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>If quantum mechanics has problems, as we do more experiments, we'll encounter these problems more and more, u This is non sequitur. If you do more experiments
by NoMoreNicksLeft 2y ago
>If quantum mechanics has problems, as we do more experiments, we'll encounter these problems more and more, u
This is non sequitur. If you do more experiments, you'll encounter it. But if there were such a wrong theory that everyone insisted was correct, it's not necessarily the case that more experiments will occur. I can't do an experiment to invalidate... quantum mechanics is in a regime where anything less than hundreds of thousands of dollars does not even get you started (never mind the lacking expertise). It's also unlikely to be financially lucrative in the timespans that would entice an investor (especially one averse to pissing off the status quo, as most are). By doling out the grant money (or not) to those people who will preserve the status quo, one could let the false theory survive for decades or even centuries.
We seem to have this mythology of science from a past era, where some maverick can just bust in and start embarrassing people with unignorable truths. If ever there was such a time it exists no more. The stakes have never been lower, trillions won't be lost if we get quantum mechanics wrong. Thousands won't die in a quantum mechanics accident that could have been avoided. The problems could persist indefinitely.
- armchairhacker 2y agoIt's true that a false theory can survive indefinitely, especially if it doesn't have real-world impact. Classical physics survived for centuries before being disproven by modern physics, because the differences are subtle except in extreme circumstances. Maybe quantum physics is accurate enough that the circumstances for non-negligible differences between it and "the truth" are so extreme, we never test them, therefore it's never disproven. However, right now people are spending large amounts of money to build quantum chips. They're not explicitly trying to disprove quantum physics, but implicitly testing it through their experiments. And if these tests suggest that quantum physics has fundamental issues, they'll investigate, at least so if they realize quantum chips are impossible, they stop spending money trying to build them.
- whatshisface 2y agoEvery transistor in every existing computer is designed on the basis of quantum mechanics because they're dealing with electrons and atoms.
- whatshisface 2y agoQuantum physics is too basic for any experiment to not test it. Like the other poster said, all the truths are linked together in physics and math especially.