Do we live in a world with a reality that is independent of the observer, which can be assessed objectively and compared to an observer’s perceptions? Or do we live in a world that has a reality dependent on the consciousness of the observer? The two most successful scientific theories do not agree on the role of the observer in reality. The Theory of Relativity implies that there is an observer-independent reality whereas The Copenhagen Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics implies an observer-dependent reality. In this paper, I will critically examine the views of both and evaluate what our observation can tell us about the world. For the dissection of the Theory of Relativity, I will be focusing on two important concepts: that of spacetime as the 4th dimension and the speed of light. The fourth dimension is called space-time because the two elements cannot be separated: as I move in space, I also move forward in time. Spacetime as a unified dimension is a smooth constant. As 3D beings we only experience a “now” and Special Relativity says each person has their own relative time (CITE). If two people were observing the same event from two different locations, it would appear that the event happened at two different times. This is caused by the time it takes for light to travel through space to reach the observer. An example of this is two people standing half a mile away from one another and hearing the siren of an ambulance traveling on the road. The sound waves reach the observers at different times and fade away from their hearing at different times. The event being observed occurs at the same instant but is perceived relative to the observer. The postulate of invariability says that the speed of light in any inertial syste... ... middle of paper ... ... Philosophy of Science: An Anthology. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub., 2007. 619-32. Print. 3. Norton, John D. "Special Relativity Basics." Lecture. Special Relativity Basics. Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Pittsburgh. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. 4. Bub, Jeffrey. "Quantum Entanglement and Information." Stanford University. Stanford University, 13 Aug. 2001. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. 5. Zimmerman Jones, Andrew. "The Abuse of Quantum Physics, and the Possibility of Quantum Consciousness." About.com Physics. Web. 23 Nov. 2013. 6. Hoffman, Donald D. "What Do We Mean by "The Structure of the World"?" Commentaries (n.d.): 219-21. Web. .
The idea of parallel realities has existed within the literary circle of science fiction for many years. One of the key concepts behind alternate dimensions is that with every action and decision - whether it is consciously made or not - another alternate dimension has the opposite action or decision made, and that there are subsequent realities created in which every other option exists uniquely. Ursula LeGuin's short story "Schrödinger's Cat" is a direct manifestation of the idea of paralleled realities in that the story deals with an experiment that spawns countless paralleled realities. Merely one of the skewed realities is overseen during the course of the narration. The Schrödinger "Gedankenexperiment" ("thinking experiment" in German) is a hypothetical situation in which a cat is placed in a sealed box with a gun and a photon emitter that has a fifty percent chance of firing the gun and killing the cat, and a fifty percent chance of not firing the gun and not killing the cat(2230). The possibility for other outcomes remains ever present, although infinitesimally slim with the percentage of anything else occurring. "We cannot predict the behavior of the photon, and thus, once it has behaved, we cannot predict the state of the system it has determined. We cannot predict it! God plays dice with the world!" (2230) The three characters who appear within "Schrödinger's Cat" act as the different variables within an experiment: the control; the dependent variable; and the independent variable. Each of these characters exists and does not exist within any reality and their existence (or lack of) is dependent upon time and which timeline they are involved i...
If human beings are to explore those distant and wished for lands, we must first come to grips with some of the perplexing conceptual issues that have dogged quantum physics since its inception. These riddles dance around the enigma of quantum observership. Its contemplation brings us back from the realm of the multiverse to the intimate confines of our own skin, where we ask what it means to say that “we” “observe” “nature.”
The novel, Alice and Quantum Land, by Robert Gilmore is an adventure in the Quantum universe. Alice, a normal teenage girl, goes through quantum land and understands what quantum is and how it works. The quantum world is a difficult one to understand, as its nature is one of complex states of being, natures, principles, notions, and the like. When these principles or concepts are compared with the macro world, one can find great similarities and even greater dissimilarities between the world wherein electrons rule, and the world wherein human beings live. In Alice in Quantumland, author Robert Gilmore converts the original tale of Alice in Wonderland from a world of anthropomorphic creatures into the minute world of quantum mechanics, and attempts to ease the reader into this confusing world through a series of analogies (which comprise an allegory) about the principles of quantum mechanics. Through Alice’s adventure she comes across some ideas or features that contradict real world ideas. These ideas are the following: Electrons have no distinguishing spin, the Pauli Exclusion Principle, Superposition, Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, and Interference and Wave Particle Duality.
