From: mk_thisisit
Professor Marek Czachor, a physicist from Gdańsk University of Technology, proposes a revolutionary idea that challenges fundamental assumptions in physics, including the existence of dark energy [00:01:08]. He suggests that the universe may operate under a different kind of arithmetic than traditionally understood [00:01:16].
The Problem of Dark Energy
Current cosmological models, based on Einstein’s equations, describe a universe that is expanding [00:15:54]. However, observations show that this expansion is accelerating, a phenomenon for which the standard theory offers no inherent explanation [00:16:08]. To account for this accelerated expansion, the concept of dark energy was introduced [00:17:25]. The discovery of this accelerated expansion led to the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2011 [00:17:39].
Professor Czachor asserts that dark energy may not actually exist [00:00:30]. He draws a parallel to the disappearance of the aether concept, which was eliminated by a deeper understanding of the theory of relativity [00:19:06]. Similarly, he believes dark energy might be a symptom of an incomplete understanding of how quantities are added in nature [00:18:51].
The “Arithmetic of Time”
Czachor proposes an alternative: a new concept he terms the “arithmetic of time” [00:18:22]. He posits that if nature adds speeds differently (as demonstrated by special relativity where the addition of velocities near the speed of light does not follow simple linear addition) [00:09:15], then other physical quantities, including time, might also be added in a “strange way” [00:14:15].
By assuming that time has a certain arithmetic, similar to how speed is added in relativity, Professor Czachor claims he can precisely reproduce the observed data of the universe’s accelerated expansion without needing to invoke dark energy [00:17:45]. This suggests that the accelerated expansion could simply be a manifestation of the “arithmetic of time” rather than an unknown force [00:17:57].
Generalized Arithmetic and Experimental Metaphysics
Czachor claims to be the first physicist to introduce these “generalized arithmetic” into physics [00:00:45] [01:53:39]. He argues that arithmetic, much like geometry after Einstein’s theory of relativity, should be considered a branch of physics rather than a purely abstract mathematical concept [02:00:46] [00:20:46]. This perspective transforms “metaphysics”—traditionally a philosophical domain concerning statements that cannot be scientifically confirmed—into “experimental metaphysics” [00:01:44].
He highlights that the problem of dark energy emerges when we assume the universe adheres to our conventional arithmetic, while the universe might be using its own [02:40:40]. This leads to the idea of a “relativity of arithmetic,” analogous to the relativity of geometry [02:28:46] [02:28:46]. Physicists should experimentally test which type of addition and other operations nature prefers [02:54:52].
Reception and Future Outlook
While Polish scientists may treat his statements as an “oddity,” Professor Czachor notes that there are a few people globally, particularly those involved in financial mathematics, who are exploring similar generalized arithmetic [00:34:37] [00:34:42] [00:34:50]. He believes his approach represents a paradigm shift in physics [00:07:29], similar to how the theory of relativity changed our understanding of geometry [00:39:46]. He is convinced that in a hundred years, his ideas will be obvious to everyone [00:00:56] [03:14:14].