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Is it just me who found the technical description and analogy here lacking? There's nothing that suggests electrons are a cloud. Yes, a "cloud" defines the pro

Is it just me who found the technical description and analogy here lacking? There's nothing that suggests electrons are a cloud. Yes, a "cloud" defines the probability where they can be found, but electron doesn't occupy the cloud. Electron is always a point, no matter what wave function it has. Therefore, from this perspective space is all empty. If you invoke path integrals and infinitely many things bubbling in and out of existence, space suddenly fills up. But the author doesn't even mention that. If you want to understand this stuff, read up Feynman's descriptions & lectures on QED. Downvote for this article (sorry).

Koshkin 6y ago
Some think that electron is a string!
- starchild_3001 6y ago
  Let's argue about that when there's a modicum of evidence :)
goatlover 6y ago
If an electron is always a point, how does it have a wave function? Field is the proper term for "cloud", and Quantum Field Theory is an alternative description of the universe, where fields are fundamental, and particles are excitations in the fields.
carapace 6y ago
I had pretty much the same reaction.
platz 6y ago
In QFT electrons are part of an electron field before you apply any quantum wave function weirdness.
prox 6y ago
The electron is both a particle AND a wave. So for practical purposes we must use words like clouds, or regions, or the electron is “spread out” Neither of the words capture the essence of what is truly going on, afaik.
jacobmoe 6y ago
> Electron is always a point, no matter what wave function it has. Therefore, from this perspective space is all empty. That depends on what interpretation you're going with. Even with that caveat, I'd be surprised if most physicists would agree with that statement. Electrons are in fact described by the wave function. It's not that the wave function tells us where the electron is, but that the best way of describing the reality of the electron is through its wave function. How and why measurements seem to cause that wave function to collapse to a definite location is different depending on your interpretation of QM.

Koshkin 6y ago

Some think that electron is a string!

starchild_3001 6y ago
Let's argue about that when there's a modicum of evidence :)

goatlover 6y ago

If an electron is always a point, how does it have a wave function? Field is the proper term for "cloud", and Quantum Field Theory is an alternative description of the universe, where fields are fundamental, and particles are excitations in the fields.

carapace 6y ago

I had pretty much the same reaction.

platz 6y ago

In QFT electrons are part of an electron field before you apply any quantum wave function weirdness.

prox 6y ago

The electron is both a particle AND a wave. So for practical purposes we must use words like clouds, or regions, or the electron is “spread out” Neither of the words capture the essence of what is truly going on, afaik.

jacobmoe 6y ago

> Electron is always a point, no matter what wave function it has. Therefore, from this perspective space is all empty. That depends on what interpretation you're going with. Even with that caveat, I'd be surprised if most physicists would agree with that statement. Electrons are in fact described by the wave function. It's not that the wave function tells us where the electron is, but that the best way of describing the reality of the electron is through its wave function. How and why measurements seem to cause that wave function to collapse to a definite location is different depending on your interpretation of QM.