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Quantum Mechanics

How much do you know about Quanta or Quantum Mechanics? What is your view point:

Quantum mechanics from its very beginning differed from classical physics in that it did not start from the treatment of individual (micro) objects, and then applied statistical considerations to those laws. It gave, in general, only statistical predictions without reference to the underlying laws. The following is based upon David Bohm's Quantum Theory (Dover Publications, 1989).

The first evidence in favour of quantum theory came around 1900 from the work of Max Planck who came to the conclusion that light transmits energy not continuously but in "quanta" or bundles of size E = hν. In 1905 Einstein published a paper that accepted the full consequences of Planck's hypothesis by stating that radiation acts as if it consists of quanta of energy E = hν, which occur only in emission and absorption, but can have an independent existence in empty space.
Ref. https://www.heretical.com/science/quantum1.html

Mechanics Quantum

I have always been interested in quantum mechanics, but more specifically, string theory. String theory is so deep that I still have trouble understanding it. Here is a great website that it explains it both in basic form and advanced for those of you super mathematicians.

https://superstringtheory.com/

Quantum Mechanics UFO & Writing Art Education Sciences

Nice topic. It's a shame that it died.

TO sparkle discussion, quantum mechanics isn't something from the "other world" or not testable.

For starters, it's called quantum mechanics because it states that every thing in this universe is made of quantities of something very small, and not divisible. This small pieces of energy/matter are called quanta.

So imagine that each quanta has a value of 3 Mass-Units ( a fictional unit, just for demonstration and simplicity). If it has a value of 3, it means there can never be something with 2 Mass value, or even 1. That's because the smallest amount of Mass-Units in the Universe is 3.
This also means that Mass-Unit can only have discrete intervals, and only some intervals.
For example, an object can have 3 Mass-Units, 6 Mass-Units or 9 Mass-Units. But never 10.

This is the meaning of the word Quanta, in Quantum Mechanics. Let's call it QM from now on.


Now, applying QM to position, this means you can't have all positions you can think of. Some of them won't be possible, due to the quanta effect I discussed previously.
Of course in normal life, we don't realise these limits are there. Because they are too small. Smaller that an atom! So we can't even detect them.
But when we want to study electrons and what happens at the tiniest level, then these limits became of great importance.

For example, why can't we have a picture of an electron? We know they exist, we can detect them and even count them. Why can't we just use an electron microscope and see one?
That's because an electron is never still. It always has energy and speed. And the only way we have of measuring an electron is to shoot electrons at it and see what happens.

Imagine that! It's the same as measuring a car, by shooting other cars at it. Do you think you will get an accurate measurement? Not really.
So we have to use other, indirect methods of measuring the electron. And as for it's picture, we have to settle for a sphere, or a blue dot.

Another important factor in this Quantum dance is the uncertainty principle. It states that you will never (I stress the never) be able to have the exact position of a particle and it's speed, at the same time. But I'll leave this one for you guys to research

That's my brief introduction to the Quantum Mechanics. It's really awesome stuff. Not because it's complicated. But because everything in Quantum Mechanics can be proven and tested at a lab. SO the real fun is to discover that our universe is stranger than even the wildest scientific fiction! : )

Edited: Kriptonis on 24th Mar, 2011 - 5:38am

Mechanics Quantum

When an electron moves from one spot (an inner ring to an outer one or vice versa) to another it teleports- you cant actually see it move. I was thinking that possibly what's happening it isn't the original electron. We cant see about 85% of matter in the universe - it doesn't interact with light. My thought is that one electron deactivates while a completely different electron (that was always there) is activated.

Does this make sense? Can anyone give an opinion?

Rather off topic, but...
I looked at the date of the post above and mine is almost exactly 1 year from it. No point really just found it interesting, weird.

Edited: Oliron on 29th Mar, 2012 - 9:20pm

Mechanics Quantum

Isn't this part of the whole 'god-particle" theory? I can't even comprehend what something is when you keep subtracting from it... Does it turn into nothing? I think I saw a topic about that here, oh yeah found it: God Particle.

Quantum Mechanics

Quantum theory and Einstein's special relativity applied to plasma physics issues

Among the intriguing issues in plasma physics are those surrounding X-ray pulsars -- collapsed stars that orbit around a cosmic companion and beam light at regular intervals, like lighthouses in the sky. Physicists want to know the strength of the magnetic field and density of the plasma that surrounds these pulsars, which can be millions of times greater than the density of plasma in stars like the sun. Researchers have developed a theory of plasma waves that can infer these properties in greater detail than in standard approaches. Ref. Source 6w.