# Physics is Broken **Take a look at this table. Would you bet on these odds?** | **Value** | **Use** | **Sensitivity** | **Certainty** | **Impact if Wrong** | **Fudge Factor?** | **Odds of Being Correct** | |----------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------| | **Quintessence** | Hypothetical dark energy varying over time; used in cosmological models. | High. Alters expansion history and structure formation. | Hypothetical; no direct evidence. | Different universe evolution and fate. | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (High fudge factor. Introduced to explain dark energy.) | 100:1 (Very low) | | **Cosmological Constant (Λ)** | Drives the universe’s accelerated expansion; determines age, size, and fate. | Extremely high. Tiny changes drastically alter predictions. | Observed, but small value is puzzling. | Larger: Too fast expansion. Smaller/negative: Collapse. | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (High fudge factor. Introduced and removed by Einstein.) | 50:1 (Low) | | **Dimensionless Constants** | Point to deeper connections between fundamental constants. | Varies. Some have significant impacts, others subtle. | Measured, but origin unexplained. | Alters relationships between constants and reality. | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (High fudge factor. Existence and values unexplained.) | 20:1 (Low) | | **Number of Dimensions** | Number of spatial dimensions in the universe. | Potentially very high, implications not fully understood. | Based on everyday experience and current theories. | Could revolutionize understanding of space, time, and fundamental forces. | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (High fudge factor. Extra dimensions are speculative.) | 20:1 (Low) | | **Mass of the Universe** | Total matter and energy; determines geometry, expansion rate, and fate. | High. Alters evolution and structure. | Estimated from observations, but exact value uncertain. | Different picture of the universe’s size, age, and fate. | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (High fudge factor. Contribution of dark matter and dark energy is uncertain.) | 10:1 (Moderate) | | **Inflaton Field Parameters** | Dynamics of cosmic inflation; affects early universe predictions. | High. Variations lead to different early universe predictions. | Inferred from observations, but exact form unknown. | Different universe than observed. | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (High fudge factor. Inflaton field is hypothetical.) | 10:1 (Moderate) | | **Fine-Structure Constant (α)** | Strength of electromagnetic interactions; influences atomic structure and behavior. | High. Small changes affect matter stability and properties. | Measured with high precision, but origin unexplained. | Alters matter stability and formation of stars, galaxies, and life. | ⭐⭐⭐ (Moderate fudge factor. Value known, origin unexplained.) | 5:1 (Moderate) | | **Higgs Boson Mass** | Stability of the electroweak vacuum; properties of other particles. | High. Inaccurate values lead to unstable universe predictions. | Measured experimentally, but not predicted by the Standard Model. | Affects stability of matter and fundamental forces. | ⭐⭐⭐ (Moderate fudge factor. Value known, origin unexplained.) | 5:1 (Moderate) | | **Neutrino Masses** | Formation of large-scale structures, star evolution, and fundamental symmetries. | Exact values unknown, making sensitivity hard to assess. | Determined through experiments, but measuring tiny masses is challenging. | Changes understanding of the universe’s evolution and fundamental particles. | ⭐⭐⭐ (Moderate fudge factor. Mechanism of mass acquisition unknown.) | 5:1 (Moderate) | | **Hubble Constant (H₀)** | Rate of universe expansion; determines age and size. | High. Changes affect estimated age and size. | Measured through observations, but discrepancy exists (Hubble tension). | Changes understanding of the universe’s history and evolution. | ⭐⭐⭐ (Moderate fudge factor. Discrepancy suggests incomplete understanding.) | 3:1 (Moderate) | | **Gravitational Constant (G)** | Strength of gravity; used in planetary motion, star formation, and galaxy dynamics. | Moderate to high. Affects formation and evolution of stars, galaxies, and structures. | Measured experimentally, but less precise than other constants. | Larger: Faster star formation, shorter lifespans. Smaller: Slower formation, longer lifespans. | ⭐⭐ (Low fudge factor. Experimentally determined, no strong theoretical reason to expect change.) | 2:1 (High) | | **Strong Coupling Constant (αₛ)**| Strength of strong nuclear force; binds quarks and holds atomic nuclei together. | Varies with energy scale. Precise value at different scales is crucial. | Measured experimentally, but running with energy makes a single value challenging. | Affects stability of atomic nuclei and processes in stars and the early universe. | ⭐⭐ (Low fudge factor. Behavior understood within quantum chromodynamics.) | 2:1 (High) | These values represent our best understanding of the universe, yet they come with significant uncertainties. Physicists often introduce these parameters to make models work, rather than truly reflecting the underlying reality. This practice raises critical questions about the reliability of our scientific methods and the extent to which we should trust these models. In my first professional job, I had the opportunity to work with computer simulation models. One of the old timers who had programmed the models had a peculiar habit of embedding inexplicable coefficients and constants directly into the code. When asked about these mysterious values, he would invariably respond, “To make the model work.” > Rather than figure out how to model reality accurately it was easier just to make the math work. We even had a name for these: **fudge factors** Except, that’s not how it’s supposed to go. These values are not about just fudging the math to make the model work; they are about making a model of reality that aligns with our understanding. Instead, they add unnecessary complexity and navel-gazing. Einstein’s most famous equation, $E = mc^2$, is perhaps the most iconic in history. Yet, physicists often fail to consider momentum, leading to the false assertion that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light. This oversight calls into question the empirical standards we place on mathematics. The idea that the universe runs on math alone is absurd. Our number system is a hodgepodge of different ideas and contradictory constructs, and surely the universe has more sense than that. Einstein’s equations famously included the cosmological constant (Λ), a fudge factor he initially introduced to maintain a static universe. However, after Edwin Hubble’s discovery that the universe is expanding—a revelation confirmed by what we now call the Hubble constant (H₀)—Einstein abandoned the cosmological constant, calling it his “biggest blunder.” Ironically, modern cosmology has resurrected Λ to explain the accelerated expansion of the universe, swapping one fudge factor for another. Even Einstein stopped using the cosmological constant—except when he didn’t, and neither did the universe. The Hubble constant itself has become a source of tension, with discrepancies in its measured value challenging our understanding of cosmic evolution. Moreover, we pour billions of dollars into projects like the Large Hadron Collider, chasing after theories like string theory, multiverses, or many-worlds interpretations. These theories are speculative and untestable, leading us down a path of fantasy rather than science. How do you test the multiverse? How do you falsify that it doesn’t exist? We are lost in a maze of our own making, blinded by the glittering promise of a theory of everything that may never come. Billions of dollars chasing shadows and phantoms, while the real problems of the world go unsolved. We are lost in a maze of our own making, blinded by the glittering promise of a theory of everything that may never come. It’s time for physicists to be humbled by the realization that they’re wrong—that physics is not the pinnacle of science they often believe it to be. So, get out of their offices, walk around campus, and go talk to the philosophy department. Or better yet, use that gray matter to think critically about everything they think they know. In doing so, they might just find some surprising revelations inside their own heads—truths that were there all along, waiting to be rediscovered.