My Version of Quantum Physics

Have you ever heard the peanut butter jar analogy while describing the concept of quantum?

Imagine entering the kitchen with a jar of peanut butter in hand. You may decide to put the jar on the counter or one of the shelves above. But you cannot put the jar between the shelves. This is unreasonable. This analogy is a very common example while talking about the quantum concept. 😉

In the language of physics, you could say your kitchen is "quantized." This means that the racks have various levels. In the quantum world, everything is divided into levels. For example, the electron in an atom is located at one of several energy levels in the atom, just like the shelves in the kitchen. But the quantum world is interesting. Give some energy to the electron, and it will jump to another energy level instantly. (This is called a quantum leap.)

When we look at the theory itself;

Quantum Theory was born out of the conflict between the two major theories of physics, the theory of matter and the theory of light. Theory of Matter argues that everything is ultimately made up of tiny and indivisible parts and new atoms. The Theory of Light states that light is a wave that propagates outward, just like a wavelet in a lake. Both theories are very successful.

It is not surprising that the conflict between the theory of light, which claims that light is a wave, and the theory of matter, which maintains that matter consists of atoms, manifests itself as the place where light meets matter.

M. Bellini/National Inst. of Optics

The situations in which an atom sputters or absorbs light are concrete examples of these encounters. In the 1920s, physicists had done hundreds of studies on this subject, and as a result of these studies, they had to admit something incredible: that light is both a propagating wave and a particle. Light is incomprehensible, and all we can hope to do is observe its various aspects. When light is absorbed or emitted by an atom, we see its particle-like direction known as the photon, while when it passes bent around a corner, we see its wave-like direction. Waves can behave like particles, and particles can behave like waves. Waves showing particle behavior indicate unpredictability.

But as we all know, physics means precision. For example, we know where the moon will be tomorrow with absolute certainty with the help of Newton’s theory of gravity. But we can’t be %100 sure if the photons coming through glass will pass or reflect from the glass. Even, in theory, it is impossible to predict. But we can predict the unpredictable. That’s precisely stating the Quantum theory. It is all about predicting the unpredictable.

There is an excellent quote from Bohr about it; he says,” If anyone claims that he is not dizzy when thinking about quantum physics, it only indicates that he does not understand the slightest thing about it. 😊

If you want to learn more about it , you can always read the pieces from Planck , Einstein , Bohr , De Broglie , Heisenberg, Dirac and Schrödinger, Pauli.

You can also enjoy the concept while watching these movies: The Butterfly Effect, Cloud Atlas, What Ever Works, The Fountain, AntMan Series...