Quantum physics is for everybody

Summary

Short Wave — "Quantum Physics is for Everybody" (April 8, 2026)

Episode Overview

In this engaging and accessible episode of Short Wave, host Regina Barber is joined by theoretical physicist and fellow Trekkie, Dr. Chanda Prescott Weinstein, to explore why quantum physics is fundamentally for everyone. Using humor, metaphors, and a bit of Star Trek, the pair break down how we learn (and teach) the language of physics, why metaphors are vital in science communication, and what drives physicists to seek a grand unifying theory. They also discuss how quantum physics isn’t just for rocket scientists, but deeply connected to our daily lives—whether we realize it or not.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Star Trek Metaphor for Science Communication

• Star Trek: The Next Generation’s "Darmok" episode is the starting point, highlighting how language—and especially metaphor—shapes understanding.
  • The universal translator works for grammar and words but fails with metaphor and story-based communication.
  • Quote (Chanda, 01:18):
    “It turns out that this alien species communicates through the figurative, so they communicate through stories and metaphor rather than directly just stating fact ... and the universal translator doesn't know how to deal with translating the figurative.”
• Both Regina and Chanda liken this figurative communication to the metaphors used in teaching physics, especially quantum mechanics.

2. Why Start with Newtonian Physics?

• Despite their own early love for quantum physics, both hosts agree that new students must first master classical mechanics (Newtonian physics).

  • Chanda’s book, "The Edge of Spacetime," opens with these basics before tackling the weirder quantum world.
  • Quote (Chanda, 04:53):
    “I continue to be a fan of when you're trying to teach someone something or help them understand something, that you should actually make the case to them for why you're taking the approach that you're taking.”

• Newtonian physics is described as an "introduction to physics language"—the grammar and vocabulary necessary for more abstract concepts later.

• Regina brings an educational analogy:

  • Quote (Regina, 06:10):
    “Yeah. It makes me think of when we teach children how to write, we start with their name. We don't start with, like, this is how you write an essay."

3. Unlearning and Transitioning to Quantum Physics

• Learning quantum mechanics means unlearning key Newtonian assumptions, especially about continuity in space and time.

  • Quote (Chanda, 07:16):
    “We had to go back to this Newtonian concept of a continuous space and continuous time ... and then you get to learning the fundamentals of quantum physics, and suddenly you're challenged with, actually, there are leaps. There's no smoothness."

• Much of higher physics, especially in the quantum realm, requires new metaphors: bunches, leaps, gaps—concepts that don't fit well with what is familiar.

4. Quantum Physics in Everyday Life

• Quantum mechanics isn’t just abstract—it’s in your phone and your computer!
  • Quote (Chanda, 08:28):
    “All bits. And transistors. They're fundamentally quantum materials, objects. And our computers, our phones have like a bajillion of them in them. That's not a technical number, but I'm going with it because I'm a theoretical physicist and we don't do numbers.”
  • The hosts continue to poke fun at themselves and at physics jargon (“bajillion”), keeping the tone light and relatable.

5. Why We Don’t Have a ‘Grand Unified Theory’ Yet

• Classical (Newtonian) and quantum physics address fundamentally different questions:

  • Quantum physics focuses on particles and their energies.
  • General relativity focuses on the structure of space-time and gravity.
  • Quote (Chanda, 09:05):
    “So quantum physics at its base is very concerned with how are particles behaving ... And when we get to Einstein's theories of relativity ... that is much more concerned with the structure of space and the fact that gravity is actually curvature in space time ... There is an argument to be made that gravity is not actually a force. It's an effect of the structure of space time.”

• Bridging the two is difficult because the mathematical frameworks are fundamentally different—and sometimes incompatible.

• Chanda cautions against framing the intersection as a “war” between quantum and relativistic physics; they address different parts of reality.

6. The Drive for Unification in Physics

• There is both philosophical curiosity and practical value.
  • Quote (Chanda, 11:41):
    “Certainly for me, I think there's an element of the universe is out there, and I like understanding how things work. And so I am curious about the answer to that question for the sake of being curious about the answer to that question.”
• Chanda uses “photon awe”—marveling at photons being produced by a simple lightbulb—as an example of finding cosmic wonder in the everyday.
  • Quote (Chanda, 12:25):
    “I can have that experience of awe with the natural by literally just turning on the light in my office. … realizing that the wonder of the universe is actually with you all the time, physics gives you some entry into that wonder, carrying that sense of awe into your everyday.”

7. Why Unanswered Questions Are Central to Science

• Focusing on the unknown can spark discoveries with powerful, unforeseen applications.

