#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: – MUD\WTR: https://mudwtr.com/lex and use code LEX to get 5% off – GiveDirectly: https://givedirectly.org/lex to get gift matched up to $300 – BiOptimizers: http://www.magbreakthrough.com/lex to get 10% off – Four Sigmatic: https://foursigmatic.com/lex and use code LexPod to get up to 60% off – Magic Spoon: https://magicspoon.com/lex and use code LEX to get $5 off 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 PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: – Check out the sponsors above, it’s the best way to support this podcast – Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman – Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman – Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman – Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman 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