Relativity and Quantum Mechanics

In a nutshell, relativity is based on two hypotheses. All inertial reference frames are equivalent, and the speed of light is the same in all these frames. Quantum mechanics is based on one axiom. There is a minimum action.

Like in previous posts, these statements are cryptic for most regular guys. I was a regular guy before I got intrigued about the concept of time, and how is it possible that an electron could be both a particle and a wave. Here I write a few words that may beef up, these three axioms.

An axiom is a beginning point of argumentation. I call them in this note axioms or hypotheses. There are technical differnces between the two concepts. What I mean to say here is that we start there, they are a beginning point. A hypothesis is proven by the conclusions. If we do not reach any contradiction we add the hypothesis to the list of statements that we can use with certain confidence. There is some interesting problem of thought, that goes by the name of ``the problem of induction". As I understand this problem, it means that by only knowing many cases, we cannot be sure that the statement is always true. If one wants to go from the particular to the general, one does it at one's own risk.

There are experiments and mathematical derivations that convinced scientists around a hundred years ago; of the reasonableness of these three statements; but at the end of the day only experiments can decide.