what is quantum mechanics all about?
107699
"Quantum mechanics is a physical science dealing with the behaviour of matter and waves on the scale of atoms and subatomic particles. It also forms the basis for the contemporary understanding of how large objects such as stars and galaxies, and cosmological events such as the Big Bang, can be analyzed and explained. Its success is due to its accurate prediction of the physical behaviour of systems, including systems where Newtonian mechanics fails. This difference between the success of classical and quantum mechanics is most often observed in systems at the atomic scale or smaller, or at very low or very high energies, or at extremely low temperatures. Quantum mechanics is the basis of modern developments in chemistry, molecular biology, and electronics, and the foundation for the technology that has transformed the world in the last fifty years."
1047147
hmmm... \n\nWell the book that got me turned on to physics was "The source book on atomic energy"\n\nThis book starts off at newton and goes up to the nuclear reactors and basicly every thing that was known about nuclear technoolgy at the time (the book is about 50 years old).  It is not quantum mechanics, but it is modern physics.  And modern physics is the start to quantum.  It will give you ALL the backround that you need to know to start to really learn quantum. Also it is very easy to read (I read it the summer after my freshman year in college)  \n\nanother serise of book (also not quite to hard quantum yet) are the "Mr Tompkins" series.  he describes things like the atom and relitivity very well and in a hands on approch.  \n\n\nNow for quantum... I did read one decent book, but i can not remeber what it was.  Just go to your local library and do a search for quantum mechanics and pick up the shortest paper back you can find.  they are all written by very smart people and they are writen so that every on can under stand them.  \n\nI am sorry I did not help to much with a Quantum book, but the other two books that I recomended are very good and will put you directely on the right path towards understanding modern physics,  and you can not understand quantum with out understanding modern (actualy there is usualy a bit of quantum is modern physics classes)
1067152
well, I'm afraid that physics is everything around you, have you noticed the word "physical"? simply physics is the reason there's a daily life to talk about in the first place, physics is used to make the PC you are using, the monitor you are looking at, the speakers, the satellite for communications and GPS systems....etc.\nAlso, physics isn't only about electromagnetic and stuff.... mechanics is also physics, aerodynamics... electronics as well and there's also physical chemistry, you might not like it or at least see it clearly but it's because it's in everything around you...
16307
Quantum physics is a fundamental physical theory that replaces Newtonian mechanics and classical electromagnetism at the atomic and subatomic levels.  It is the underlying framework of many fields of physics and chemistry, including condensed matter physics, quantum chemistry, and particle physics. Often, it is the answer to questions when general relativity fails.
246571
Quantum Physics The Science is us we they me I you and our perception and control over our reality here on earth.Using our minds the way it shoulb be hopefully we will be able to see all the connections.We will I am thinking about it right now.
605311
chemistry, quantum mechanics...
1137063
There is a problem in quantum mechanics known as the "measurement" problem. Quantum mechanics shows us that particles only have a chance of being found within a certain region, they don't have a definite location.\n\nThe problem is that we have absolutely NO idea how the particles "decide" where to be when we measure them. There have been alot of serious proposals for a solution, but no one is sure.\n\nOne solution is termed the "Manyworlds" scenario, in which a particle is found at -every- location, in an infinite number of "parallel" universes.\n\nSince quantum mechanical effects started taking place as soon as matter was formed (an unimaginably small fraction of a second after the big bang), the Manyworlds theory suggests that since then, and infinite number of alternate universes have been and continue to be formed at every moment in time.
623139
Quantum mechanics is a model for understanding and predicting subatomic phenomena.  It has little use in our macro world of human dimensions.\n\nI believe the soul is in the intricate workings of the developed brain, which comes from the DNA instructions which include the development of the pre-frontal lobe, but do those instructions themselves, unacted on, without having built a brain, constitute a soul?
