Quantum Theory (The Actual Stuff)

[scatmanfan]

Okay, so the other day an aquaintance of mine tried to explain Quantum Theory to me. He started to explain the Schroedinger's Cat Expirement to me. For those who don't know, Schroedinger put a cat in a sealed box with a vial of poison that was to be released at a completely random time. Since there's no observer, then the cat is percieved to be both alive and dead at the same time. I figured, now that I'm completely intrigued in Quantum Theory, that maybe somebody else would be too. But seriously, I'm not sure I completely understand the cat experiment. Can someone explain it to me?

 

[SwiftFlux]

If a tree falls over in the woods...

 

[Datalord]

Quantum theory states that unstable atoms release energy is small bursts call "quanta" rather than in a continuos stream.

As for the cat experiment, lets just say i have been arrested by the Humane Society in the past.

 

[cleverlymadeup]

the best thing i can suggest for you to do is go to the video store and either buy or rent the pbs nova episode called "the Elegant Universe" it's hosted by the author of the book Brian Greene

i'd also suggest watching "what the bleep do we know" HOWEVER disregard all the spiritual crap in it, the science and quantum science stuff is pretty good but the rest is utter crap

the Elegant Universe will give you the best understanding of quantum physics. there was also a Stephen Hawking show recently on discovery about it as well

 

[theklng]

the point is that up until the quantum theory, "observing" was counted as being neutral and thus providing accurate results. with the discovery of quantum physics, experiments conducted showed that observing in fact changed the properties of matter. therefore you now have a quantum state, which is an unobserved state, where it is assumed about an object to be both or either of a binary value (it isn't always binary, but for the sake of the following it's easier to just say it is).

schrödinger's cat was a hypothetical example, another example was niels bohr's experiments with the duality of light. he measured through 2 different filters how light worked. in one experiment, filtering light as photons (light particles), he discovered that light acted like particles. with another filter for waves, he discovered that light posed as waves as well.

the quantum state of light is therefore that it is both particles and waves. we cannot say which one until we have measured it correctly, but as far as science goes, there hasn't been an instrument of measure that has been able to measure anything without altering it yet.

 

[scatmanfan]

schrödinger's cat was a hypothetical example, another example was niels bohr's experiments with the duality of light. he measured through 2 different filters how light worked. in one experiment, filtering light as photons (light particles), he discovered that light acted like particles. with another filter for waves, he discovered that light posed as waves as well.

the quantum state of light is therefore that it is both particles and waves. we cannot say which one until we have measured it correctly, but as far as science goes, there hasn't been an instrument of measure that has been able to measure anything without altering it yet.

The double slit experiment, right? I've heard of that. And then there's the Randomness principle. It says that everything is random, therefore we can't exist.
And the Cat experiment has had some crazy theories. The cat is observing itself, so therefore it determines whether it's alive or dead, the cat is observing itself through the human, and here's the craziest: The cat is both alive and dead, therefore it's god. And, someone tell me whether or not it exists, but what if one were to add one observer to the process? Each day at the same time he'd report that the cat was either alive or dead. Two answers, but unless he's lying, not even the observer knows the truth.

 

[Hunde Des Krieg]

Okay, so the other day an aquaintance of mine tried to explain Quantum Theory to me. He started to explain the Schroedinger's Cat Expirement to me. For those who don't know, Schroedinger put a cat in a sealed box with a vial of poison that was to be released at a completely random time. Since there's no observer, then the cat is percieved to be both alive and dead at the same time. I figured, now that I'm completely intrigued in Quantum Theory, that maybe somebody else would be too. But seriously, I'm not sure I completely understand the cat experiment. Can someone explain it to me?

Well it was only a hypothetical thought experiment not one he actually performed.

 

[scatmanfan]

Okay, so the other day an aquaintance of mine tried to explain Quantum Theory to me. He started to explain the Schroedinger's Cat Expirement to me. For those who don't know, Schroedinger put a cat in a sealed box with a vial of poison that was to be released at a completely random time. Since there's no observer, then the cat is percieved to be both alive and dead at the same time. I figured, now that I'm completely intrigued in Quantum Theory, that maybe somebody else would be too. But seriously, I'm not sure I completely understand the cat experiment. Can someone explain it to me?

Well it was only a hypothetical thought experiment not one he actually performed.

Thought so.

 

[Berethond]

schrödinger's cat was a hypothetical example, another example was niels bohr's experiments with the duality of light. he measured through 2 different filters how light worked. in one experiment, filtering light as photons (light particles), he discovered that light acted like particles. with another filter for waves, he discovered that light posed as waves as well.

the quantum state of light is therefore that it is both particles and waves. we cannot say which one until we have measured it correctly, but as far as science goes, there hasn't been an instrument of measure that has been able to measure anything without altering it yet.

The double slit experiment, right? I've heard of that. And then there's the Randomness principle. It says that everything is random, therefore we can't exist.
And the Cat experiment has had some crazy theories. The cat is observing itself, so therefore it determines whether it's alive or dead, the cat is observing itself through the human, and here's the craziest: The cat is both alive and dead, therefore it's god. And, someone tell me whether or not it exists, but what if one were to add one observer to the process? Each day at the same time he'd report that the cat was either alive or dead. Two answers, but unless he's lying, not even the observer knows the truth.

You forgot one, that when you put the cat in the box it creates two parallel universes, one where it's alive and one where it's dead.

