Quotes About Quantum

The first theme is "connectedness". Quantum mechanics tells us that there is no such thing as a completely isolated object: objects are connected. The impression of separateness is just an illusion.

The message from quantum mechanics is that we should treat the universe as one connected, entangled object.

Quantum mechanics tells us that everything is connected as one object: the universe. And relativity tells us that the universe is the only thing that exists.

A time dimension is required so that energy is possible.

everything travels through spacetime at the speed of light.

Quantum mechanics tells us that there is no such thing as a completely isolated object: objects are connected. The impression of separateness is just an illusion.

Such pairs of properties — such as momentum and position — which behave in this way are called conjugate variables. The theory which expresses this uncertainty in conjugate variable values is called the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. According to the uncertainty

In this case, the particle formed has correspondingly less energy, whereas the product nucleus passes into the ground state with emission of the quantity of energy saved as gamma radiation.

While the finish given to our picture of the world by the theory of relativity has already been absorbed into the general scientific consciousness, this has scarcely occurred to the same extent with those aspects of the general problem of knowledge which have been elucidated by the quantum theory.

In order to figure out how to make atoms compute, you have to learn how to speak their language and to understand how they process information under normal circumstances.

In subjects that physicists think of as purely quantum, classical ideas and classical computational techniques can often be powerful.

Physics tells us observations can't be predicted absolutely. Rather, there's a range of possible observations each with a different probability.

There are very few particles, if any, which are entirely real. They almost all have some virtual aspects, though some are more virtual than others.

The vacuum is not completely empty, but is aseething mass of . . . short-lived particles.

You have got it exactly. All the other states just vanish. The land of maybe becomes the land that never was . At that point all the other states cease to be in any way real. They become, if you like, just dreams or fantasies, and the observed state is the real one. This is called reduction of the quantum states . You will soon get used to it.

Oh no, you do not get any choice in the matter. What you are likely to see is determined by the probabilities for the various quantum states. What you actually see is a matter of random choice. You do not get to choose what will happen; the quantum amplitudes only give the probability of different results, but they do not fix what will happen. That is pure chance and only becomes fixed when an observation is made.

You may have heard the expression "The difficult we do immediately, the impossible takes a little longer." Well in quantum mechanics the impossible takes a little longer, but it does last a little shorter. Virtual particles can enjoy all the benefits of energy which they do not possess, on a short-term free trial.. . . . But it is something for nothing you see, so they all want it.

If a particle wants to have mass then it must find the energy to support it somehow. If it has any energy left over then it can use it to do other things. Not all particles bother with mass.

Light is not a smooth continuous stream. It is made up of a lot of quanta , little packettes of energy, so that the flow of light is lumpy. These quanta, or particles, of light are called photons. Practically everything comes in quantum of some size. This gives quantum physics its name, you know.

Empty space" is, in fact, a seething brew of particle-antiparticle pairs.

If you don't have any observation to show which hole the electrons go through, them you get interference between the effects of the two holes. If you do observe the electrons, then you find that indeed they are in one place or the other, not both, but in that case they also act as you would expect if they had come through one hole only and you do not get any interference. The problem is that there is no way in which you can look at the electrons without disturbing them. . . .

We've known since 2007 that there's superposition in chlorophyll, for instance. Photosynthesis has a ninety-five percent energy-transfer efficiency rate, which is better than anything we can engineer. Plants achieve that by using superposition to simultaneously try all the possible pathways between their light-collecting molecules and their reaction-center proteins so that energy is always sent down the most efficient route; it's a form of biological quantum computing.

Surprisingly now, over a half a century later, time symmetric approaches to electromagnetism, quantum mechanics, gravity, and cosmology might be consonant with the kind of eschatology that a theist such as Pannenberg supports.

Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, having to do with the fact that the very act of observing something changed the position and course of the thing being observed—at least on the subatomic level.