  • Example: GPS relies fundamentally on Einstein’s general relativity—something Einstein didn’t intend for this purpose.
  • Quote (Chanda, 13:16):
    “You actually never know when the thing that you're just trying to figure out is going to turn out to be massively important.”

• Scientific inquiry is also about being a “curious storytelling species;” understanding our cosmic history has value even without material benefit.

  • Quote (Chanda, 14:22):
    “The story that I tell on the edge of space time is our cosmic history. … This is one of the most important stories that we will ever tell. And I think that's good enough.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On metaphor in science:
  “Every time I try and explain a concept to you, I need to use a metaphor because I need to use something that's familiar to you to invite you into something that's not familiar to you.” —Chanda Prescott Weinstein (01:55)

• On teaching physics basics
  “Is it really exciting to think about balls rolling down inclines? Maybe not. ... Energy is maybe the most important concept in physics, and what matters about that course is learning how to think about energy and the role that energy plays.” — Chanda (05:05)

• On the limits of Newtonian physics
  “When we're learning calculus, everything is about, you can take the little pieces and you can add it together, and then it becomes this smooth line, the smooth surface. ... And then you get to learning the fundamentals of quantum physics, and suddenly you're challenged with, actually, there are leaps. There's no smoothness.” — Chanda (07:37)

• On everyday awe
  “...I can have that experience of awe with the natural by literally just turning on the light in my office. That it's a way in which realizing that, like, the wonder of the universe is actually with you all the time, physics gives you some entry into that wonder, carrying that sense of awe into your everyday.” — Chanda (12:25)

• On the wonder of the unknown
  “The practice of science isn't about what we know, it's about what we don't know.” — Paraphrased by Regina (13:04), discussed by Chanda with emphasis on surprises like GPS technology emerging from basic physics research.

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Timestamps of Important Segments

• 00:21 — Regina introduces the Trek metaphor and guest Chanda.
• 01:45 — Why metaphors are essential in science communication.
• 04:09 — Why physics education starts with Newtonian mechanics.
• 06:10 — Analogies between learning physics and learning language.
• 07:04 — What physicists need to unlearn when studying quantum mechanics.
• 07:52 — Quantum physics’ "leaps" versus classical "smoothness."
• 08:28 — Real-world tech rooted in quantum mechanics (bits, transistors).
• 09:05 — Differences between quantum physics and general relativity; why unification is so tricky.
• 11:32 — Why scientists chase unification; curiosity and universal awe.
• 13:16 — The material and existential benefits of curiosity-driven science; GPS as an example.
• 14:22 — Science as storytelling: why cosmic narratives matter.
• 15:02 — Show closes, gratitude and encouragement to share the episode.

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Final Thoughts

This episode makes quantum physics approachable and fun, emphasizing the value of curiosity and metaphor. Chanda Prescott Weinstein and Regina Barber invite listeners to see themselves as part of the cosmic story, equipping them with both humility and awe about the strange, beautiful universe we all inhabit.

Transcript

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[Chanda Prescott Weinstein]

You're listening to Short Wave from NPR.

[Regina Barber]

Hey, shortwavers. Regina Barber here. Those of you who've been listening to this show for a while might already know I'm a huge Trekkie. One of my all time favorite episodes of Star Next Generation that I want to talk about is called Darmog.

[NPR Sponsor Announcer]

Captain's log, Star day 4504 7.2.

[Regina Barber]

In the Star Trek universe, most everyone in space can talk to each other with this futuristic technology called the universal translator. But in this episode, that translator, it fails.

[Chanda Prescott Weinstein]

So Captain Picard of the USS Enterprise is stuck on a planet with an alien cap. Captain Dathan. And they are, technically speaking, what viewers would understand as English to each other. But the grammar and the sentences don't quite make sense.

[Regina Barber]

That's Chanda Prescott Weinstein, another huge Trekkie and a theoretical physicist.

[Chanda Prescott Weinstein]

It turns out that this alien species communicates through the figurative, so they communicate through stories and metaphor rather than directly just stating fact. Bry and Giri at Lunga Sucker when the walls fell, Sina at Anzo, Sina and Bakar. And the universal translator doesn't know how to deal with translating the figurative.

[Regina Barber]

And we're talking about this Star Trek episode because to me, in Chanda, a lot of theoretical physics and how we share physics uses the language of metaphor.

[Chanda Prescott Weinstein]

Every time I try and explain a concept to you, I need to use a metaphor because I need to use something that's familiar to you to invite you into something that's not familiar to you.

