What do you guys think of Quantum Mechanics?

Question

From more and more theoretical discoveries in physics, quantum mechanics seems to be showing itself. Any thoughts?

BTW, don't answer if you don't know what I'm talking about.

Answer 1

The first day of my first physics course in college, the professor said, "Don't get too attached to anything you learn here. It's all just the best idea we have at the moment about the way things work."

Ultimately, this is true even of quantum mechanics. It gives us a way of picturing in our minds what's going on and it gives us mathematical equations whose answers jibe pretty well with the results of experiment. As we come up with more accurate experiments, we may have to adjust our theory a bit or we might have to discard it entirely.

You know, that's what I like about physics. We're allowed to be wrong and we generally know better than to get all ego-attached to our theories. Richard Feynman said it's great when a theory turns out to be wrong, because then we get to have fun all over again playing with it. (You must read "SURELY YOU'RE JOKING, MR. FEYNMAN!" I've sat on the pot at 5:30 in the morning laughing out loud reading that book.)

Answer 2

First of all, The THEORY of Quantum Mechanics is very interesting, however when ever you accept a postulation of concepts and ideas as a scientific principle of reality, you become a fool! You cant build science upon mathematical constructs, you can explain phenomena with mathematical equations, but when you attempt to construct a reality based solely upon equations that cant be prov en, your disregarding the scientific method.
Even physical science is prov en to be inaccurate,at times, and it was baptized by experimentation, like Newtonian Gravity...
There's a very good reason why Quantum Theory and Classical Physics dont jive together...neither is 100% correct!

Answer 3

theoretical discoveries ???

Quantum Mechanics was devised because Newtonian theories could not explain experiments which probed the atomic structure of matter. It has been instrumental in the development of electronics and life as we know it. It also unified Chemistry and Physics.

Answer 4

I would highly recommend one of Brian Greene's books, 'The Fabric of the Cosmos'. Greene is an incredible writer and gives a great conceptual understanding of modern physics without having to resort to the very difficult math that you haven't been exposed to yet. You will never regret reading the book - even when you become a great physicist !

Answer 5

Quantum mechanics is one of the most successful scientific theories ever developed.

Answer 6

It is interesting that the mathematical equations describe the properties of electrons. I could never quite understand how it relates to the real world. It seems like it (or I) is missing something.