Watch NOVA: The Fabric of the Cosmos

2011
1 Season

The Fabric of the Cosmos is a four-part documentary series produced by PBS's NOVA program. Hosted by Brian Greene, a physicist and string theorist, the series explores the nature of space and time, and how our understanding of these concepts has evolved over time.

The first episode, titled "What is Space?", delves into the history of our understanding of space, from the ancient Greeks' concept of a perfectly smooth and continuous void to modern theories of space-time as a dynamic and malleable fabric. The episode explores how the laws of physics shape the way space behaves, and how those laws have led physicists to some surprising discoveries. For example, the episode explores the phenomenon of quantum entanglement, where two particles can become linked in ways that defy classical physics, no matter how far apart they are in space.

The second episode, "The Illusion of Time," focuses on the nature of time. Greene explores how our perception of time is shaped by the physical laws that govern the universe, and how different frames of reference can drastically alter the way time behaves. The episode looks at various phenomena, such as time dilation, which occurs when an object moves at high speeds, causing time to appear to slow down relative to an observer. The episode also explores the concept of time travel, and whether it might be possible according to our current understanding of physics.

The third episode, "Quantum Leap," dives into the world of subatomic particles and the bizarre behavior that governs their interactions. Greene explores the strange world of quantum mechanics, where particles can exist in multiple states simultaneously and can seemingly communicate instantly across vast distances. The episode looks at various experiments that have led to our current understanding of quantum mechanics, including the famous double-slit experiment, which helped confirm the wave-particle duality of electrons.

The final episode, "Universe or Multiverse?", explores the idea that our universe may be just one of many in a multiverse. Greene explores various theories about the nature of the multiverse and how it might be possible to detect evidence of other universes. The episode also looks at the concept of inflation, which proposes that the universe underwent a period of exponential expansion in its early history, and how that theory has provided a framework for understanding the observed patterns in the cosmic microwave background radiation.

Throughout the series, Greene employs engaging visualizations and analogies to help viewers grasp the complex ideas being presented. He provides historical context for each topic, explaining how our understanding of the nature of space and time has evolved over time. The series also features interviews with prominent physicists and cosmologists, including Stephen Hawking and Max Tegmark.

Overall, The Fabric of the Cosmos is a thought-provoking documentary series that challenges viewers to re-evaluate their understanding of the fundamental nature of the universe. Through Greene's accessible explanations and compelling narrative, the series offers an engaging exploration of some of the most fascinating and mind-bending concepts in physics and cosmology.

NOVA: The Fabric of the Cosmos is a series that is currently running and has 1 seasons (4 episodes). The series first aired on November 2, 2011.

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Seasons

4. Universe or Multiverse?

November 23, 2011

Hard as it is to swallow, cutting-edge theories are suggesting that our universe may not be the only universe. Instead, it may be just one of an infinite number of worlds that make up the multiverse. In this show, Brian Greene takes us on a tour of this brave new theory at the frontier of physics, explaining why scientists believe it's true and showing what some of these alternate realities might be like. Some universes may be almost indistinguishable from our own; others may contain variations of all of us, where we exist but with different families, careers and life stories. In still others, reality may be so radically different from ours as to be unrecognizable. Brian Greene reveals why this radical new picture of the cosmos is getting serious attention from scientists. It won't be easy to prove, but if it's right, our understanding of space, time, and our place in the universe will never be the same.

3. Quantum Leap

November 16, 2011

Join Brian Greene on a wild ride into the weird realm of quantum physics, which governs the universe on the tiniest of scales. Brian brings quantum mechanics to life in a nightclub like no other, where objects pop in and out of existence, and things over here can affect others over there, instantaneously-without anything crossing the space between them. A century ago, during the initial shots in the quantum revolution, the best minds of a generation-including Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr-squared off in a battle for the soul of physics. How could the rules of the quantum world, which work so well to describe the behavior of individual atoms and their components, conflict so dramatically with the everyday rules that govern people, planets, and galaxies? Quantum mechanics may be counterintuitive, but it's one of the most successful theories in the history of science, making predictions that have been confirmed to better than one part in a billion, while also launching the technological advances at the heart of modern life, like computers and cell phones. But even today, even with such profound successes, the debate still rages over what quantum mechanics implies for the true nature of reality.

2. The Illusion of Time

November 9, 2011

Time. We waste it, save it, kill it, make it. The world runs on it. Yet, ask physicists what time actually is, and the answer might shock you: They have no idea. Even more surprising, the deep sense we have of time passing from present to past may be nothing more than an illusion. How can our understanding of something so familiar be so wrong? In search of answers, Brian Greene takes us on the ultimate time traveling adventure, hurtling 50 years into the future before stepping into a wormhole to travel back to the past. Along the way, he will reveal a new way of thinking about time in which moments past, present, and future-from the reign of T. Rex to the birth of your great-great-grandchildren-exist all at once. This journey will bring us all the way back to the Big Bang, where physicists think the ultimate secrets of time may be hidden. You'll never look at your wristwatch the same way again.

1. What Is Space?

November 2, 2011

Space. It separates you from me, one galaxy from the next, and atoms from each other. It is everywhere in the universe. But to most of us, space is nothing, an empty void. Well, it turns out space is not what it seems. From the passenger seat of a New York cab driving near the speed of light to a pool hall where billiard tables do fantastical things, Brian Greene reveals space as a dynamic fabric that can stretch, twist, warp, and ripple under the influence of gravity. Stranger still is a newly discovered ingredient of space that actually makes up 70% percent of the universe. Physicists call it dark energy because while they know it's out there, driving space to expand ever more quickly, they have no idea what it is. Probing space on the smallest scales only makes the mysteries multiply-down there, things are going on that physicists today can barely fathom-forces powerful enough to generate whole universes. To top it off, some of the strangest places in space, black holes, have led scientists to propose that like the hologram on your credit card, space may just be a projection of a deeper two-dimensional reality, taking place on a distant surface that surrounds us. Space, far from being empty, is filled with some of the deepest mysteries of our time.

Description

Where to Watch NOVA: The Fabric of the Cosmos

NOVA: The Fabric of the Cosmos is available for streaming on the PBS website, both individual episodes and full seasons. You can also watch NOVA: The Fabric of the Cosmos on demand at Amazon Prime, Amazon and Apple TV.