28/01/2026
Why did Roger Penrose, an Englishman, discover singularity theorems for black holes?
Kip Thorne suggests it’s because British universities emphasized advanced math, particularly topology, far more than American universities:
"The reason, I suspect, was the undergraduate training of British theoretical physicists. They typically major in mathematics as undergraduates, then do Ph.D. research in departments of applied mathematics or departments of applied mathematics and theoretical physics. In America, by contrast, aspiring theoretical physicists typically major in physics as undergraduates, and then do Ph.D. research in physics departments. Thus, young British theoretical physicists are well versed in esoteric branches of mathematics which have not yet seen much physics application, but they may have a weak background in “gutsy” physics topics such as the behaviors of molecules, atoms, and atomic nuclei. By contrast, young American theoretical physicists know little mathematics beyond what their physics professors have taught them, but are deeply versed in the lore of molecules, atoms, and nuclei.
To a great extent, we Americans have dominated theoretical physics since World War II, and we have foisted on the world's physics community our scandalously low mathematical standards. Most of us use the mathematics of fifty years ago and are incapable of communicating with modern mathematicians. With our poor mathematical training, it was difficult for us Americans to absorb and start using the topological methods when Penrose introduced them."