[Regina Barber]

This is something Chanda's been thinking about a lot recently because she just published a new book called the Edge of Spacetime. It starts with metaphors to explain challenging concepts, whether that's as big as cosmic inflation or as small as quantum mechanics, the realm of subatomic particles which are even tinier than atoms. So today on the show, we're talking about quantum physics. How do classical mechanics connect to quantum mechanics? Why are scientists still searching for a grand unified theory of physics? And why does all of this matter? Anyway, I'm Regina Barber and you're listening to Shortwave, the science podcast from npr.

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[Regina Barber]

Okay, Chanda, I feel like you and I were both very into the idea of quantum mechanics and quantum physics as kids, but then we we go to university and they're like, you gotta start with basic mechanics. You know this Newtonian mechanics. And you start the book with this idea that went something like, I've begrudgingly agreed that maybe we should start with this, like, macroscopic movement, this Newtonian physics that talks about motion and gravity and how we understand the world we see before we learn about wild particle physics and general activity. Why did you begrudgingly come to that realization and and say like, yes, we need to learn basic mechanics first?

[Chanda Prescott Weinstein]

You know, I continue to be a fan of when you're trying to teach someone something or help them understand something, that you should actually make the case to them for why you're taking the approach that you're taking. And so I do wish the thing that we said to students is, is it really exciting to think about balls rolling down inclines? Maybe not, but I think one of the things that we're doing is frosh Physics is actually your introduction to physics language. If we think about this as translation work, there are certain concepts that are really important that are going to follow you for the rest of your career as a physicist. Energy is maybe the most important concept in physics, and what matters about that course is learning how to think about energy and the role that energy plays

[Regina Barber]

in motion and just learning the terms.

[Chanda Prescott Weinstein]

Learning the terms. I think there's also an element of it is we're just trying to teach you how to put calculus into conversation with the physical world. And the math that you need to do it is simpler than what you need for quantum physics. It's just kind of the baby step way to get you speaking the language. And then once you start speaking the language, you can get more creative with it and you can try harder things.

[Regina Barber]

Yeah. It makes me think of when we teach children how to write, we start with their name. We don't start with, like, this is how you write an essay. Like, these are the five, like, paragraphs of an essay. Right.

[Chanda Prescott Weinstein]

I can make that case for teaching, going into the classroom. But also, the book is supposed to be fun. And that doesn't actually sound super exciting. Right. I know if I don't seem excited and if I'm not excited, my reader is not going to be excited. And so I did kind of give myself this challenge of going back to what makes this a set of interesting questions, which is, first of all, where is motion happening? Can I see it? Can I touch it? Can I feel it? How do I think about that? And that turns out to be like a very deep question that actually we don't spend a lot of time in the classroom because there is this imperative of making sure there's certain material that they know.

[Regina Barber]

When students and you and I had to learn basic Newtonian physics first, and then we learned quantum mechanics and quantum physics, what did we have to unlearn?

[Chanda Prescott Weinstein]

Well, I think we had to go back to this Newtonian concept of a continuous space and continuous time and motion being continuous and energy being continuous. Like this idea of there are no

[Regina Barber]

gaps, that it's a very calculus thing,

[Chanda Prescott Weinstein]

you know, it's a very calculus thing. And actually, like, you know, when we're learning calculus, everything is about, you can take the little pieces and you can add it together, and then it becomes this smooth line, the smooth surface.

[Regina Barber]

There are no infinitesimals.

[Chanda Prescott Weinstein]

Infinitesimals. Right. And then you get to learning the fundamentals of quantum physics, and suddenly you're challenged with, actually, there are leaps. There's no smoothness. There are bunches. These are all different figurative forms that we're using to try and communicate this thing. And that doesn't prepare you particularly well to go out and explain to your next door neighbor, what significance does this have? Why does this make your computer go. Because computers all run on quantum phenomena.

[Regina Barber]

Yeah. All bits.

[Chanda Prescott Weinstein]

All bits. And transistors. They're fundamentally quantum materials, objects. And our computers, our phones have like a bajillion of them in Them. That's not a technical number, but I'm going with it because I'm a theoretical physicist and we don't do numbers and

[Regina Barber]

we talk in metaphors in this episode. So. So I think there's this contradiction. There's been this, like, hunt for a long time for this grand unifying theory that links everything together. Why don't these two ways of thinking about the universe connect?

