Slide 1
The world looks extremely complex
Yet the fundamental building blocks and rules are comparatively few.
CTPA scientific and educational project “Scientific Picture of the World”
A Short Guide to How Our World Is Built
Let us build the physical world almost from scratch: space and time, a small set of particles and interactions, then nuclei, atoms, molecules, matter, planets, stars, galaxies and the Universe.
VisualsFull route
Particles → nuclei → atoms → molecules → matter → planets → stars → galaxies → Universe
10-minute version
Interactive presentation built directly into the website.
KOINOT
Slide 2
Start with the arena
All physical processes unfold in space and time.
Slide 3
Add building blocks
A small set of particles carries a small set of basic properties.
Slide 4
Add rules
Four fundamental interactions govern how the building blocks influence one another.
Slide 5
Build nuclear matter
Quarks → protons and neutrons → nuclei.
Slide 6
Add electrons
Nuclei + electrons → atoms.
Slide 7
Connect atoms
Atoms → molecules → materials.
Slide 8
Turn on gravity at large scales
Matter → planets and stars.
Slide 9
Build cosmic structures
Stars → systems → galaxies → large-scale structure.
Slide 10
The Universe
The same basic ingredients and laws operate across the physical world.
The arena
Space and time
Everything in the physical world unfolds in space and time. Classical physics describes slow motion, relativity is needed for motion near light speed, and quantum behavior becomes essential in the microworld.
The building blocks
Particles and fields
The diversity of visible objects rests on a comparatively small set of fundamental constituents. Ordinary matter is built mainly from electrons and light quarks, with neutrinos important in nuclear and astrophysical processes.
The rules
Fundamental interactions
Gravity, electromagnetism, the weak interaction and the strong interaction provide the basic ways in which particles and systems affect one another.
Build nuclear matter
Strong interaction
Light quarks form protons and neutrons; protons and neutrons combine into atomic nuclei.
qquarks
→
p nnucleons
→
●nuclei
Build atoms
Electromagnetism
Positively charged nuclei bind negatively charged electrons, producing atoms and the chemical elements.
Build molecules and materials
Chemistry from physics
Atoms form molecules; atoms and molecules form gases, liquids, solids and plasma.
⚛atoms
→
◇molecules
→
▦matter
Add gravity
Planets and stars
On large scales gravity organizes matter, producing planets and compressing sufficiently massive gas clouds until stars ignite.
Build stellar systems
Stars, planets and their environment
Stars, planets, smaller bodies, gas and dust form stellar systems.
Build galaxies
Large gravitational systems
Stellar systems, gas, dust and other components form galaxies, groups and clusters.
★stars
→
✦systems
→
🌀galaxies
→
🌌Universe
The Universe
The largest scale
Cosmic structures together form the observable Universe, whose evolution and expansion are studied by cosmology.
The frontier
Where simple answers end
Questions about the origin of particle families, unification, quantum gravity, compact objects and cosmology lead to the research frontier.
How KOINOT handles alternatives
Facts → interpretations → comparison → tests
Where CTPA offers a different interpretation, KOINOT separates empirical facts from interpretation, presents both pictures in parallel, and compares assumptions, predictions and possible tests.
KOINOT method
Evidence and interpretation
Factdirect observational or experimental evidence
Theoryformal description and deductions
Interpretationphysical meaning assigned to the result
Predictiona consequence that can be tested
Open questiona point without a settled answer
Multimedia version. This page already includes an interactive mini-presentation. The next stage is to replace symbolic visuals with original scientific illustrations, add a short build-the-world animation, and optionally prepare a narrated video version.