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I just posted on this but will not link and just cut to the chase. Is anyone here able to answer this longstanding question I've had? >>>If it was possible to
by mikecane 15y ago
I just posted on this but will not link and just cut to the chase. Is anyone here able to answer this longstanding question I've had?
>>>If it was possible to shoot one photon at a time through the twin slits, would the photons consistently land at the same spots over and over again? I keep wondering if it’s deterministic. The interference pattern is always the same, isn’t it? So why not the placement of each photon to create it? Kind of like setting up a chess board: each photon has its place.
- jameskilton 15y agoThe double-slit experiment is one of the key to understanding quantum mechanics of individual particles and how particles don't act just like particles, but like waves as well. This section on wikipedia explains it quite well: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double-slit_experiment#When_observed_emission_by_emission http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double-slit_experiment#When_obs... In short, Quantum mechanics doesn't follow locality rules we're used to in our macro world, so it can be really hard to wrap your mind around what's going on.
- mikecane 15y agoOh, that's a great explanation! Finally! It trumps all the books for the general public I've read on the subject. Thanks very much.
- eru 15y agoAnd those particles don't really behave like waves either. It's much stranger than that. Basically, quantum mechanics throws out the notion of a path of movement. You can tell where something is, when you observe it, but you can't tell where it has been in between.