Fabulous description of the background science to this principle. Really enjoyed it! I read a book recently about the making of the atomic bomb, which included some great history about the experiments to understand the atomic structure, and included some description of this principle. Your account is really specified and detailed, thanks!
This was a great account. I knew the basic story, but this was so much richer and more interesting. (Send a copy to all those physics teachers who conflate the observer effect with uncertainty.) When I first learned about it, I was delighted that reality was a little fuzzy. Likewise, the randomness of QM.
FWIW, an analogy I've used involves a song. In the context of the whole song, it's meaningful to ask what the melody is, but not what note the song is. The only possible answer is "lots of notes". But at any given point in the song, it's meaningful to ask what the note is, but not what the melody is. With just one note, it could be any melody at all.
BTW, bought Quantum Cookbook as soon as I heard about it. Each time I go over it, I gain a little more ground. It was exactly the sort of thing I wanted, so thank you very much!
Absolutely enlightening, Jim! Never knew all these additional players important to the "quantum story"--Robertson and Kennard on "indeterminacy." And to learn such details like that of Heisenberg and optics is fascinating. Time get the Quantum Cookbook.😊📖
Thanks Mike. For obvious reasons, history tends to be slimmed down and simplified for easier digestion by later generations. Be warned - Cookbook is much closer to a textbook (lots of maths) than regular popsci. If your interest lies more in the history, I’d recommend Quantum Drama instead.
Thank you, Jim! You're reading my mind in my comments! I ordered Quantum Cookbook after your essay yesterday, but just now ordered Quantum Drama (I actually thought to order it after your essay on entanglement earlier this summer). Let's see if both may do. Funny, I was a maths whiz in high school and scored highly that I was going to pursue a science, or engineering degree, but my love for the arts, filmmaking and amateur astronomy became my life. Part time all life long, I dabble in philosophy, cosmology and "posci" subatomic physics as you wrote. (Chemistry I absolutely bow to because I so highly respect it, but I haven't a clue how it works--it's magic!) Nevertheless, entanglement, and duality theory (and virtual particles 🙄) will never stop intriguing me. If the universe is functioning at time intervals so infinitely divided, what matter if it "borrows" particles from the future or past? Or if they exist in two places at one time, or one place at two time? If we delve into the subatomic cosmos of the infinitely small, or infinitely short, where lies the significance, to us, for reality to work? My apologies! I rant and digress! Thanks so much , and I look forward to your books coming this holiday weekend in the USA. 😊👍📚
Interesting, thanks for sharing, Jim, very thoughtful piece.
Fabulous description of the background science to this principle. Really enjoyed it! I read a book recently about the making of the atomic bomb, which included some great history about the experiments to understand the atomic structure, and included some description of this principle. Your account is really specified and detailed, thanks!
You are most welcome. Please spread the word.
This was a great account. I knew the basic story, but this was so much richer and more interesting. (Send a copy to all those physics teachers who conflate the observer effect with uncertainty.) When I first learned about it, I was delighted that reality was a little fuzzy. Likewise, the randomness of QM.
FWIW, an analogy I've used involves a song. In the context of the whole song, it's meaningful to ask what the melody is, but not what note the song is. The only possible answer is "lots of notes". But at any given point in the song, it's meaningful to ask what the note is, but not what the melody is. With just one note, it could be any melody at all.
BTW, bought Quantum Cookbook as soon as I heard about it. Each time I go over it, I gain a little more ground. It was exactly the sort of thing I wanted, so thank you very much!
Absolutely enlightening, Jim! Never knew all these additional players important to the "quantum story"--Robertson and Kennard on "indeterminacy." And to learn such details like that of Heisenberg and optics is fascinating. Time get the Quantum Cookbook.😊📖
Thanks Mike. For obvious reasons, history tends to be slimmed down and simplified for easier digestion by later generations. Be warned - Cookbook is much closer to a textbook (lots of maths) than regular popsci. If your interest lies more in the history, I’d recommend Quantum Drama instead.
Thank you, Jim! You're reading my mind in my comments! I ordered Quantum Cookbook after your essay yesterday, but just now ordered Quantum Drama (I actually thought to order it after your essay on entanglement earlier this summer). Let's see if both may do. Funny, I was a maths whiz in high school and scored highly that I was going to pursue a science, or engineering degree, but my love for the arts, filmmaking and amateur astronomy became my life. Part time all life long, I dabble in philosophy, cosmology and "posci" subatomic physics as you wrote. (Chemistry I absolutely bow to because I so highly respect it, but I haven't a clue how it works--it's magic!) Nevertheless, entanglement, and duality theory (and virtual particles 🙄) will never stop intriguing me. If the universe is functioning at time intervals so infinitely divided, what matter if it "borrows" particles from the future or past? Or if they exist in two places at one time, or one place at two time? If we delve into the subatomic cosmos of the infinitely small, or infinitely short, where lies the significance, to us, for reality to work? My apologies! I rant and digress! Thanks so much , and I look forward to your books coming this holiday weekend in the USA. 😊👍📚