 

[scatmanfan]

schrödinger's cat was a hypothetical example, another example was niels bohr's experiments with the duality of light. he measured through 2 different filters how light worked. in one experiment, filtering light as photons (light particles), he discovered that light acted like particles. with another filter for waves, he discovered that light posed as waves as well.

the quantum state of light is therefore that it is both particles and waves. we cannot say which one until we have measured it correctly, but as far as science goes, there hasn't been an instrument of measure that has been able to measure anything without altering it yet.

The double slit experiment, right? I've heard of that. And then there's the Randomness principle. It says that everything is random, therefore we can't exist.
And the Cat experiment has had some crazy theories. The cat is observing itself, so therefore it determines whether it's alive or dead, the cat is observing itself through the human, and here's the craziest: The cat is both alive and dead, therefore it's god. And, someone tell me whether or not it exists, but what if one were to add one observer to the process? Each day at the same time he'd report that the cat was either alive or dead. Two answers, but unless he's lying, not even the observer knows the truth.

You forgot one, that when you put the cat in the box it creates two parallel universes, one where it's alive and one where it's dead.

That's really...cool. Who knew a cat could do so much by being (possibly) killed?

 

[theklng]

schrödinger's cat was a hypothetical example, another example was niels bohr's experiments with the duality of light. he measured through 2 different filters how light worked. in one experiment, filtering light as photons (light particles), he discovered that light acted like particles. with another filter for waves, he discovered that light posed as waves as well.

the quantum state of light is therefore that it is both particles and waves. we cannot say which one until we have measured it correctly, but as far as science goes, there hasn't been an instrument of measure that has been able to measure anything without altering it yet.

The double slit experiment, right? I've heard of that. And then there's the Randomness principle. It says that everything is random, therefore we can't exist.
And the Cat experiment has had some crazy theories. The cat is observing itself, so therefore it determines whether it's alive or dead, the cat is observing itself through the human, and here's the craziest: The cat is both alive and dead, therefore it's god. And, someone tell me whether or not it exists, but what if one were to add one observer to the process? Each day at the same time he'd report that the cat was either alive or dead. Two answers, but unless he's lying, not even the observer knows the truth.

think of it as an absolute relativity. for everything you sense; what you see, hear, feel, smell or taste, if another person or another being senses the same thing, it still might not be the same thing. everything, right down to every single particle and even field, is unique.

quantum mechanics is what ties metaphysics, philosophy and quantum physics together; it isn't possible to describe what quantum mechanics actually do in practice, or how much we know about it. the observer determines the outcome. in this sense, you determine the outcome. mind over matter.

basically, the whole world is a paradox, we exist and are non-existent at the same time. however much we have learned, we still know nothing; the universe wasn't created in human logic.

 

[Berethond]

schrödinger's cat was a hypothetical example, another example was niels bohr's experiments with the duality of light. he measured through 2 different filters how light worked. in one experiment, filtering light as photons (light particles), he discovered that light acted like particles. with another filter for waves, he discovered that light posed as waves as well.

the quantum state of light is therefore that it is both particles and waves. we cannot say which one until we have measured it correctly, but as far as science goes, there hasn't been an instrument of measure that has been able to measure anything without altering it yet.

The double slit experiment, right? I've heard of that. And then there's the Randomness principle. It says that everything is random, therefore we can't exist.
And the Cat experiment has had some crazy theories. The cat is observing itself, so therefore it determines whether it's alive or dead, the cat is observing itself through the human, and here's the craziest: The cat is both alive and dead, therefore it's god. And, someone tell me whether or not it exists, but what if one were to add one observer to the process? Each day at the same time he'd report that the cat was either alive or dead. Two answers, but unless he's lying, not even the observer knows the truth.

You forgot one, that when you put the cat in the box it creates two parallel universes, one where it's alive and one where it's dead.

That's really...cool. Who knew a cat could do so much by being (possibly) killed?

I know I don't even like cats anyways. Stupid cats.

 

[scatmanfan]

schrödinger's cat was a hypothetical example, another example was niels bohr's experiments with the duality of light. he measured through 2 different filters how light worked. in one experiment, filtering light as photons (light particles), he discovered that light acted like particles. with another filter for waves, he discovered that light posed as waves as well.

the quantum state of light is therefore that it is both particles and waves. we cannot say which one until we have measured it correctly, but as far as science goes, there hasn't been an instrument of measure that has been able to measure anything without altering it yet.

The double slit experiment, right? I've heard of that. And then there's the Randomness principle. It says that everything is random, therefore we can't exist.
And the Cat experiment has had some crazy theories. The cat is observing itself, so therefore it determines whether it's alive or dead, the cat is observing itself through the human, and here's the craziest: The cat is both alive and dead, therefore it's god. And, someone tell me whether or not it exists, but what if one were to add one observer to the process? Each day at the same time he'd report that the cat was either alive or dead. Two answers, but unless he's lying, not even the observer knows the truth.

think of it as an absolute relativity. for everything you sense; what you see, hear, feel, smell or taste, if another person or another being senses the same thing, it still might not be the same thing. everything, right down to every single particle and even field, is unique.

quantum mechanics is what ties metaphysics, philosophy and quantum physics together; it isn't possible to describe what quantum mechanics actually do in practice, or how much we know about it. the observer determines the outcome. in this sense, you determine the outcome. mind over matter.

basically, the whole world is a paradox, we exist and are non-existent at the same time. however much we have learned, we still know nothing; the universe wasn't created in human logic.

SHIT! Who are you, the Love Child of Sigmund Freud and Albert Einstein? My eyes have been opened...It's like that one chapter in one of Douglas Adams' books...One of the Hitchhiker's Guide ones...

 

[theklng]

SHIT! Who are you, the Love Child of Sigmund Freud and Albert Einstein?

i would say jung and bohr, mixed with plato. but a good shot nonetheless.