In the dawn of the last Century most of the experts in Universities were convinced that Physics was a closed field. Back then many experts discouraged students from going into Physics because they felt that there was little left to know. Experts back them were convinced that Classical Physics left only <1% little left to know. The <1% that Newtonian or Classical Physics left to know had to do with little things like “why the speed of Light did not change” and an even smaller problem of “Black Body Radiation.”

When Quantum Physics and Relativity revealed why this <1% was unknown this revelation reversed the known/unknown ratio. Instead of knowing 99% with <1% left to know Modern Physics revealed that actually less than 1% was known which left 99% of the Universe as hidden or Unknown. As the Universe keeps expanding more and more this known/unknown ratio is increasing the 99% unknown so that there is less and less of the 1% known.

Ever since Modern Physics reversed the unknown/known ratio all the wisdom of all the ages has been arrogantly hanging onto this fading <1% by ignoring the ever-increasing 99%.

-- Wreally reality

The belief that physics was a closed field is some sort ot myth. Perhaps it was considered closed by those who taught science to grades 9-12 and who were not really knowledgable of the physics of that era.

My father was born about 1875 (he was in his fifties when I was born).

When I was in grade 9 or 10, some teacher claimed that physics was believed to be a closed science in the late 19th century. I mentioned this to my father, who said bulls**t !!

He was an engineer rather than a physicist but read a lot about the then frontiers of physics. He mentioned the following problems known to physicists prior to 1900:The Obler paradox, which showed that the known laws of physics and the then current cosmology theories indicated that we should be fried by intense radiation from the infinite number of stars in the universe. Since we were not fried, physicists knew that their current theories were wrong and needed correction.


The ultraviolet catastrophe: Then current theory indicated that almost all electromagnetic radiation should be in the far ultra violet & beyond that part of the spectrum. This was observably incorrect and known to require revisions in the then current theories of physics. Quantum theory solved this one.


The Michaelson/Morley experiment confounded the then known theories and was known to require some yet to be discovered extreme correction to theoretical physics. Einstein came up with the answer to this one.


The mass of the sun was known as was its energy output. Based on known energy producing processes, it should have burned out in 100,000 years or less. Yet, it & the Earth were known to be at least ten million or so years old (Now known to be about 4.6 billion years old). Obvioulsy there was some as yet unknown energy producing process that was orders of magnitude better than anything conceivable using the physics of that era. Fission & fusion anyone ??He further sad that there were probabliy other problems indicating that physics needed some serious improvement, but since he was not a physicist, the above were all that he was aware of.

He was aware that physicists of that era knew that their then current theories were inadequate and were expecting some amazing discoveries in the future.