4 ms·

The topic outlined in the OP's article has been raised before, multiple times, once every couple of years. It was even the focus of a cult indoctrination propag

by Kequc 11y ago

The topic outlined in the OP's article has been raised before, multiple times, once every couple of years. It was even the focus of a cult indoctrination propaganda piece called "what the bleep do we know". http://skeptico.blogs.com/skeptico/2005/04/what_the_bleep_.html http://skeptico.blogs.com/skeptico/2005/04/what_the_bleep_.h... Essentially, yes, it's bogus science. Quantum physics are much more complex than these articles ever bring on. But by explaining it simply, it sounds awe inspiring and so it propagates across social media. Over and over again. It isn't that particles exist in multiple states until they are measured. It is that the mechanism by which you measure very small things affects the outcome.

jschwartzi 11y ago
The canonical example is to try to measure the position of pins in a bowling alley using a bowling ball.
dghf 11y ago
> It isn't that particles exist in multiple states until they are measured. I thought it was exactly that. Or rather, particles exist in multiple states, and when they are measured, either those multiple states collapse into one (Copenhagen Interpretation) or you, the measurer (who also exists in multiple states), gets entangled with them, causing each of your states to perceive exactly one of the particles' states (Many-Worlds Interpretation). Unless Bohmian mechanics is correct, in which case no, particles don't exist in multiple states, but do depend on faster-than-light transmission of information about the state of other particles.
- Kequc 11y ago
  I'm personally a really big fan of the Many-Worlds Interpretation. Because a brief abstraction would mean every person will live as long as is physically possible. To outside observers, you may have died at any point along the way. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_suicide_and_immortality https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_suicide_and_immortalit... But, regardless. The copenhagen interpretation is from the 1920's. That isn't to say it's wrong, it's just out of date. It has been expanded upon or replaced since then so why hold onto it, what is the current understanding. The most important takeaway here is that since measuring very small things affects its outcome, it is currently impossible to know. Articles like this one in the OP bother me because they don't know either. But it always becomes a sensation and spreads misinformation.
  - eru 11y ago
    > Because a brief abstraction would mean every person will live as long as is physically possible. To outside observers, you may have died at any point along the way. Though your `life' might not be pretty. It can be maximally awful as long as you can still perceive.
charlieflowers 11y ago
However, we can achieve things using the multi-state characteristics that would be impossible without them. For example, quantum computing. We have confirmed actual speed increases for algorithms using quantum computing which could not happen if the underlying particles were not actually in multiple states.

by Kequc 11y ago

jschwartzi 11y ago

The canonical example is to try to measure the position of pins in a bowling alley using a bowling ball.

dghf 11y ago

> It isn't that particles exist in multiple states until they are measured. I thought it was exactly that. Or rather, particles exist in multiple states, and when they are measured, either those multiple states collapse into one (Copenhagen Interpretation) or you, the measurer (who also exists in multiple states), gets entangled with them, causing each of your states to perceive exactly one of the particles' states (Many-Worlds Interpretation). Unless Bohmian mechanics is correct, in which case no, particles don't exist in multiple states, but do depend on faster-than-light transmission of information about the state of other particles.

Kequc 11y ago
I'm personally a really big fan of the Many-Worlds Interpretation. Because a brief abstraction would mean every person will live as long as is physically possible. To outside observers, you may have died at any point along the way. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_suicide_and_immortality https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_suicide_and_immortalit... But, regardless. The copenhagen interpretation is from the 1920's. That isn't to say it's wrong, it's just out of date. It has been expanded upon or replaced since then so why hold onto it, what is the current understanding. The most important takeaway here is that since measuring very small things affects its outcome, it is currently impossible to know. Articles like this one in the OP bother me because they don't know either. But it always becomes a sensation and spreads misinformation.
- eru 11y ago
  > Because a brief abstraction would mean every person will live as long as is physically possible. To outside observers, you may have died at any point along the way. Though your `life' might not be pretty. It can be maximally awful as long as you can still perceive.

charlieflowers 11y ago

However, we can achieve things using the multi-state characteristics that would be impossible without them. For example, quantum computing. We have confirmed actual speed increases for algorithms using quantum computing which could not happen if the underlying particles were not actually in multiple states.