This theme was requested by the audience. I essentially knew nothing about quantum physics but from bringing this up in conversation, it seems as though there is a secret underbelly of people who study and consume physics knowledge that does not come up in everyday conversation. Ask 5 random people in your life about physics, I bet one gets a huge smile on their face and wants to deep dive with you.
Why should you care about quantum physics?
Maybe you took
physics in high school and hated it. Maybe you don’t know what physics is. I’m
still not 100%...or 20%.
My answer to that is
you don’t need to care about physics, the world, your neighbour or about what
Bert writes about. You don’t need to care about anything but caring or at least
being open to how the universe was created, how it operates and the laws that
govern it are at least worth a second glance. Let’s glance together.
1-
After
watching many videos, reading articles, podcasts and talking with other humans
who know things, I feel I don’t have a much firmer grip on this subject since I
started researching. Physics is complicated and physicists not only don’t have
all the answers, they are most certainly studying and experimenting and
teaching elements of physics which will one day be disproved (which can be said
to other fields to be fair)
2-
There
are still many unanswered questions about how the universe works and its future.
I feel like the field of physics is partly just to keep the thousands of
researchers, teachers and scientists employed; there I said it….
3-
Let’s
start with what we know, some pillars in the physics world, thought
experiments, famous physicists, vocabulary, and some links for continued
learning.
What is physics?
It is the study of
nature, how the world works involving seen and unseen events. Attempts to solve
atom to planet sized problems.
How does physics
affect your daily life?
Physics
touches every aspect on earth from gravity, magnetism, heat, traction, inertia,
force, electricity, GPS, electricity, MRI machines, silicon chips which are in
every computer, sports, rollercoasters, lasers, nuclear power plants, and
almost any area is somehow related to physics.
Two pillars:
Einstein’s General Relativity:
Big scale understanding stars and galaxies
Quantum mechanics:
Small scale understanding molecules, atoms, electrons
The current consensus on General relativity and quantum mechanics disagree.
They can’t both be right. There must be something missing.
Apparently ‘The universe is the way it is because the
matter and the force particles have the properties they do.’
Famous physics
thought experiments:
Many worlds
interpretation:
For each possible
outcome, world splits into copies of
itself.
Decision not to do
something, another parallel universe exists where you did.
Copenhagen
interpretation:
Quantum particle can
exists in multiple states at the same time, but sometimes they are in specific
states. Running, walking and swimming example at the same time.
A
widely-known tenet of quantum mechanics (and science in general) is that the
simple act of observation changes the outcome of an event.
Famous physicists:
Isaac Newton:
Invented calculus
and formed three laws of motion.
Einstein:
General Theory of
relativity, solved the riddle of the photoelectric effect, Nobel Prize for
physics in 1921 and E=mc2 to name a few.
Niels Bohr:
Transformed our view
on the atom and founded quantum mechanics.
Heisenberg:
1932 Nobel Prize for
Physics and many contributions in quantum mechanics.
Marie Curie:
Polish (win),
discovered Radium and Polonium and won two Nobel prizes.
Richard Feynman:
Created the idea nanotechnology
and Feynman diagrams, Feynman Integrals, and really cool guy.
Here is some essential
vocabulary that will be a nice refresher and you might learn something new:
Atom:
The tiny particles called atoms are the basic building
blocks of all matter.
The word atom comes
from the Greek word atomos, meaning “indivisible.”
Big Bang:
The
Big Bang Theory is the leading explanation about how the universe began. At its
simplest, it says the universe as we know it started with a small singularity,
then inflated over the next 13.8 billion years to the cosmos that we know
today.
Black Hole:
Black holes are the strangest objects in the Universe. A black hole does not have a
surface, like a planet or star. Instead, it is a region of space where matter
has collapsed in on itself. This catastrophic collapse results in a huge amount
of mass being concentrated in an incredibly small area.
A white hole is a
hypothetical feature of the universe. It is considered the opposite of
a black hole. As black holes don’t let anything escape from their surface,
white holes are eruptions of matter and energy and nothing can get inside them
http://www.iflscience.com/physics/what-white-hole/
Copernican Principle:
The Copernican principle (in its classical
form) is the principle that the Earth does not rest in a privileged or special
physical position in the universe.
What
this basically means is that in science, you shouldn't assume that humans have
a fundamentally privileged position within the universe.
https://www.thoughtco.com/copernican-principle-2699117
Cosmic Inflation
The
term inflation refers to the explosively rapid expansion of space-time that occurred a tiny fraction of a second after
the Big Bang. In another tiny fraction of a second, inflation slowed to a more
leisurely expansion that continues to this day and is accelerating.
https://www.space.com/25075-cosmic-inflation-universe-expansion-big-bang-infographic.html
Dark Energy:
Dark energy is the name given to the force that is believed to be making
the universe larger. Distant galaxies appear to be moving
away from us at high speed: the idea is that the universe is getting bigger and
has been since the Big Bang. Measurements are now good enough to
allow astronomers to tell that these galaxies seem to
be accelerating away from us. The universe is expanding at an
ever-increasing rate.
https://wiki.kidzsearch.com/wiki/Dark_energy
It turns out that roughly 68% of the universe is
dark energy. Dark matter makes up about 27%. The rest - everything on Earth, everything
ever observed with all of our instruments, all normal matter - adds up to less
than 5% of the universe.