10601
This is one of those wierd questions in Quantum Mechanics where there is no way to visualize the answer. Our brains, understandably, have evolved to handle falling rocks, jumping tigers, and other macroscopic objects. We have numerous hardwired responses to these things which follow classical, Newtonian Physics.\n\nOn the atomic and subatomic scales where objects behave according to the laws of Quantum Mechanics things are different. An electron can behave like a wave in this experiment, but a particle in another experiments. According the classical physics (and our macroscopic-loving brain's "common sense) nothing can be *both* a particle and a wave. \n\nSo what is an electron? A wavicle? A partiave? \n\nNope. An electron is a, well, an electron. Sometime it will behave *exactly* like a wave, other times it will behave *exactly* like a particle. Never will it behave like some intermeditate or mixed state.\n\nThe problem - to the extent there is a problem - is that we cannot visiualize this. There is no way to form a picture in our heads the same way we can form a picture of a ball flying though the air. Our brains are meant to operate on macroscopic phenomena, and subatomic phenomena just behave differently.\n\nPresumably some other alien species could have some sort of mind, or mind-like thing, for which the whole wave-particle duality thing just makes perfect sense! But presumably this aliens would be confused by what are to us the simple motions of a ball flying through the air.\n\nSo, in the Copenhagen Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics, there is no sense in which the "other forms" of an object change after a wavefunction is collapsed. That this seems to be a problem is more a function of our brains and how they have evolved.\n\n\n(As an aside, it should be said that it is possible to understand the mathematics underlying Quantum Mechanics. And to be able to use this math to make extremely accurate predictions of how electrons, atoms, etc. will behave. These predictions can be tested experimentally and Quantum Mechanics holds up extremely well. \n\nSo while QM is very wierd, there is an enormous amount of evidence that it is correct.)
961835
Quantum gravity is the field of theoretical physics attempting to unify quantum mechanics, which describes three of the fundamental forces of nature, with general relativity, the theory of the fourth fundamental force: gravity. The ultimate goal of some is a unified framework for all fundamental forces—a "theory of everything".\n\nclick here:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_gravity#Overview
962631
that's a very broad question. because all the branches of physics are intertwined with each other.\nUmm.. a basic principle of quantum theory is the observation that the smallest pieces of matter, electrons,  exhibit properties of both particles and waves. What an electron is doing at any given moment is a mystery to all of us. We can't just "look" at what the electron is doing to find out, though. The problem is that when we look at something, we're bombarding the electron with photons (light particles that have no mass, but carry momentum & energy).  Hitting the electron with a photon changes the path, speed, etc of the electron and defeats the whole purpose of looking at it.\nInstead we have to look at the end results of what electrons do - so there is an experiment called the double slit experiment which shows us where electrons hit a detector after passing through two small slits. \nYou might imagine that throwing electrons that passed through two holes would create two big blotches on the detector. \nBut the results of this experiment showed that the electrons hit the detector in a particular way - one that demonstrated that the path the electrons took was determined by wave-like motion, not like particle motion (diffraction).\nWierd - so actually, what we conclude is that the electrons took EVERY possible path from the source to the detector, and then upon observation, the resulting pattern arranged itself according to a probability distribution.  Strange, yes.\nAnyway, exploiting the fact that electrons' actions are governed by probability, we are able to conclude a lot of rules about electrons. Where they are, what their energy is, what their momentum is, .. all related to probability. And also all related to "standing waves."  (very very complicated mathematics go here) \nThe thing about standing waves (imagine a violin string) is that they can vibrate at certain harmonics - either one half wave across the whole string, or one, or one and a half, as long as both ends are clamped down.  But they can never be in between those. (Try it by shaking a rope faster and faster)\nANYWAY so this tells us that the amount of energy that electrons can carry can only be in certain amounts and never in between. When an electron gains or loses energy, it can only be enough to send it to the next lowest/highest energy level. Never in between.  This is known as quantization, and you may know this as the "energy states" of electrons.
