#213 – Barry Barish: Gravitational Waves and the Most Precise Device Ever Built

Barry Barish is a theoretical physicist at Caltech and the winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:
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EPISODE LINKS:
Barry’s Nobel Prize entry: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2017/barish/facts/
Barry’s Caltech profile: https://pma.caltech.edu/people/barry-c-barish
LIGO’s Website: https://www.ligo.caltech.edu/
LIGO’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/LIGO

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OUTLINE:
Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.
(00:00)– Introduction
(08:27)– Early Math and Physics questions
(18:02)– Enrico Fermi
(24:34)– Birth of the Nuclear Age
(29:42)– The Fermi Paradox
(34:45)– Gravity
(51:28)– Philosophical Implications of General Relativity
(58:34)– Detecting Gravitational Waves
(1:01:47)– LIGO
(1:34:45)– Nobel Prize
(1:49:34)– Black Holes
(2:01:53)– Space Exploration
(2:09:48)– Books
(2:18:37)– Advice for young people
(2:24:33)– Meaning of life