Quantum Mechanics
Quantum mechanics is the study of subatomic particles. They behave in a nonlinear fashion, which has always been confusing to our linear perception. That is why most classical scientists who use a linear, deterministic perception have resisted or denied the basic concepts of quantum mechanics. In the last half-century, quantum mechanics has emerged from a purely theoretical concept to a practical science that has led to the creation of many devices that we use in our daily lives. This practical application is critical to new technology like transistors, lasers, ultra-precise clocks and flash memory, as well as the still-in-development quantum computers. As quantum mechanics has gained recognition and the number of practical applications has increased, it has shifted paradigms of classical, linear and deterministic science.
In quantum mechanics, the uncertainty principle states that pairs of physical properties, such as position and momentum, cannot both be precisely known. Since energy at the subatomic level behaves according to the uncertainty principle, this principle undermines the expectations of linear logic. It also subverts the related linear perception of determinism or strict causality, which claims that there is no randomness in nature and that the present and future states of the universe, down to the smallest detail, are the result of the state of the universe in the distant past.
Instead, the uncertainty principle says that because of randomness, the laws of nature are statistical. That is, individual events in the present and the future are not entirely determined by the past.
Quantum mechanics also recognizes the duality of matter by showing that nature, on the smallest subatomic level, behaves as both a particle and a wave. The emitted photons from the sun behave as a wave in their normal and most efficient manifestation. The efficiency of wave behavior is apparent in superconductors and in the photosynthetic process of plants. (See Science News, May 9, 2009, “Living Physics.”) But as soon as we try to monitor them with certain expectations, they randomly change their behavior and act as particles. That’s because, counter to linear perception, the observed and the observer are inseparable and interdependent. The photons respond to our questions and expectations, and our expectation disturbs the most efficient manifestation of reality. (For more detail, see “The Double Slit Experiment.”)
In quantum mechanics, the uncertainty principle states that pairs of physical properties, such as position and momentum, cannot both be precisely known. Since energy at the subatomic level behaves according to the uncertainty principle, this principle undermines the expectations of linear logic. It also subverts the related linear perception of determinism or strict causality, which claims that there is no randomness in nature and that the present and future states of the universe, down to the smallest detail, are the result of the state of the universe in the distant past.
Instead, the uncertainty principle says that because of randomness, the laws of nature are statistical. That is, individual events in the present and the future are not entirely determined by the past.
Quantum mechanics also recognizes the duality of matter by showing that nature, on the smallest subatomic level, behaves as both a particle and a wave. The emitted photons from the sun behave as a wave in their normal and most efficient manifestation. The efficiency of wave behavior is apparent in superconductors and in the photosynthetic process of plants. (See Science News, May 9, 2009, “Living Physics.”) But as soon as we try to monitor them with certain expectations, they randomly change their behavior and act as particles. That’s because, counter to linear perception, the observed and the observer are inseparable and interdependent. The photons respond to our questions and expectations, and our expectation disturbs the most efficient manifestation of reality. (For more detail, see “The Double Slit Experiment.”)