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Quantum Mechanics
Contributed by Nathan Colella   

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Inside an Atom
Atoms at the time were known as the smallest pieces of matter until these people found that atoms contained even smaller particles within it. Imagine an atom was the size of a cathedral; the particles inside the atom would be about the size of a coin compared to the cathedral so that would mean the atom is compiled mostly of 'empty space'.

The nucleus of the atom contains protons and neutrons orbited by electrons which would have such a weird behaviour Isaac Newton or Maxwell's explanations couldn't explain it.

Einstein's theories demanded the universe be predictable but as Quantum Mechanics shows that at the scale of particles within the atom it's a game of chance. The Best way you can do to quantum mechanics is to predict the chance or probability of one outcome or another which then opened up a door to another picture of reality. The quantum laws are so different to the laws we use in our everyday lives, but the quantum laws is how our universe works on a small scale, but a scale we don't see or experience. If we were to experience quantum laws we would think we were going insane because everything around us would be constantly changing and unpredictable. There's no reason to be disappointed by one outcome because quantum mechanics suggest that different things are happening at the same time in other dimensions parallel to this one, and those dimensions would seem as real to its inhabitants as ours does to us. Einstein refused to accept that the universe was unpredictable and was said that 'God does not throw dice' but calculation after calculation Einstein was proved wrong. Scientists in the 30's were unlocking the secrets to the universe with quantum mechanics and discovering that gravity and electromagnetism wasn't the only two forces in the universe. One of the new forces discovered was a force that holds protons to neutrons which acts as superglue and the other force will allows neutrons to turn into protons which give off radiation in the process. The power was demonstrated as an atomic bomb which is equivalent to 20 tons of TNT. The explosion of this bomb is caused by splitting the protons and neutrons apart. No one could still explain gravity on a quantum level so the problem of unification still remained. Now scientists had the problem of knowing the universe was made out of two forces that fight and won't unify, quantum physics was used to measure things on a subatomic level and gravity was used to measure heavy objects such as stars. Unification was never tried or achieved after Einstein's death in the 50's, There was strange things in the cosmos that couldn't be explained until a unified theory existed such as black holes. A German astronomer found that an enormous amount of mass such as a dense star concentrated in a small area would warp the space/time fabric so severely that nothing, not even light would escape its gravitational pull. At this time of discovery this German astrologer's theory was perceived as just that, a theory until later on this theory became reality when satellites would eventually discover black holes in space.

The problem still remained that a black hole couldn't be measured because you would have to use both forces (Gravity and Electromagnetism) because the star was so heavy but so very small that you cant avoid using both forces. In modern times this conflict between both forces would come to an end with string theory which is still in its infancy at this present time.

 
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