Researchers have found that even seemingly random events, like the roll of a die, are governed by fundamental laws of physics. Their work provides further evidence for a long-held belief that the universe is fundamentally deterministic, even if it appears chaotic.
In essence, the study reinforces that the Boltzmann distribution isn't just *a* way to model randomness, it's *the* way to model truly independent random systems.
Physicists are revisiting the chaotic region near singularities within black holes, utilizing new mathematical tools to potentially reconcile general relativity and quantum mechanics and gain a deeper understanding of space and time.
Researchers led by Nigel Goldenfeld and Björn Hof offer new insights into the transition from laminar to turbulent water flow, solving a 150-year-old mystery. The interdisciplinary team applied statistical mechanics to reveal that the phenomenon behaves like directed percolation.