IM new to quantum mechanics and physics, what are the basics?

[cyberguy020]

Hi im new to the whole idea to quantum physics, and the internet wasn't a very reliable source. It's seems to me u guys know what ur talking about, and I could greatfully use the help.

[VendingMenace]

The basics? How basic? What are you interested in specifically? What is your background?

 

Sorry for all the questions, but it is really difficult to answer a question like that without at least a little direction. :/ So basically if you would answer the following, perhaps I could get you started...

 

Why do you want to know about QM? Do you just have a basic curiosity? Is it for school? Did you have read something that piqued your interest?

 

What is your current level of education? Have you taken chemistry? In high school? College? Do you know algebra, calculus, differential equations, linear algebra, group theory?

 

How detail do you want? Do you want just a down and dirty explination, or do you want enought information to give you a working definition of QM?

 

How much work are you willing to invest in understanding QM? Do you just want to learn from what we have to say here, or are you willing to do some research and reading on your own? What level of understanding do you wish to get to?

 

 

Cool, well that may seem like a lot of questions, but taking the time to answer them will greatly improve the chances of getting a decent response to your question as well as allow us to tailor our replies to what you want.

 

As a bit of a carrot or something, I will offer you this much of an explanation. A few of the main consequences of quantum mechanics are these:

 

1) The world is not really governed by cause and effect, but rather by probabilities.

2) The world is broken up into discrete levels or states, and changes occur by jumping between these levels.

3) There is inherent uncertainty in the world and there are some things that we can never know precisely. For instance, we can not know at the same time exactly where something is and how fast it is moving.

 

Just some tidbits, very over simplified. If you want more, then answer the questions that I have provided.

 

talk to you laters

[swansont]

Understand that physics in general and QM in particular typically require years of study to understand. The prospect of an understandable five-minute summary that has any depth or breadth is an unreasonable expectation.

 

This stuff ain't easy.

[Sayonara]

I think he wants to know what it's generally about, not get an "idiot's guide" to the whole subject.

[cyberguy020]

Thank you guys for all the help so far. I am an 8th grader in Arizona and I am interested in QM. I want to learn about it because i believe it will have a big impact in our furture, (for example quantum computers) I would one day like to contribute to this. I figure its best to start young right. First I would like to learn what it is all about, like sayonara said. Right now I am talking physics, algabra, and chemestry in school so i kinda get the jest of it. For u vending menace, i am willing to do extensive research but i can only comprehend so much. I looked all over the web but the things I found where a little advanced for me. I found it fasinating what i learned could occur with QM, but i would like to understand how it works as well or the foundations it's built on. Im sry if i answered the questions u wanted in the wrong way (if, i did tell me). Once i understand the "down and dirty" explanation i can expand from there. thanks again for all the help. (sry for bad spelling.)

[cyberguy020]

Also what got me interested in QM was the phenomenon that occurs when one photon travels through two slits in a paper at once, which should be impossible. Does this mean that if there were 100 slits in the paper it could go through all 100 at once?

[swansont]

cyberguy020 said in post #6 :

Also what got me interested in QM was the phenomenon that occurs when one photon travels through two slits in a paper at once, which should be impossible. Does this mean that if there were 100 slits in the paper it could go through all 100 at once?

 

Basically, yes. If you know which slit it went through, you no longer get interference - all the quantum effects go away.

[VendingMenace]

cyberguy,

 

Cool. Wel...i don't really know what to say right now, i am afraid that getting a good handle on QM will require at least calculus. Right now i am not quite sure how to approach QM without a knowledge of caculus. HOwever, do not despair, i will do some thinking and try to figure out some stuff that might be explained without the calculus.

 

Of course if you don't mind learning calculus....but then again you are already in school

[cyberguy020]

Thanks again, i'll look into calculus. Maybe you could explain it through calculus and my teacher or brother could explain what the equations mean, anyways im just throwing stuff out there.

[rebeldog]

It would be great if all kids wanted to know the fundementals of nature like you do. Good luck, you might be the next Einstein, or even Bhor

[qazibasit]

well i am also new but i have the basic knowledge about QM.

[TheProphet]

FOor all you First of starters.. I'll gladely recomend reading a book by David Lindley! And since im swedish i can't give u the english name of it! But make a search on his name and u'll most certanly find it! Really great Intro to QM Without any need for Calculus nor math at all! Might spinn your head quite bad, but u need it! Since QM need u too start seeing things out of new angles and dissmis alot of the determenistic school "crap"

Another book that is surely good too read is a book by K.C Cole should have something with Einstein chaos and black holes in it's name i guess! Realy good book by a women that has known on of the really big men in Physics =) This book is really good and gives you so much joy! But i do recomend u read K.C Coles first then Lindley, makes it eisier that way =) And of course u outa read Einsteins own book form 1915 or 16? about Special Relativity and General Relativity! Always good too have done that =D

[ceres]

I'm a huge Richard Feynman fan his teaching style seems to appeal to a broad range of people, it might be worth trying to get hold of some of his lecture's most can be downloaded easily and he can teach you all there is to know about physics

[Beholder]

About basics on quantum mechanics, i found this very interesting

 

http://www.abarim-publications.com/artqm.html

 

Keep clicking next and there is another good one on chaos theory.

 

 

enjoy,

Beholder

[Beholder]

Hey Ceres, can you give some URLs on Feynman´s QM articles?

 

thanx

[Guest Terejet]

a site i found wen i started lookin at quantum physics is http://www.hpwt.de/Quantene.htm it explains basics hmm how old is the thread starter?? im 15..

[fuhrerkeebs]

I would recommend Bohm's book on QM, titled--amazingly enough--"Quantum Mechanics". This was the first book I read on QM, and it is split into two parts, the "old" theory, and the "new" theory. Anyways, the first half of the book is easy enough to understand without calculus, although your going to need it for the fun stuff. But that isn't really too much of a problem, calculus is easy enough to teach yourself. I was 15 when I picked up a calc book, and I learned enough to get a 5 on the AP Calc BC test and on the Calc AB subscore.