Quantum mechanics can give you a quantum headache

"I devour information on the topic, load my brain with facts and discoveries, and listen to brilliant quantum physicists, all in an attempt to grasp the quantum world. Far from attaining understanding, all I get is a headache."

I Don't Understand Quantum Mechanics, and That's Okay

Posted by Ross Pomeroy at Newton Blog, Mon, 21 Jan 2013 01:59:16

Imagine a world where objects can be in two different places at the same time and cats are locked in sealed containers with flasks of poison and objects that spew radiation.

In this counter intuitive fairyland, your intuition is false.

It's a world whose foundation is mortared by math that comes in two brands: abstract and mindbogglingly abstract.

The brilliant Albert Einstein didn't believe in this realm, and yet he won a Nobel Prize for playing in it.

This is the world of quantum mechanics, and it is %^amp;#*@ weird. And yes, that is probably the most cogent description.

So what is quantum mechanics, besides weird? Well, it's impossible to sufficiently define in one, two, or even three sentences. Heck, even if you used dozens of sentences, describing quantum mechanics would still be a trick, but let's dash out a few basic tenets, anyway:

(Continued here.)