[Chanda Prescott Weinstein]

You know, I think the simplest answer is that they are just coming at two very different questions. So quantum physics at its base is very concerned with how are particles behaving, how are atoms behaving? How much energy does it have? Where is it physically, not necessarily always, how is it going to be moving? Although sometimes that's part of the conversation. And when we get to Einstein's theories of relativity, and particularly general relativity, which accounts for gravity as well as the fact that this speed of light is finite and is constant in a vacuum, that is much more concerned with the structure of space and the fact that gravity is actually curvature in space time and is kind of unlike the other forces in this respect. There is an argument to be made that gravity is not actually a force. It's an effect of the structure of space time.

[Regina Barber]

I mean, yeah, that is the better way to say it, but it's like it feels so wrong.

[Chanda Prescott Weinstein]

It feels wrong and it's not what we were taught, right? We're, we're. Gravity is the first force that we ever meet in, in a physics education, and it's the one that we consciously live with in everyday life. So on, on a level, in terms of thinking about this question of what happens when you try and put quantum into conversation with gravity. These are two different frameworks that are trying to solve two different problems. And then you're saying, well, what if I think about the problem together? So, for example, I want to understand the structure of space time at the microscopic particle like scale. And then you run into some serious mathematical difficulty. And because the question is, is space time, does it have gaps? What does what. What would that mean? How do we write down the math for it? And there's really a whole universe out there of, of ways that people are thinking about the quantum gravity problem. But I do think it can be helpful to understand that maybe framing them through the metaphor of a clash or a war is not the right way to do it, because they're not fighting with each other. They really are just addressing different things.

[Regina Barber]

Then in that case, we can even take a step back. Why do physicists want this grand theory to exist? Like, what makes physicists believe something like this is possible?

[Chanda Prescott Weinstein]

I mean, certainly for me, I think there's an element of the universe is out there, and I like understanding how things work. And so I am curious about the answer to that question for the sake of being curious about the answer to that question. It is also the case that there are so many different ways that my life is shaped by the pursuit of trying to answer that question and the things that I've learned along the way. An example that I talk about in the book is when you get introduced to quantum physics and quantum mechanics, you learn about things like light behaves like a wave and a particle at the same time. And the particle like version of it is. We call this a photon.

[Regina Barber]

And.

[Chanda Prescott Weinstein]

And I was still a baby physics student. I was like, wait a minute, every time I turn a light on, I'm making photons, like, fly out of the light. And like, this light bulb is just like throwing off photons. You know, there are some people who really like to go hiking, and I'm not, I'm not a hiker, but I can have that experience of awe with the natural by literally just turning on the light in my office. That it's a way in which realizing that, like, the. The wonder of the universe is actually with you all the time, physics gives you some entry into that wonder, carrying that sense of awe into your everyday.

[Regina Barber]

Something you talk about in your book is this idea that, like, the practice of science isn't about what we know, it's about what we don't know. Why do you think this is so important? To really spend this time figuring out what we don't know?

[Chanda Prescott Weinstein]

The one thing with doing science and being curious about the world and how the world works is that you actually never know when the thing that you're just trying to figure out is going to turn out to be massively important. A really good example of this is with Einstein's theory of general relativity, which is talked about as this very esoteric thing. Curve space, time, Whoa, spacetime is expanding, like all this stuff. I think most people in the United States anyway use some form of gps. Google Maps, maybe. You're one of the few who uses Apple Maps, I don't know, weighs these different things, right? And all of them are using the Global Positioning System. And the Global Positioning System depends on calculations that use general relativity. It will not give you correct information about your current location and trajectory without these calculations from Einstein's relativity. Did Einstein sit down to be like, actually, I'm going to make it so that in the future people have little computers in their pockets that will speak out loud to them and tell them where to turn left. No, but that is one of the products. So I do think there is this element that you don't know what material benefit is around the corner from the work of basic science. But I also think that you don't need it to have a material benefit for it to be important. Because we are a curious storytelling species. That and the story that I tell on the edge of space time is our cosmic history. This is how we came to be. This is the world that we exist in, the universe that we exist in. This is one of the most important stories that we will ever tell. And I think that's good enough.

[Regina Barber]

Chanda, thank you so much for coming on the show and thank you for thinking of us. Come back anytime.

[Chanda Prescott Weinstein]

Thank you for having me on.

[Regina Barber]

If you like this episode of Short Wave, please share with a friend. We know, based on multiple studies, that word of mouth is one of the top ways people find new podcasts. So your recommendations really do help out our show. This episode was produced by Hannah Chin. It was edited by our showrunner Rebecca Ramirez, and Tyler Jones checked the facts. Jimmy Keeley was the audio engineer. I'm Regina Barber. Thank you for listening to Short Wave, the science podcast from N.

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