect. Rather, paragraph 1 states the opposite that “General relativity departs from classical Newtonian mechanics and from ordinary intuition alike …” Newtonian Physics and common intuition maintains that light does not bend. General relativity contradicted this. Retain option 2.
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Question for 100 RCs for Practice Questions- 64
Try yourself:Which of the following, if true, would NOT validate Einstein’s views as stated in this passage?
Explanation
According to the passage, Einstein considered his scientific theories to be ‘beautiful’, which he took to mean that they were automatically true, whether or not they were supported by experimental findings. Options 1 and 4 are incorrect.
If these options are true, they lend support to and validate Einstein’s faith in ‘beauty’ as a good predictor of correct scientific theories. Thus, we can reject options 1 & 4.
Option 3 is incorrect. If a ‘beautiful’ scientific theory ‘throws light on the basic structure of the universe’, then Einstein’s faith in the beauty of a theory is strengthened or validated. Eliminate option 3.
Option 2 is correct. M-theory (or any theory for that matter) is experienced to be true by scientists – but no experiments can be conducted to prove it. It is also extremely complex to understand, and therefore does not qualify to be beautiful. Therefore, it does not support Einstein’s point of view that the beauty of a theory in itself points to its truth. In short, a theory that is not beautiful can also be true and experienced as such. Retain option 2.
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Question for 100 RCs for Practice Questions- 64
Try yourself:According to the passage, which of the following pairs is NOT correctly matched?
Explanation
Option 1 is incorrect since it is matched correctly, as per the passage. Niels Bohr is said to be a Danish physicist, as per the third paragraph. So, option 1 has a correct pair and can be rejected. Eliminate option 1.
Option 2 is incorrect, because it is correctly matched. Brian Greene is a string theorist, according to paragraph 4. So, option 2 is also correct and can be eliminated. Eliminate option 2.
Option 3 is also incorrect. In the second paragraph it is mentioned that Arthur Eddington conducted an experiment for the first time in 1919 that confirmed General Relativity. Thus, it is correctly matched. He observed Sun’s gravity bending starlight during a solar eclipse, as mentioned in paragraph 2. So, Eddington and solar eclipses are connected. Eliminate option 3.
Option 4 is correct. Refer the last paragraph. The quotation is from John Keats and not from Hermann Weyl. Retain option 4.
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