Quantum Theory?

Question

Can someone explain the quantum theory to me?? Good answers plz

Answer 1

This is kind of rough, so for a great book that explains the very basics, check out the first few chapters of Chaos, by James Gleick. He gives a good basic understanding of some of the basic principles. Here's a few that I remember:

Ok, so on a VERY basic level, quantum theory states that when you reach particles of a very small size, atomic and subatomic, these particle no longer adhere only to the laws of classical physics. Photons can travel in waves and as distinct particles, AT THE SAME TIME. Electrons can blip in and out of "existence" (or location, I'm not quite sure). These particles' attributes are described in probabilities, not certainties.

There's a new field that uses these weird properties of the ultra small to compute information with a yet unattainable parallel processing power, it's called quantum computing. It uses the spin-state of an electron, (one direction, its opposite, and its superposition, or both directions at the same time) to relay and store lots of possibilities in what was once, one bit.

Answer 2

Quantum Theory is the explanation of how chemistry works on the atomic level and it is best described the Table of Periodic Elements: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periodic_table

The idea is that the elements are organized by their atomic weight and the number of electrons they have in their outer shell that are available for bonding with other elements. For some reason 8 is a magic number to atoms and all atoms want to have 8 electrons in their outermost shell, except for Hydrogen and Helium who only need 2, because the inner S shell can only hold 2 electrons.

Electrons don’t orbit the nuclease in a normal orbit like the earth and the planets revolve around the sun. Instead they move in clouds of probability in either dumbbell or spherical shaped orbits. You can never pick the exact spot that an electron is going to be at, at any one time, but you can be pretty sure that it is in one of the shells. However, when you try to measure an electron the simple act of doing that changes the energy level in the system making it impossible to determine the actual location of the electron (the Uncertainty Principle); your act of measurement has either moved, or changed the speed of the electron so that its location is different.

Neutrons hold the protons inside the nuclease and a balance between the Strong and the Weak Nuclear forces keeps the electrons orbiting inside of their shells. Due to the Unified Field Theory the Strong and Weak force are actually just electromagnetism expressed in a different way. The electron is the fundamental particle of electricity. It is made up of a single lepton with a spin of 1/2. Like the Quark a lepton is the smallest subatomic particle that composes all mater. A combination of quarks and a zoo of other sub atomic particles creates the familiar protons and electrons.

Any way all Atoms want 8 electrons in their outer shell or in the case of Hydrogen and Helium only 2. If they reach that point then they are happy atoms. The Noble Gases are elements, like Helium, that are inert and won’t react to form chemical bonds with other elements because they have the number of electrons they want. The next group to the Noble Gases is the Halogens which are some of the most reactive and dangerous elements on the planet. Chlorine and Fluorine are famous for their acids, as poisonous gases, and as greedy elements that can break apart other molecules. This is one reason why Chlorine makes such a great cleaner; bleach is a combination of Oxygen, Chlorine, and Sodium: NaClO. Since Sodium (Na) is on the far left hand side of the Period Table it is also a reactive element. When you expose Sodium to Oxygen it burns and when you try to use water to put the fire out it will explode! If you look at the Periodic Table you will notice that Oxygen is in group 16 right next to the Halogens.

Quantum Theory explains why chemical bonds happen and why they don’t. It involves physics on the subatomic scale. The Quantum world is totally unlike the physical world we know of and the normal laws of Isaac Newton’s Classical Physics no longer work. Electrons spin because of their charges and they don’t stay in orbit the way a planet would, in fact they can assume dumbbell shaped orbits which would be impossible in the natural world.

When you get into the details of the Quantum world crazy things can happen like a decision can be either one or the other and act like both until it is studied. This allows you to store more than one bit in a Quantum Computer. You can’t predict exactly what is going to happen, only probabilities, and it becomes possible to exceed the speed of light in travel, but taking a shortcut and not going through the intervening space; wormholes. Also for the math to work we need at least 11 dimensions for String Theory to work we need on the order of 20. No one can explain what is going on in the higher dimensions because our brains aren’t built to understand the higher dimensions. This is one possible explanation for Dark Matter and Dark Energy.

Answer 3

In physics, quantum mechanics is the study of the relationship between energy quanta (radiation) and matter, in particular that between valence shell electrons and photons. Quantum mechanics is a fundamental branch of physics with wide applications in both experimental and theoretical physics. The effects of quantum mechanics are typically not observable on macroscopic scales, but become evident at the atomic and subatomic level. Quantum theory generalizes all classical theories, including mechanics and electromagnetism (except general relativity), and provides accurate descriptions for many previously unexplained phenomena such as black body radiation and stable electron orbits.

Answer 4

Quantum theory says that the idea of a 'continuum' is bogus and that -everything- comes in very small packets called 'quanta'.
From there on out it gets kinda sticky and deep rather quickly ☺

Doug