The one thing you can say
with any certainty about quantum physics is that there
is no certainty about quantum
physics. During the first part of the 20th century, physicists
and mathematicians turned their minds to the study of the unseen
components of our world: atoms, elections and even subatomic particles.
While the laws of physics worked reliably in the larger sphere -- a
dropped object always falls down, two objects can't occupy the same
space at the same time and so on -- these scientists were perplexed to
discover that this new physics seemed to be a law unto itself. Physicist
Max Planck called the tiny particles of light he was
studying quanta, and he came to realize that light
isn't a continuous wave, but exists with an arbitrary amount, or quanta,
of energy. Thus the term "quantum physics" was born
The baffling part about quantum physics is that unlike its inflexible forebear, classical physics, the rules keep changing and the results of an experiment or equation can't be predicted. Often, physicists are as shocked by the results as anyone. Sometimes, the theories can't be proved except by imaginary experiments. After more than a century, quantum physics continues to be a source of mystery and amazement.
In this article, we'll take a look at some of the questions most commonly asked about quantum physics. We'll explore some practical applications of this bizarre science and examine some of its more esoteric aspects -- the possibility that the universe exists only in our minds and the search for the "God particle."