Quantum Physics Double Slit Experiment

Quantum Physics Double Slit Experiment [+ favourites]

"The Greatest Enemy of Knowledge is Not Ignorance, It is the ILLUSION of Knowledge. Stephen Hawking"

Was that in what the bleep do we know? I saw that movie in the theatre and never saw it.

I think this is the best video you've ever put up here! Thanks!

"Hating everyone protects me from elitism."

Yah, really interesting stuff. It all makes sense but no sense at all.

"I try my best to be just like I am but everybody wants you to be just like them."

I think there are at least two What the Bleep movies, What the Bleep, and What the Bleep Do We Know, this being a clip from the former. Where I've only seen the one recently posted, the latter.

Ya, I've heard this is physics before, but it was explained so well here and with enthusiasm.

I still don't fully understand just how or why the "observer" inherently affects the outcome, but it is some amazing information.

And obviously what is being promoted, in these what the bleep films as well as "the secret" , is the idea that with our influence, this infinite reality possibility will form to our deepest will upon our viewing or willing of it through the law of attraction.

The trick is to have better control of that will, to believe in your own power over this apparently very real and basic scientific phenomenon that we have direct and indirect, or subconcious, impact upon.

"The Greatest Enemy of Knowledge is Not Ignorance, It is the ILLUSION of Knowledge. Stephen Hawking"

The reason the observer affects the outcome has something to do with light. As you well know, a visual observer cannot observe without light. I wonder if someone could observe this slit test with non-optical senses. Maybe the electrons give off tiny vibrations which we could pick up on to see what they do with the lights off.

"I try my best to be just like I am but everybody wants you to be just like them."

It actually has nothing to do with light. The core of the mystery is that there is no scientific basis for why the electron changes its behaviour.

It just changes its behaviour because it is being observed. The quantum mechanics point being that our thoughts somehow alter the behaviour of matter.

Light bounces off of everything no matter what... our seeing something does not alter the light waves.

"Hating everyone protects me from elitism."

Do a little research Decius, it has everything to do with light. Einstein himself, convinced that the atomic world has an order to follow by, changed the conditions of the light to observe the electrons in the double slit test. Interestingly, at lower frequencies of light, the pattern that is caused by a wave length began to appear. However, it was caused only by those electrons which escaped detection due to the lower frequency of the light.

"I try my best to be just like I am but everybody wants you to be just like them."

So... you're saying the electrons that failed to be observed reacted like a wave?

"Hating everyone protects me from elitism."

BTW, although it would appear the electrons are "reacting" to the light the mechanism of how they would affect it is unknown.. therefore, this is just a theoretical correlation.

That being said, and since it is necessary to involve at least a miniscule amount of light to observe the electrons, the boils down to the same problem: The electrons behave like matter when they are "seen", and behave like wave patterns when they are not.

So, a more abstract conclusion is that matter operates as a wave when it is not observed... being observed alters its behaviour.

Which is a remarkable idea.

There is no known explanation for this behaviour.

"Hating everyone protects me from elitism."

But you see, observation (the sense of sight in this example) is a direct result of LIGHT. There is nothing you can observe visually without light. Light is the prerequisite to visual observation. You would have an argument for what you are saying if the scientists were observing the electrons with sound (and produced the same results), then you're "thought alters their behavior" would have some ground to stand on. But you see, it seems these scientists have only observed with sight, and since light is a prerequisite to this sense, it is only logical to assume that light is the key factor in their change in behavior. So I think I am correct in my assumption and probably also the assumption of Einstien.

"I try my best to be just like I am but everybody wants you to be just like them."

Obviously there must be no other form of observation for electrons that small... otherwise they would have done it. This limitation brings about yet another cool support for the abstract statement i said above. Literally, it seems that light may be reacting to the electron to alter it. But since there is no physical or theoretical explanation for why this is ocurring, it is not any more valid of a statement than perceiving that the knowledge the observer has of the movement of the electron is altering its behaviour.

Both possibilities are entirely probable because both possibilities are dependent on one another.

"Hating everyone protects me from elitism."

A "measuring device" does not indicate what tool or form of observation was used.

Your point about light could be irrelevant if no light was added for observation. If the observation was visual but merely used light already present for both observed and unobserved tests.

If they added light for the observation, than an unobserved test with added light could then be used to rule in or out its effect.

So untill we all know all of the factors and the history of the testing, past and present, obviously not covered in the most simplified of possible conveyances as this clip, than I hardly find it safe to assume much of anything.

"The Greatest Enemy of Knowledge is Not Ignorance, It is the ILLUSION of Knowledge. Stephen Hawking"

From what I've read, they do seem to use light to observe the electron. It seems to be the least intrusive method of observation. They have actually done it in a situation where they alter the wavelength of light... in such cases, all the electrons that fail to be observed due to this "weaker" light behave in an interference pattern and the rest behave like normal matter.

It's really cool.

But I mean, that's not even the most incredible part... what about the interference pattern itself? That's so awesome!

That means that matter is actually probability... the electron does not exist in a singular space... it is a wave of possibilities like a standard deviation curve.

"Hating everyone protects me from elitism."

Although I do believe light is the key factor that determines the electrons behavior, I would like to elaborate on the possibility that maybe something that is observed does alter its behavior. By the way, did either of you guys see the part in "What the bleep do we know?" where they talked about how water molecules change from thoughts? It was this example that got me thinking about thought changing the electrons behavior.

I remember times when I have been observed for a specific purpose that caused me to change my behavior. Maybe not so much change my behavior but made me choose my behavior. I was either going to obey or disobey. For instance, when I am alone playing the piano, I will play pieces how I think they ought to be played but if I were to play for a piano teacher who wanted it a specific way, I would definately play differently. I wonder if this is similar to what the electron is going through, assuming thought is the underlying factor. Just an interesting wondering.

"I try my best to be just like I am but everybody wants you to be just like them."

Well, our reactions may be a macro-perspective of what is going on, but it's not really a comparable process.

The core idea is that thought is wave patterns, and matter is wave patterns, so thought can alter matter, if even in a miniscule way.

That water stuff is friggin incredible. When you relate it to the fact that we are like 90% water, it gives you a new age perspective where its possible a bad mood will actually alter your body.

"Hating everyone protects me from elitism."