ELI5: When Physics 'Breaks Down' (Black Holes & Big Bang Explained).
Content Idea & Rationale:
Title/Concept: ELI5: What Scientists Really Mean When They Say "Laws of Physics Break Down" (e.g., in Black Holes or at the Big Bang)
Core Explanation: This content would address a common misconception, exemplified by the Reddit post "ELI5: Why do laws of physics 'break down'...," that fundamental physical laws cease to operate in extreme conditions like black hole singularities or the Big Bang. The explanation would clarify:
- It's our models, not reality, that "break down": The "laws of physics" as we know them are human-developed mathematical models (like General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics) that describe the universe with incredible accuracy under a vast range of conditions.
- Extreme conditions expose incompleteness: In truly extreme scenarios (immense gravity in a tiny space), these models, when pushed to their limits, either produce nonsensical results (like infinities) or become incompatible with each other. This doesn't mean physics itself stops; it means our current understanding and descriptive tools are insufficient for those specific, extreme conditions.
- Why we still trust these theories: These theories are accepted because they work phenomenally well for virtually everything else we observe and test, from galaxy movements (General Relativity) to subatomic particles (Quantum Mechanics). Their failure in singularities is a known limitation, not a wholesale invalidation.
- The ongoing quest: This "breakdown" is precisely what drives the search for a more fundamental, unified theory (often dubbed a "Theory of Everything") that can reconcile General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics and accurately describe these extreme states of the universe.
Why this idea is likely to be engaging/viral:
- Addresses a common point of confusion: As seen in the Reddit thread title and numerous comments, many people grapple with this concept. Phrases like "laws of physics break down" are evocative but often misunderstood.
- Appeals to innate curiosity: Black holes and the Big Bang are inherently fascinating topics that capture public imagination. Explaining the limits of our knowledge about them is intriguing.
- Clarifies a complex topic simply (ELI5): Providing a clear, accessible explanation demystifies a profound scientific concept, making viewers/readers feel smarter and more informed.
- Relatable to the scientific process: It highlights that science is an ongoing process of refinement and discovery, not a collection of immutable dogmas.
Target Audience:
- General public with an interest in science: Individuals who consume popular science content (videos, articles, documentaries) but may not have a formal physics background.
- ELI5 seekers: Users who actively look for simplified explanations of complex topics.
- Students (high school/early college): Those beginning to learn about these concepts in a formal setting who might find textbook explanations too dense.
- Anyone who has heard the phrase "physics breaks down" and wondered what it truly signifies.
Origin Reddit Post
r/explainlikeimfive
ELI5: Why do laws of physics “break down”, and why do we accept theories if they’re contingent on the laws of physics breaking down?
Posted by u/TopKick8011•06/02/2025
Laws of physics “break down” break down at the center of black holes, the Big Bang, and outside of the universe, etc.
Why do we accept these theories if they are contingent with the laws of
Top Comments
u/W0nderingMe
Wow, this is a fantastic analogy.
u/phoenixmatrix
Real world laws of physics are insanely complex. Too complex for us (so far). So we have some "close enough" models and theories that approximate it.
These models and theories are useful and
u/internetboyfriend666
First, I think we need to clarify what it means when the "laws of physics break down". Remember, the laws of physics are man-made. They're not actually laws, they're just our descriptions for
u/TheSilverTree
It’s less about what’s actually the 100% right explanation of how things work, and more about what’s the most useful explanation for how things works. Are current explanations are very useful
u/wintermute_13
You'd get drive-by arguments. "Oh look, there's Carruthers. He thinks the Fermi Paradox is absolute truth. Let's get him. YOU'RE STILL WRONG!!" *tires screech*
u/backflip14
At the end of the day, scientific laws and theories are our approximations of natural phenomena and models to characterize them. Some are more accurate than others, but we don’t always need t
u/lustacide
The laws of physics don't break down, our models of the laws of physics are what break down. The equations that describe normal objects at speeds slower than light don't work when an object i
u/Platonist_Astronaut
>Laws of physics “break down” break down at the center of black holes
We don't know what happens at the center of black holes.
>the Big Bang
Our understanding of physics works fine w
u/mossryder
So far, practically, they work fine. And, yes, they are incomplete, ie 'wrong'
How would you propose we proceed? Throw it all out and start over?
Of course, not. We use our BEST TOOLS, eve
u/GenXCub
A theory is the best evidence we have for why something is the way it is. our knowledge of things follow the rules of physics but we see these exceptions.
We aren’t going to throw away ever
u/tyderian
The laws of physics don't break down. Our models break down. Which simply means the models are incomplete.
u/PlutoniumBoss
It only means that the math we use to make predictions about the way things work starts giving us weird results when applied to these extreme cases. But considering the math works very well w
u/joepierson123
Well because they work most of the time, and we have nothing better. It's difficult to get data inside a black hole or at the beginning of the universe
u/topazco
A bunch of unemployed physicists roaming the streets? I don’t like the sound of that.
u/jeeems
We don’t know for sure what happens at the center of black holes but the laws of physics don’t break down. There is no “outside of the universe”, and the Big Bang was the first event in which
u/c0d3rman
It means the theory is incomplete. We know our current theories are not entirely correct and still need improvement, because the math breaks down in certain situations. What "breaks down" mea
u/theyb10
When we say that the laws of physics "break down" at the center of black holes it simply means that our current theories of the natural world become mathematically inconsistent or incomplete
u/preparingtodie
We say that they "break down" not because they're not true anymore, but because other effects overwhelm them. For instance, the physics of general relativity apply all the time, not just whe
u/glordicus1
If the theories we use work everywhere except for a black hole, then we just never enter a black hole.
Imagine you're really good at a slot machine. You came up with a theory that
u/Glittering_Base6589
To answer your first question, they break down because we haven’t figured out that part yet, our laws are incomplete and don’t apply to everything equally.
To answer your second question, w
u/bever2
All math applied to the real world is only an approximation. Most disasters attributed to physicists or engineers begin with basic assumptions, and end with you somewhere just outside of wher
u/Bia_LaSheouf
"Breaking down" is a misnomer. It would be more accurate to say that the current laws of physics do not cover these edge cases. We have a theory, and as long as there exists a place where not
u/ScrivenersUnion
It's less that the laws themselves "break down" and more that our current understanding of the system no longer has a good way to predict what happens there. And we can't exactly go check it
u/fixminer
The laws of reality are what they are and never break down. The laws of physics are our best effort to model the nature of reality.
There are some extreme situations where this mathematical
u/shopkins402
Because the laws/theories are very useful within the space they are accurate.
Newtons laws of planetary motion are incomplete. They failed to understand the motion of mercury. But they work