Quantum theory in a nutshell?

Answer 1

Please forgive me for comments below on any THEORY not specifically quantised or non-quantised.

I think the Answerer 1 has described the question very very well. Because, had there been written Q theory of physics then that person would not have bothered his/her hands on so many paraenthesis. I honour the feelings of this answerer on any Q theory.

As regards, Q theory of physics, whether in a nutshell or here there or anywhere - no theory (with all tools and nuts) of physics should take the subject to a road - where you find - written DEAD END - "GOD does NOT play dice". Please take a recourse go back 200 years (believe Einstien) or keep struggling here (like say Hawking - changing the geometry with every toss of dice).

A theory has to be so simple that even a layman in the street exclaims - wow I got it (at least relating it socially like E=m*c^2).

Q theory of physcis = Q theory of everything - Q theory of radiation (basis of rest of explanation on singularity)

In inverse-square law force fields - work done along a closed path = 0 (we have many such force fields- gravity (always on), electricity, magnetism, illuminating light, ....). Even within on-gravity, birth-death-birth loop have same end results whatever path - life styles - one may take????????.

Which means processes, solutions, gains, losses are not dependent on the route taken between the start-point or end-point - as there are infinite paths in between, but net results will be same in all.

So if Q theory has explained some end results successfully then it does mean that all its prescribed courses (probability-intoxicated or placed-on-dice-threshold) are unique or may not be attained from elsewhere without - a dead end.

Einstien abondoned the Q theory of physics way long back. Majority of weak students are stubborn.

Answer 2

The classic answer for Quantum Mechanics (theory of superposition part) would be Schroedinger's Cat:
http://www.lassp.cornell.edu/ardlouis/dissipative/Schrcat.html

But that's only part of it. Quantum Theory-hmm- in a nutshell, Well...
energy moves in and out of(absorbed by and emitted by) things in tiny packets, or bundles called quanta. Quantum Theory is a set of mathematical expressions that describe the way this works, on a sub-atomic level. Before quantum theory, most of science believed that energy was continuous.
Taken along with Einstein's unification theory, it is the basis for modern physics.

Answer 3

The term quantum (Latin, "how much") refers to discrete units that the theory assigns to certain physical quantities, such as the energy of an atom at rest. The discovery that waves could be measured in particle-like small packets of energy called quanta led to the branch of physics that deals with atomic and subatomic systems which we today call Quantum Mechanics. The foundations of quantum mechanics were established during the first half of the twentieth century by Werner Heisenberg, Max Planck, Louis de Broglie, Niels Bohr, Erwin Schrödinger, Max Born, John von Neumann, Paul Dirac, Albert Einstein, Wolfgang Pauli and others. Some fundamental aspects of the theory are still actively studied.

Actually, quantum theory is not too difficult; in fact, this is the most interesting field of Physics for me. The basic idea behind this theory is that, certain things always happen in a multiple of whole numbers. Like, the number of children a parent has (imagine having childen in fractions!), the number of eggs laid by a hen in a day, the number of stairs on your staircase, the number of (untorn & intact) books you have, etc. So, since these occur as a whole number multiple of a fixed quantity, these events are said to be QUANTIZED, & the smallest quantity whose multiples occur is known as a QUANTUM. In the examples I've stated, the quantum in each case is 1. So, this is, strictly speaking, the Quantum Theory.

But scientists apply it to some higher & a little 'complicated' topics. Like the number of cells that you have in your body is quantized, & the quantum in this case is the cell (if each cell is assumed to be of the same size). It was Max Planck who first thought of this idea of quantization. He said that, the energy released or absorbed by an atom is quantized. That is, he said that atoms absorb or release energy in a whole number multiple of a small quantum of energy. This can be stated Mathematically as, E=ne, where E is the total energy absorbed or released by an atom, n is a whole number, & e is the quantum of energy.
When applied to bigger particles, the cumulative effect of quantization is observed. That is n is bigger for a larger group of particles.

So, this is what the Quantum Theory is, in a nutshell. I've tried to explain it to you in the easiest way I could think of. Hope this helps you understand the basic CHARACTER of this revolutionary theory, which has enlightened many a Physicists till date & continues to do so even today, & prompts you to learn about its underlying subtle concepts in finer detail.

Answer 4

Particlespacked with untold energy, unleash or have the power to unleash, unimaginably great magnitudes of energy! The world is all about, life is all about, energy packs! That in a nutshell is quantum theory!

Answer 5

As far as nutshells go in the world of physics, there is not enough room here. Read "Fabric of the Cosmos" by Brian Greene.

Answer 6

When you walk across the room, you can go at any speed you please. But if you are an electron in an atom, you are limited to a set of discrete speeds -- there is not a continuum of speeds available. Similarly, light, although an electromagnetic wave, cannot have arbitrary intensity -- it comes in photons, whose energy depends on the wavelength. There is, of course, much more to it, but that will give you at least an outline of what it is all about.

Answer 7

Get the movie "What the Bleep do we Know"



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Answer 8

OH THATS EASY, IN FACT ITS TOO EASY, WHEN YOU SAY NUTSHELL DO YOU MEAN THE PROTECTIVE COVERING OF A NUT OR SOMETHING SO SMALL ASTO FIT INTO ONE OR ARE YOU REFERING TO THE TERM COINED A PHRASE IN THE LATE 19TH CENTUARY. OH **** NO MORE ROOM FOR THAT SIMPLE LIL ANSWER HOPE THIS HELPS

Answer 9

Classical mechanics: conjugate variables commute

Quantum mechanics: conjugate variables do not commute