After many months of careful preparation, we are now pleased to announce the beginning of the next Essay Contest! We want to thank our contest partners The Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation, and Scientific American for helping reach this point.
The question you all want to know is, What is the question? Well, The Answer is:
Is Reality Digital or Analog?
"While classical physics - as well as the mathematics of calculus at its foundation - is based on real numbers with a continuous set of values, quantum mechanics indicates that certain physical quantities can take only a countable set of discrete values. Consequently, many current approaches to foundational questions in physics and cosmology advocate novel discrete or "digital" pictures of nature. This essay contest asks, then: is Nature fundamentally continuous or discrete, and how can these two different but very useful conceptions be fully reconciled?"
We think this question intersects many threads of research in foundational physics, is broad in range but specific in focus, and is just plain interesting. Not to mention, it was the top choice in our blog poll.
The Contest is open for submissions starting now, and continuing until 11:59 PM Eastern Time, February 15, 2011. Winners will be announced at the World Science Festival in New York in early June 2011 (and posted on our site and Scientific American's).
The contest structure is very similar to our previous contest, but there have been some changes to the rules and procedures. Make sure to read the full rules carefully.
Please spread the news, and good luck!