The two pillars of twentieth-century physics—general relativity and quantum mechanics—could not be more different from each other. General relativity is a compact jewel: conceived by a single mind, based on combining previous theories, it is a simple and coherent vision of gravity, space, and time. Quantum mechanics, or quantum theory, on the other hand, emerges from experiments in the course of a long gestation over a quarter of a century, to which many have contributed; achieves unequaled experimental success; and leads to applications that have transformed our everyday lives (the computer
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