Musings of the Sundarman

What the &^%$%$ do we know about Quantum Physics?

Perhaps at the last cocktail party you were at, you heard some hot-shot talking about quantum physics. "So basically," he said, "this scientist, Schroedinger, put his cat in a box with a vial of poison gas. The vial was set to break in an hour. Until you open up the box, you can't say "the cat is alive" or "the cat is dead." The cat is, as quantum physicists would say, in a state of quantum indeterminacy. Therefore, the breaking of the vial doesn't kill the cat, the conscious observation does."

Still with me? Disgruntled physicist Stephen Hawking, decades in the future, retorted, "Whenever I hear about Schroedinger's Cat, I reach for my gun." But because guns don't kill people, it's actually the conscious observation that kills, this leads to a whole new set of fascinating questions. If conscious observation has the power to change our reality, what does this mean for the world?

We all know Einstein's infamous equation E=MC2, and some of us know that it proves the correlative nature of matter and energy. Matter becomes energy and vice versa - this is the engine of the universe. The smallest particles in quantum physics are quanta - tiny bits of energy. Therefore, all the matter that comprises our bodies consists of quanta, which follow the rules of quantum physics.

Look through that guy at the cocktail party. He is just a collection of elementary particles of energy. As you will soon see, thinking of the world as energy leads to some very interesting consequences. Matter seems so immutable, but energy, with energy we can have fun.

By observing the world as patterns of energy, you are given an "in" into the underpinnings of reality. If you don't want someone to exist, simply will them out of your observation. Leave the room. Quit the job. Poof! Negative situation no longer exists. You don't need to reach for your gun.

This is supported by the ground-breaking Two-Slit experiment. A fixed electron gun fires electrons through a wall with two slits at another wall behind. The particles go through the slits, but then land willy-nilly all over the back wall, as if they were waves of light. Only when photons are shot at the electrons, illuminating them, do they behave like particles should. This proves that electron guns don't kill people; it's the act of using them in ridiculous experiments to prove confusing hypotheses that does.

We Are Always Observing Ourselves and the World

More to the point, observation, thought and energy change the world. How many times have we thought or worried about a hypothetical situation, only to see it happen? "See, I told you the hamster would escape!" Maybe the hamster didn't have to escape. Before he ran out of he cage, he was in a state of quantum indeterminacy between "caged" and "escaped." Your constant worried energy acted like a stream of protons that weighed their quantum probability toward "escaped," so then the next time you opened their home...they were gone. When energy underpins everything, all thoughts from your energetic vantage point create reality.

I am no scientist. I am a business owner and a writer, but quantum physics, both in its popular interpretation and in its deeper scientific implications, is somewhat beyond me. But hey, it's not about me. Quantum physics is about you, and what you take from the ideas involved. Now you know enough about it so that at the next party, you can be that guy or girl talking quantum physics. You too can experience the feeling of having your quanta erased from existence by the disgruntled party guest that you once were when that person turns his or her back on you, effectively taking charge of reality in order to make out with your significant other.

You can take advantage of Quantum Physics For Dummies to start altering your thinking in order to get different results. However, you still need to be in the right environment. This author recommends visiting Quantum Physics For Dummies blog post to see how you can apply these principles to change your life.