The Theoretical Minimum Quotes

“If a system is chaotic (most are), then it implies that however good the resolving power may be, the time over which the system is predictable is limited. Perfect predictability is not achievable, simply because we are limited in our resolving power.”
― Leonard Susskind, The Theoretical Minimum: What You Need to Know to Start Doing Physics

“At some point we have to give up and say that's just the way it is. Or, not give up and push on.”
― Leonard Susskind, The Theoretical Minimum: What You Need to Know to Start Doing Physics

“The fundamental theorem of calculus is one of the simplest and most beautiful results in mathematics. It asserts a deep connection between integrals and derivatives. What it says is that if F(T) = ∫ f(t) d t, then”
― Leonard Susskind, The Theoretical Minimum: What You Need to Know to Start Doing Physics

“Differential calculus has to do with rates of change. Integral calculus has to do with sums of many tiny incremental quantities. It’s not immediately obvious that these have anything to do with each other, but they do.”
― Leonard Susskind, The Theoretical Minimum: What You Need to Know to Start Doing Physics

“In most cases the tiniest differences in the initial conditions—the starting state—leads to large eventual differences in outcomes. This phenomenon is called chaos. If a system is chaotic (most are), then it implies that however good the resolving power may be, the time over which the system is predictable is limited.”
― Leonard Susskind, The Theoretical Minimum: What You Need to Know to Start Doing Physics