We understand our world. Drop a glass and it smashes on the floor. Put a book on a table and we know where it is. However, if we really pay attention, we find evidence of weirdness all around us especially in the extremely small.
In six sessions starting in mid-January and continuing every second week, we will explore the world of Quantum Physics.
Rather than lectures or presentations we will have discussions with our very own resident physicists Bob Miller and Joel Houtman. Topics will include quantum physics as compared to classical physics, wave particle duality, the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principal, particle accelerators and the Large Hadron Collider, quantum entanglement, the big bang, and dark energy/dark matter.
Prior knowledge of physics is not a prerequisite.
Outline:
Quantum Physics As Compared To Classical Physics
Our every-day, observable world behaves in a reasonable and predictable way – why? Classical Physics as in Newton’s Laws, laws of electromagnetism, thermodynamics, etc.
Wave Particle Duality
Light (a type of electromagnetic radiation) behaves like a wave. It also behaves like a particle (photon) as in the photoelectric effect. An electron was initially conceived as a particle, but it exhibits wave lake behavior as in the double slit experiment.
Uncertainty Principle
We cannot know precisely both the momentum and the position of a particle. The observer effect – the collapse of the wave function.
Particle Accelerators
Why high energies are important. What type of particles do we accelerate? E=mc2 Different types of accelerator. The Large Hadron Collider.
Quantum Entanglement
Quantum state of a pair of particles; interdependency at even large distances. Einstein’s “spooky action at a distance.”
The Big Bang
Evolution of the universe from the very beginning.
Dark Energy and Dark Matter
Why physicists need to postulate dark matter to account for the accelerating expansion of the universe.
Conclusion
Determinism. Is our world strictly cause-and-effect? What about quantum randomness?