The Map of Quantum Physics: A Colorful Animation Explains the Often Misunderstood Branch of Science
in Physics, Science | August 3rd, 2020 2 Comments
In our time, few branches of science have taken as much public abuse as quantum physics, the study of how things behave at the atomic scale. It's not so much that people dislike the subject as they see fit to draft it in support of any given notion: quantum physics, one hears, proves that we have free will, or that Buddhist wisdom is true, or that there is an afterlife, or that nothing really exists. Those claims may or may not be true, but they do not help us at all to understand what quantum physics actually is. For that we'll want to turn to Dominic Walliman, a Youtuber whose channel Domain of Science features clear visual explanations of scientific fields including physics, chemistry, mathematics, as well as the whole domain of science itself — and who also, as luck would have it, is a quantum physics PhD.
With his knowledge of the field, and his modesty as far as what can be definitively said about it, Wallman has designed a map of quantum physics, available for purchase at his web site. In the video above he takes us on a guided tour through the realms into which he has divided up and arranged his subject, beginning with the "pre-quantum mysteries," inquiries into which led to its foundation.
From there he continues on to the foundations of quantum physics, a territory that includes such potentially familiar landmarks as particle-wave duality, Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, and the Schrödinger equation — though not yet his cat, another favorite quantum-physics reference among those who don't know much about quantum physics.
Alas, as c explains in the subsequent "quantum phenomena" section, Schrödinger's cat is "not very helpful, because it was originally designed to show how absurd quantum mechanics seems, as cats can't be alive and dead at the same time." But then, this is a field that proceeds from absurdity, or at least from the fact that its observations at first made no sense by the traditional laws of physics. There follow forays into quantum technology (lasers, solar panels, MRI machines), quantum information (computing, cryptography, the prospect teleportation), and a variety of subfields including condensed matter physics, quantum biology, and quantum chemistry. Though detailed enough to require more than one viewing, Walliman's map also makes clear how much of quantum physics remains unexplored — and most encouragingly of all, leaves off its supposed philosophical, or existential implications. You can watch Walliman's other introduction to Quantum Physics below.
Quantum Physics Made Relatively Simple: A Mini Course from Nobel Prize-Winning Physicist Hans Bethe
Animated Introductions to Quantum Mechanics: From Schrödinger's Cat to Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle
The Map of Physics: Animation Shows How All the Different Fields in Physics Fit Together
The Map of Chemistry: New Animation Summarizes the Entire Field of Chemistry in 12 Minutes
The Map of Mathematics: Animation Shows How All the Different Fields in Math Fit Together
Infographics Show How the Different Fields of Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics & Computer Science Fit Together
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Richard Jones says:
Very well done overview. I've just read Lee Smolin's "Einstein's Unfinished Revolution" (in search of a physicalist TOE, and Bernard Kastrup's "The Idea of the World", which grounds reality in consciousness, Both frameworks are consistent with a relational interpretation. Both conclude that the universe consist of views of itself, each from an event in its history. Since humans are special events because they can collectively learn to know the universe's history,, it follows that mankind is the way the universe gets to increasingly know itself, perhaps with Kastrup's framework. I would love to have your comments.
Cheers, Richard
Maziar says:
Why you try to say that quantum mechanics us not weird. Because you want to survive materialism. I am an expert in QM too.
People have right to know that Quantum Mechanics is really strange. Superposition principle is a scientific principle. It is not something that people said lie about it. Schrodinger cat is really in superposition of death and alive. You afraid from quantum mechanics. Because you like to save people materialist. You know that uncertainty principle shows that all the answers are not in science. As like as what Godel incompleteness did in mathematics. You try to tell people there is no mysterious in science. But there are. All great physists know this truth.