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Quantum Analogies

When we communicate some profound ideas in physics, we frequently try to use every-day analogies in order to make counterintuitive concepts more familiar. Nowhere is this more present than in quantum physics, which arose from the world of tiny objects of which we have no first-hand experience.

Logic is defined so that motion looks simple

I’ve always been intrigued by Einstein’s thoughts on physics and geometry. In one of his essays on this topic he says that reality is defined by geometry plus the laws of physics taken together.

The “Everything is a Q-Wave” Interpretation of Quantum Physics

When we teach quantum physics we still use some old terminology that can actually be very confusing (and may also lead the uninitiated to believe that certain basic things are still not understood!).

Imaginary time, Twin Paradox and Bell’s Inequalities

The interesting thing about imaginary numbers, like the square root of -1, is that it took two major revolutions in physics to actually make them real.

Inevitable like human stupidity: Quantum Field Theory

The field concept was an ingenious idea by Michael Faraday, who probably was the best experimental physicist of all times. The “field” itself also ended up being one of the most useful theoretical tools in modern physics.

Irreversibility

Explaining the fact that virtually all processes in the macroscopic domain take place in one direction, but not backwards, has eluded us ever since the days of Newton.

Image (c) Angelina Frank 2020