Son of KC / 124910

Explain me superposition of elementary particles.

Bernd2021-10-16 07:25:52 · 5yNo. 124917 reply

Particles don't exist. It's just a conventionality invented to make people imagine processes easier. In reality on such a small scale matter and energy (i.e. waves) are the same thing - if you can call it a "thing" (it's not). We are used to think that energy is just a property of some matter. You cannot say - hey, it's not an atom, it's a vibration. Because naturally it begets a question "vibration of what?" Our brains just not wired to think in such unnatural (for our worldview) manner.

PS: Yeah, I pulled it completely out of my ass because I'm bored.

Bernd2021-10-16 07:38:02 · 5yNo. 124919 reply

you can think of it this way, you can not measure quantum state of a particle without actually affecting its state, so quantum superposition is something like range of probabilities of what the state of particle will be when you actually mesure it.

Bernd2021-10-16 08:02:31 · 5yNo. 124921 reply

>>124919

so it actually has some unidentified state or it's kinda simplification because scientists are too stupid to measure it without "touching" it?

Bernd2021-10-16 08:20:06 · 5yNo. 124923 reply

>>124921

who knows, thats why there are so many theories trying to explain quantum world, probably those particles are just way too tiny and because of it too fast to be measured by anything that can pass that information back to us.

maybe its even physically impossible.

Bernd2021-10-16 08:28:55 · 5yNo. 124926 reply

>>124923

okay now explain experiment with 2 slits and wave function discontinuity

Bernd2021-10-16 09:01:57 · 5yNo. 124928 reply

>>124926

well its the same explaination, particle acts like a wave when not interfered with and shows particle properties when you observing it, act of observation effectively modifies its state.

Bernd2021-10-16 10:40:29 · 5yNo. 124930 reply

>>124921

>because scientists are too stupid to measure it without "touching" it?

there are methods for that btw, it's called "soft measurement" and it allows you to slowly extract information from a particle while disrupting it very little

it works because of the square between wavefuction and probability distribution: if you measure a particle fully, you will also disrupt it fully, but if you measure it say only 1/100 you will disrupt it only 1/10000