I have noticed that many Einstein quotes mention his belief in 'truth and beauty' - I was wondering, is it purely coincidental that two of the six quarks are also named truth and beauty?

Asked by: Jenn Comito

Answer

The six quarks are up, down, strange, charm, top and bottom. I don't believe any of these have a reference to Einstein behind them. However, in science there is a guideline know as the Copernican Principle that states that the universe does not need human contrivance to exist. More generally, a theory that is formed on basic truths and simplistic beauty is much more acceptable than one with many in-depth facets. Einstein did believe that the universe is essentially simple. This explains his continued unrest with the quantum theory and the 'fuzzy' universe it allowed.
Answered by: Bruce McElwee