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zwest135
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I am reading The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene. It is really wonderful, however, I am confused by a section about Feynman's view on the double slit expiriment.
Greene writes:
"Feynman proclaimed that each electron that makes it through to the phosphorescent screen actually goes through both slits. It sounds crazy, but hang on: Things get in even more wild. Feynman argued that in traveling from the source to a given point on the Phosphorescent screen each individual electron actually traverses every possible trajectory simultaneously... It goes in a nice orderly way through the right slit. It heads toward the left slit, but suddenly changs course and heads through the right. It meanders back and fourth finally passing through through the left slit. It goes on a long journey to the Andromeda galaxy before turning back and passing through the left slit on its way to the screen. And on and on it goes- the electron, according the Feynman, simultaneously "sniffs" our every possible path connecting its starting location with its final destination."
The problem I have with this is not so much the electron being in two places at one time or any of that. What I don't get is how it could go so far away and back, and not have the measurment take forever. I mean if it can only go the speed of light...than how does measuring the interference pattern not take forever? If it takes every possible path in the universe, assuming its finite, than...wouldn't taking this measurment take like over millions of years? Or is this what they talk about when they say quantum mechanics and relativity are not compatible?
Thanks, Zach
Greene writes:
"Feynman proclaimed that each electron that makes it through to the phosphorescent screen actually goes through both slits. It sounds crazy, but hang on: Things get in even more wild. Feynman argued that in traveling from the source to a given point on the Phosphorescent screen each individual electron actually traverses every possible trajectory simultaneously... It goes in a nice orderly way through the right slit. It heads toward the left slit, but suddenly changs course and heads through the right. It meanders back and fourth finally passing through through the left slit. It goes on a long journey to the Andromeda galaxy before turning back and passing through the left slit on its way to the screen. And on and on it goes- the electron, according the Feynman, simultaneously "sniffs" our every possible path connecting its starting location with its final destination."
The problem I have with this is not so much the electron being in two places at one time or any of that. What I don't get is how it could go so far away and back, and not have the measurment take forever. I mean if it can only go the speed of light...than how does measuring the interference pattern not take forever? If it takes every possible path in the universe, assuming its finite, than...wouldn't taking this measurment take like over millions of years? Or is this what they talk about when they say quantum mechanics and relativity are not compatible?
Thanks, Zach