Science that makes you cringe

[Mr Larrington]

It’s still woo though.

[Efrogwr]

The Infinite Monkey Cage - Series 11 - When Quantum Goes Woo

Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined on stage by Bad Science author, Ben Goldacre, Professor of Particle Physics at Manchester University, Jeff Forshaw, and comedian Sara Pascoe. They'll be looking at why quantum physics, in particular, seems to attract some of the more fringe elements of pseudoscience and alternative medicine, and whether there is anything about the frankly weird quantum behaviour of particles, like the ability to seemingly be in two places at once, that really can be applied to the human condition. When spiritual healers and gurus talk about our own quantum energy and the power of quantum healing, is it simply a metaphor, or is there more to this esoteric branch of science that we could all learn from?

Particles aren't in two places at once they are in an every possible place they could be. And they aren't actually particles they are vibrations in a field. They act like particles when they finally interact with each other.

After reading that brain-bender I need to lie down in a darkened room!

[ElyDave]

I'm just practicing aligning my particles to empty spaces so I can walk though walls.

I'll let you know when my head stops hurting

[ian]

The Infinite Monkey Cage - Series 11 - When Quantum Goes Woo

Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined on stage by Bad Science author, Ben Goldacre, Professor of Particle Physics at Manchester University, Jeff Forshaw, and comedian Sara Pascoe. They'll be looking at why quantum physics, in particular, seems to attract some of the more fringe elements of pseudoscience and alternative medicine, and whether there is anything about the frankly weird quantum behaviour of particles, like the ability to seemingly be in two places at once, that really can be applied to the human condition. When spiritual healers and gurus talk about our own quantum energy and the power of quantum healing, is it simply a metaphor, or is there more to this esoteric branch of science that we could all learn from?

Particles aren't in two places at once they are in an every possible place they could be. And they aren't actually particles they are vibrations in a field. They act like particles when they finally interact with each other.

Basically, they aren't particles or waves, they're just metaphors for how they behave under specified conditions (similarly with spin, colour charge and other fancy aspects of quantum unreality). We just don't have an understanding or description of what they really are or even if they really are. It's all rather complicated. Wait till you learn about the fact a lot of matter is made out of things that only exist virtually.

[PhilO]

The Infinite Monkey Cage - Series 11 - When Quantum Goes Woo

Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined on stage by Bad Science author, Ben Goldacre, Professor of Particle Physics at Manchester University, Jeff Forshaw, and comedian Sara Pascoe. They'll be looking at why quantum physics, in particular, seems to attract some of the more fringe elements of pseudoscience and alternative medicine, and whether there is anything about the frankly weird quantum behaviour of particles, like the ability to seemingly be in two places at once, that really can be applied to the human condition. When spiritual healers and gurus talk about our own quantum energy and the power of quantum healing, is it simply a metaphor, or is there more to this esoteric branch of science that we could all learn from?

Particles aren't in two places at once they are in an every possible place they could be. And they aren't actually particles they are vibrations in a field. They act like particles when they finally interact with each other.

So they are in two places at once - and also everywhere else.  Just like a four-legged table has three legs... and a fourth. 

[Efrogwr]

The Infinite Monkey Cage - Series 11 - When Quantum Goes Woo

Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined on stage by Bad Science author, Ben Goldacre, Professor of Particle Physics at Manchester University, Jeff Forshaw, and comedian Sara Pascoe. They'll be looking at why quantum physics, in particular, seems to attract some of the more fringe elements of pseudoscience and alternative medicine, and whether there is anything about the frankly weird quantum behaviour of particles, like the ability to seemingly be in two places at once, that really can be applied to the human condition. When spiritual healers and gurus talk about our own quantum energy and the power of quantum healing, is it simply a metaphor, or is there more to this esoteric branch of science that we could all learn from?

Particles aren't in two places at once they are in an every possible place they could be. And they aren't actually particles they are vibrations in a field. They act like particles when they finally interact with each other.

Basically, they aren't particles or waves, they're just metaphors for how they behave under specified conditions (similarly with spin, colour charge and other fancy aspects of quantum unreality). We just don't have an understanding or description of what they really are or even if they really are. It's all rather complicated. Wait till you learn about the fact a lot of matter is made out of things that only exist virtually.

I was just starting to pull myself together; then I read this...

The wave/particle conundrum has fascined me for half a century.

[Efrogwr]

... and now for a real post!

this seems to me (Fine Art graduate) to be the best thread for this, but I suspect that it's a mathematical/topological thing.

Clothes made of wonder fabrics with (first) three way stretch,  and, now four(!) way stretch.

[pcolbeck]

The wave/particle conundrum has fascined me for half a century.

There isn't really a conundrum. Waves are a useful approximation of the behaviour of particles at a large scale. Lots of photons emitting from a source behave like a wave but a single photon doesn't.

[ian]

Ah, but that's not really true. A single-photon does have wave properties. The dual slit experiment simply forces photons to behave as waves or particles. It's the nature of the observation that determines whether we see a wave or a particle (whereas the reality is probably neither, and certainly not something we have a description for).

[drossall]

Basically, they aren't particles or waves, they're just metaphors for how they behave under specified conditions (similarly with spin, colour charge and other fancy aspects of quantum unreality). We just don't have an understanding or description of what they really are or even if they really are. It's all rather complicated. Wait till you learn about the fact a lot of matter is made out of things that only exist virtually.

Strictly speaking surely, if we don't know what they are (and I agree that we don't), we can't really say what they aren't either. They behave like both particles (things with very specific locations and dimensions) and waves (coherent phenomena but spread out over considerable areas) at the same time is about as near as we can get. And, as you say, they do that even if you reduce the amount of light so much that there is only one photon (particle) present. The sea is lots of molecules (particles) making waves together, of course; it's as though you reduced the entire ocean to one molecule of water, and still got the faint marks of waves left on the beach.

Not that that is remotely helpful in picturing what they might be!

[ian]

Indeed, the closer you look at reality, the odder it becomes.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Especially before lunchtime.

[ian]

Quarks are weird. Don't tell them, but they are.

[Pingu]

Especially the strange ones.

[Lightning Phil]

They do have an up side though

[Pingu]

I could get down with that.

[Mr Larrington]

I've always found the concept rather charming.

[ElyDave]

I've always found quarks to be a bit cheesey

[ian]

They tryst with their virtual selves by exchanging gluons. If that's not a euphemism, I don't know what is.

[hellymedic]

I've always found the concept rather charming.

Very good!

[pcolbeck]

https://youtu.be/dPRsdQIsqIk

[Pingu]

I've always found quarks to be a bit cheesey

I can't top that.

[Pingu]

Negotiations are under way to offload the estimated 1.1m barrels of crude oil that remains onboard the FSO Safer, which has been deteriorating by the month since it was abandoned in 2017.

 

[Cudzoziemiec]

I read that and thought what an ironic name (though I know it's Arabic and just coincidentally looks like English, doesn't even sound the same). Anywayz, what's cringeworthy about "deteriorating by the month"? After all, as someone's sig line says, "rust never sleeps".

[mrcharly-YHT]

Negotiations are under way to offload the estimated 1.1m barrels of crude oil that remains onboard the FSO Safer, which has been deteriorating by the month since it was abandoned in 2017.

 

I think that belongs in the "completely superfluous words thread".
What an enormous stuff up.