Tag: quantum-mechanics

Never the same

 One of the scariest realities of life is also one of the most comforting.

Many people worry and fret about things changing; some even spend their lives fighting to keep things the way they once were.

But thankfully, nothing ever stays the same. Quantum physicists won’t even say something exists anymore, in case it doesn’t by the time they check again. They will only make predictions about the probability of something existing at a certain point in time.

As Mr. Feynmann pointed out, all the atoms in the universe are in flux. Even if we know where something was, we don’t necessarily know it will still be there when we look again.

And almost always, it’s moved.

Even the bench we sat on today is different from the one we sat on yesterday if we look very closely.

It keeps things interesting. 

 

Endless probability

Here’s something they don’t teach you in school because it would undermine everything.

It’s as factual as science can be, but it’s tough to wrap our little brains around — like the fact you’re moving at 67,000 miles an hour. 

Here are some more facts they won’t tell you:

  1. We don’t know what makes up 95% of the Universe.
  2. Look closely at any particle and it looks like an energy wave.
  3. Nothing exists until we look at it but it exists wherever we look.
  4. Atoms in your DNA can teleport.
  5. There’s a good chance you are a quantum glitch.

The Universe is just limitless, unrealized potential. The very fabric of reality is energy waiting for you to turn it into something.

The first person to truly understand the consequences of this was Douglas Adams, who created the Probability Drive.

Scientists labelled this quantum mechanics in the hope that would stop any awkward questions. And — unless you’re a quantum physicist — there isn’t much point in asking ‘why.’

The real question is: what are you going to do with all that potential?

 

 

Walking through walls

Walking through a wall is very very very very unlikely, but science tells us it’s not impossible.

It’s called ‘quantum tunnelling’ and it’s why the sun explodes, and how your DNA replicates, and how light passes through a solid object.

A very clever teenager explained this to me this morning in under three minutes and closed with these (almost) impossibly wise words:

“Maybe the quantum world is telling us that when faced with an obstacle, there’s a small chance we can defy expectations and breach barriers.”

She absolutely nailed it.

I’m not saying take a running jump at the closest wall. But the next time you’re faced with something that seems ‘impossible,’ remember you always have a chance.

That’s just how the universe works.