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This regurgitates the well-known incorrect or misleading pop-sci descriptions of quantum physics ideas one has come to expect from pop science writers and scien
by posix_me_less 5y ago
This regurgitates the well-known incorrect or misleading pop-sci descriptions of quantum physics ideas one has come to expect from pop science writers and science communicators of the day.
> "electrons or photons can instantaneously affect each other over arbitrary distances" - this is one suggested interpretation of correlation experiment results, and it is not one shared by majority of physicists.
> "a quantum object exists in different states until it is measured" - no, quantum system is always in some single quantum state, or we don't talk about this state and use density matrix instead. The "different states at the same time" is just incorrect description of the idea of superposition of states. Superposition is a math operation, which takes many states but always results in a single state. It's like saying a stone in flight is in many states, because we can express its trajectory as Fourier series of many different wave motions. It's needless and misleading.
> "a real physical force emerges from the apparent nothingness of vacuum (the Casimir effect)" - not from nothingness. This refers to hypothetical electromagnetic zero point energy effects. Zero point energy is not nothingness. Also, Casimir effect can be explained in different ways, for example as EM interaction of the microscopic objects (similar to van der Waals forces).
To my surprise, the author is a physicist. It's so incomprehensible to me that a physics professional who should know better than use cheap woo, descends to this low level.
I wonder why this is happening to scientists in our society. Is it being unsuccessful or tired by their work? Trying to get more recognition in non-scientific circles? More funding? Whatever the reason, this is not the right way to communicate science.