3 ms·
Do you mean the smallest possible leap, IE, Planck distance, or a leap by quantum tunneling into a state the barrier into which we have insufficient energy to c
by stochastic_monk 9y ago
Do you mean the smallest possible leap, IE, Planck distance, or a leap by quantum tunneling into a state the barrier into which we have insufficient energy to cross?
- sjg007 9y agoI'm using the metaphorical definition.
- stochastic_monk 9y agoI was just trying to point out that the term doesn't really have a well-defined meaning close to what the expression is intending to say.
- cirgue 9y agoOr perhaps a reference to the cult television series of the same name starring Scott Bakula.
- GW150914 9y agoQuantum leaps in the sense of physics have nothing to do with the Planck length, or “smallest” units in any sense. Quantization isn’t about small (although in practice it is), but about discrete changes with no values “in between” transition. What makes a quantum leap a quantum leap, is that the energy levels an electron may occupy are not continuous. Incidentally, while it’s true that no current theory describes physics below the Planck length, it’s not true that said distance scale is somehow a limit on scale. It may be true that the Planck scale is the scale at which spacetime becomes “foamy” although it’s just a conjecture. It’s also possible that scales far below the Planck scale exist. We don’t know.
- gumby 9y agoI assumed a discontinuous translation by the standard amount. Which is true of every press release writeup where the standard quantum is 0.