251335
It can be "explained" with quantum mechanics. If you can find the movies of the lectures given by Richard Feynmen in New Zealand, there are 4 lectures if I am correct, In the first lecture he explains it very well in Laymans terms.\n\nIt takes a fair bit of explanation so I won't attemp to relate it here.
496091
Newtownian mechanics deals with behavior of macroscopic objects; quantum mechanics deals with the behavior of microscopic objects.  It’s called “quantum” because energy comes in discrete, tiny quantities (quanta) that radically affect the behavior of objects such as atoms or protons or electrons.  Instead of being able to describe reality as straightforward cause-and-effect (à la Newton), quantum mechanics ends up taking one down twisted roads of probability in terms of “wave functions,” which could be considered oscillations of a sort, but not exactly oscialltions like waves in a pond or even electric fields in light.\n\nEinstein made contributions to quantum mechanics (most notably his work regarding the quantization light into packets subsequently dubbed “photons,” for which he was awarded a Nobel Prize), but he never quite trusted its non-causal nature.\n\n\nRyan Wyatt\nRose Center for Earth & Space\nNew York, New York
274107
Fine answers so far, indeed.\nQuantum mechanics is a very complicated field of physics and even a Godfather like Richard Feynman said that people who claim to understand it really understand it not at all.\nBasic problem is that experimental research below a certain dimension inevitably fails because of Werner Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle: "The more precisely the position is determined, the less precisely the momentum is known." Meaning that we, using waves of certain lenghts to be able to look at the world of subatomic particles, influence them. So we cannot determine both a particle's position AND momentum with pinpoint precision. Thus, in quantum mechanics, the principle of possibilities replaces hard Yes-No-facts. This leads to very confusing studying that often results in escapes into pure mathematics. For example, the dualistic nature of light (which seems to be both matter and wave) can only be described by quantum mechanics.\nAs time and space came into existence only with the beginning of the universe, the question what occurred "before" (being a chronological term, belonging to the principle of time) is irrelevant.
1157167
Quantum Mechanics is the Physics behind Physics, it is Philosophy with Scientifical evidence, this goes beyond Logic and reasoning, and it only goes to show that the most incomprehendible thing about reality,(really is after all) the fact that it is comprehendible!!! I have yet to see the movie but the guy who said he and his chick tried to count how many errors were there within the first 15 minuites of the movie but couldn"t cause there were too many,.. yeah well,... He"s a fool if he disregards all things just as easily as he did this, I mean he counted the errors for example with our common (estimate his knowledge of this topic to a high level by the way, I am willing to assume he knows what he is talking about and what he is talking about is Physics, you know Science science,... I love that subject too,,,, but Quantum Mechanics is a modern Science, even more so and 10 fold than the one used for our latest and most newest forms of technology! \n  Ok please do me a favor and research when this subject first made it"s debut, and more importantly Who helped develop this Topic, and I am sure you will be surprised, For now I will give you one name, and it is one that by the way is not the father of this subject, but Albert Einstein himself, was there when they were cooking this Phenonmenal study up, it was a handfull, I mean a "handfull"! of the best most respectable minds of that time and we should be proud, ........ of our era,.......it brought me peace, when thinking about the Pi equation,...... it doesn"t gibe you an explanation Quantum Mechanics, it hardly gives you an understanding, but you do or can come to terms with the fact that life is not an answer it is a question, perhaps............
846023
theorotical physics is a subject based on quantum physics.......... basically there are no practicals in this subject and it depends only on theory
25296
Quantum gravity is a theoretical field of study which attempts to unite the forces of Quantum Mechanics(the Weak, Strong and Electromagnetic) to the Gravity Force found in General Relativity.  In theory, 'quantum gravity' (gravity observed/explained on the scope of the subatomic) would bring about a Grand Unifed Theory.  The search for quantum gravity (if it even exists, some would argue) is considered one of the most pressing challenges in modern physics.