30 FOR 30 TOK

Physics is the most precise science humanity has produced. It is also the discipline whose most successful theory, quantum mechanics, raises questions about the nature of reality that physicists cannot agree on. This book explores the gap between physics as calculation and physics as understanding.

30 For 30 TOK: IB Physics is the twentieth book in the 30 For 30 TOK series, which pairs thirty IB diploma subjects with thirty searching questions about the nature of the knowledge it produces. This volume focuses on the IB Physics course, asking questions about the nature of physical laws, the role of mathematics in describing reality, the philosophical implications of quantum theory and relativity, and the ethics of a science whose discoveries have produced both great benefits and catastrophic weapons.

From Newton's laws and their limits to the many interpretations of quantum mechanics, from the unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics to the epistemological challenge of dark matter, the thirty questions in this book press on what physical knowledge is and what it cannot be. Sample responses model what careful, philosophically informed engagement with physics and its foundations looks like in practice.

Designed for IB Physics students, teachers, TOK educators, and anyone captivated by the question of what it means for human minds to produce mathematical knowledge about a universe that predates them by billions of years.