Albert Einstein was the first person to realize that
empty space is not nothing. Space has amazing properties, many of which are
just beginning to be understood. The first property that Einstein discovered is
that it is possible for more space to come into existence
https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/what-is-dark-energy
Dark Matter:
Hypothetical form of matter that is believed to make up 90 percent of the matter in the universe; it is
invisible (does not absorb or emit light) and does not collide with atomic
particles but exerts gravitational force.
Kids.Net.Au -
Dictionary > Definition: dark matter
Galaxy:
A galaxy is
a group of stars, clouds of gas, and dust particles that move together through
the universe
General Theory of Relativity
The theory that space and
time are relative concepts rather than absolute concepts
Law of Conservation of Energy:
It implies that energy can neither be created nor destroyed, but can be
change from one form to another. The law of conservation of mass states that the total amount of
mass remains constant in an isolated system in spite of any physical or
chemical changes that may take place
Mass
A measure of how much matter is in an object.
http://www.mathsisfun.com/definitions/mass.html
Matter
the substance or substances of which any physical object consists or
is composed:
the matter of which the earth is made.
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/matter
Multiverse
Hypothetical space or realm consisting of
a number of universes, of which our own universe is only one.
The universe considered as lacking order
or a single ruling and guiding power.
Panspermia
The theory that microorganisms or biochemicalcompounds from outer space are responsible for originating life on Earth and possibly in other parts of the universe where suitable environmental conditions exist.
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/panspermia
Quantum
The smallest chunk into which something can be divided in physics.
The smallest chunk into which something can be divided in physics.
Large Hadron Collidor
Recreates conditions right after the Big
Bang to see what particles existed when the energy density of the universe was
high. 17 mile loop. Hope to find undiscovered particles. Massive, expensive
science experiment.
Quark
A
quark is one of the fundamental particles in physics. They join to form
hadrons, such as protons and neutrons, which are components of the nuclei of
atoms. Not alone.
https://www.thoughtco.com/quark-2699004
Universe
The Universe is
everything we can touch, feel, sense, measure or detect. It includes living
things, planets, stars, galaxies, dust clouds, light, and even time. Before the
birth of the Universe,
time, space and matter did not exist.
The Universe contains
billions of galaxies, each containing millions or billions of stars. The space
between the stars and galaxies is largely empty. However, even places far from
stars and planets contain scattered particles of dust or a few hydrogen atoms
per cubic centimeter. Space is also filled with radiation (e.g. light and
heat), magnetic fields and high energy particles (e.g. cosmic rays).
The Universe is incredibly huge. It would take a modern
jet fighter more than a million years to reach the nearest star to the Sun.
Travelling at the speed of light (300,000 km per second), it would take 100,000
years to cross our Milky Way galaxy alone.
https://www.esa.int/esaKIDSen/SEMX4EBE8JG_OurUniverse_0.html
Wormhole
A wormhole is
a hypothetical passageway in space-time that would connect a black hole and a
white hole. A white hole is the other end of a black hole that has poked
through to another part of space-time. To most theorists, wormholes are highly speculative
because such a shortcut would, in effect, act as a time machine.
Current mysteries:
Dark energy, dark
matter
Why does time go in
one direction? Arrow of time
Big Crunch: The
universe will stop expanding and start shrinking
or
Big Rip: The
universe continues to expand until it is torn apart.
If god exists, where
did he come from?
Are there parallel
universes?
Why more matter than
anti matter?
String theory
correct?
Theory of
everything?
Shape of the
universe?
Multiverse?
So where does all
this leave us? On the plus side, there is so much unknown that anyone can have
a theory and it be plausible. The mystery of the world at the quantum level
mystifies young and old and has people craving more. I’m sure many late nights
have turned into sunrises discussing the origins, future and possibilities of
physics in our universe but until a major discovery happens, there is too much
unknown and disagreement to fall in love with this topic. Quantum computing and
quantum cryptography seem like practical and somewhat feasible accomplishments
in the hopefully not too distant future.
In a way, quantum computing taps into nature's ability
to interact with the world. That might be a tough thought to comprehend, but
it's only the tip of the iceberg.
For example, quantum
particles
can exist in two places at once,
move forwards or backwards in time, and even "teleport" by way of
what physicists call "quantum tunneling."
http://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-quantum-computing-2013-7
Theme for March is AI so stayed tuned.
Spring has almost sprung. Enjoy everyone.
Don’t panic. 42.
Tedtalks and videos
to get started:
Quantum physics for 7 year olds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARWBdfWpDyc
Universe in a nutshell by Michio Kaku
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NbBjNiw4tk
Have we reached the end of physics?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWPFJgLAzu4
Everyday physics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ryJK294Psw
One minute physics
https://www.youtube.com/user/minutephysics
Crash course physics or tons of other
subjects. Learning is fun.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX6b17PVsYBQ0ip5gyeme-Q