Through all the impacts of Einstein’s relativity on our modern lives, techniques and even our minds discussed above, so we can see how important Einstein’s relativity is to us and how much we have gained. And the great ideas from it will continuously challenge human mind and the arguments around it shall improve our science.
The following page focuses on the Revolution in Physics, specifically the scientific works of Max Planck, Albert Einstein, and Werner Heisenberg, all of which took place in the early twentieth century. In this page I will attempt to answer the following question, "How did the Revolution in Physics transform the way that humans viewed themselves and nature from 1715 to the present day?" To effectively answer this question I will cover three main points. I will start off by briefly describing the scientific beliefs that dominated European society in the years between 1715 and the Revolution in Physics. Next, I am going to explain the epoch making works of Max Planck, Albert Einstein, and Werner Heisenberg that were highly responsible for initiating this new era of scientific thinking. Lastly, I will focus in on how humans viewed themselves and nature differently after the Revolution in Physics.
Simultaneity, time intervals, and length must all be relative. Two events that are observed to be simultaneous in one reference frame will not be simultaneous in any other reference frame that is moving with respect to the first frame.
The Theory of Relativity, proposed by the Jewish physicist Albert Einstein (1879-1955) in the early part of the 20th century, is one of the most significant scientific advances of our time. Although the concept of relativity was not introduced by Einstein, his major contribution was the recognition that the speed of light in a vacuum is constant and an absolute physical boundary for motion. This does not have a major impact on a person's day-to-day life since we travel at speeds much slower than light speed. For objects travelling near light speed, however, the theory of relativity states that objects will move slower and shorten in length from the point of view of an observer on Earth. Einstein also
Quantum Mechanics This chapter compares the theory of general relativity and quantum mechanics. It shows that relativity mainly concerns that microscopic world, while quantum mechanics deals with the microscopic world.
Miller, A. (1975) Albert Einstein and Max Wertheimer: a Gestalt psychologist's view of the genesis of special relativity theory. History of science; an Annual Review of Literature, Research and Teaching 13 (2): 75–103.
The study of neurobiology has long involved the actions and interactions among neurons and their synapses. Changes in concentrations of various ions carry impulses to and from the central nervous system and are responsible for all the information processed by the nervous system as a whole. This has been the prominent theory for many years, but, now, there is a new one to be reckoned with; the Quantum Brain Theory (QBT). Like many new theories, the QBT has merits and flaws. Many people are wholeheartedly sold on it; however, this vigor might be uncalled for. Nevertheless, this could prove to be a valid and surprisingly accurate theory of brain function.
Kirkpatrick, Larry, and Gerald F. Wheeler. Physics: A World View. 4th ed. Orlando: Harcourt College Publishers, 2001.
Stemming from the first years of the 20th century, quantum mechanics has had a monumental influence on modern science. First explored by Max Planck in the 1900s, Einstein modified and applied much of the research in this field. This begs the question, “how did Einstein contribute to the development and research of quantum mechanics?” Before studying how Einstein’s research contributed to the development of quantum mechanics, it is important to examine the origins of the science itself. Einstein took much of Planck’s experimental “quantum theory” research and applied it in usable ways to existing science. He also greatly contributed to the establishment of the base for quantum mechanics research today. Along with establishing base research in the field, Einstein’s discoveries have been modified and updated to apply to our more advanced understanding of this science today. Einstein greatly contributed to the foundation of quantum mechanics through his research, and his theories and discoveries remain relevant to science even today.
In 1905, Albert Einstein wrote his paper on the special theory of relativity (Prosper). This theory has the reputation as being so exotic that few people can understand it. On the contrary, special relativity is simply a system of kinematics and dynamics, based on a set of postulates that is different from those of classical mec...
In conclusion the only way the everyday consumer could technically have a quantum computer is by owning 14,000 grams of gold. In reality, the commercial quantum computer will be a coming in a lifetime. Currently, the quantum computer can only calculate elementary math and nothing more. We could use the qubit to build softwares that could theoretically process
Finally in 2012 Feynman’s thought-experiment had been accurately carried out by a team of researchers. The team managed to “show a full realization of Feynman’s thought experiment and illustrate key features of quantum mechanics: interference and the wave-particle duality of matter.”