Exploring Quantum Mechanics: Questions for the 21-yr-old Physics Enthusiast

In summary, Angela Merkel is a 21 year old physicist who is in the military. She read books about quantum mechanics and became interested in the world of physics. She has a few questions about physics that she was curious about and has moved this conversation to there. Some of her questions have to do with black holes and the effect of magnetic fields on them, as well as the consequences of turning on lights in front of a speeding spaceship. She also wants to know about the types of jobs that are available to physicists after they leave the military.
  • #1
mrlaughingman
21
0
ok so i am 21 i am in the military i read some books that had quantum mechanics in it and i immediately became sucked into the world of physics. i have a few questions that i was curious about.

1. Do magnetic fields affect things like black holes IE: if miniature black holes appeared in the lhc could they use magnetic fields to control there size.

2. if you were traveling speed of light (theoretically of course) and you turned a light on in front of the ship what would happen. also what if you fired a gun or a missile out of the ship would it go no where or would it travel past the ship until it lost speed and the ship passed it.

3. what kind of jobs are out there for physicists.
 
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  • #2
You questions have less to do with "quantum mechanics", but rather more to do with Special and General Relativity. So it is being moved to there.

Zz.
 
  • #3
mrlaughingman said:
1. Do magnetic fields affect things like black holes IE: if miniature black holes appeared in the lhc could they use magnetic fields to control there size.
Black holes may be charged. A charged black hole would be affected by magnetic fields just like any other charged particle.

mrlaughingman said:
2. if you were traveling speed of light (theoretically of course) and you turned a light on in front of the ship what would happen. also what if you fired a gun or a missile out of the ship would it go no where or would it travel past the ship until it lost speed and the ship passed it.
http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/Relativity/SpeedOfLight/headlights.html

mrlaughingman said:
3. what kind of jobs are out there for physicists.
I don't know about physicists, but engineers have decent selection of available jobs. Of course, today may not be the best time to go job hunting if you can avoid it.
 
  • #4
physicists can work with research in different areas, everything from theoreatical research at universities to lab-research in companies and hospitals (solids, materials, radiation, molecules and atoms..)

Physicists can also do lab-work, programming work and there is also applied physics jobs like medical physics (x-ray appratus, nuclear dosimetry, proton therapy etc.)
 
  • #5
Welcome to PF!

Hi mrlaughingman ! Welcome to PF! :smile:
mrlaughingman said:
1. Do magnetic fields affect things like black holes IE: if miniature black holes appeared in the lhc could they use magnetic fields to control there size.

3. what kind of jobs are out there for physicists.

1. The size of a black hole depends only on its mass … in other words, how much there is in it.

You can stop a black hole from getting bigger only by stopping anything from hitting it (it has no "sucky-power", btw … it will only "eat" things that hit it :wink:).

(Of course, the lhc can't make black holes anyway … but that's another question, with threads already on it.)
DaleSpam said:
… Of course, today may not be the best time to go job hunting if you can avoid it.

3. Remember, when you're job hunting, the object is to capture the job, not kill it! :biggrin:
 
  • #6
thanks for the welcome and what portion of physics deals with worm holes and time travel. i know there the crazy aunt theories of physics but i can't get enough of it.
 
  • #7
General and Special theory of relativity
 
  • #8
i see i see. what kind of jobs are there out there for indiviuals who study in this field do colleges higher people to do more research on these kind of subject. (im not looking for a job right now i am still working for the military) i would like to know because i don't want to spend all my time studying a subject that won't land me any kind of job after i get out of the military.
 
  • #9
you also have meteorology and earth-science (earthquakes etc.) as physics related job/ research areas.
 
  • #10
well that is very interesting
 
  • #11
what kind of jobs are out there for physicists
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angela_Merkel" , €242k per year.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

1. What is quantum mechanics?

Quantum mechanics is a branch of physics that studies the behavior of matter and energy at a very small scale, such as atoms and subatomic particles. It explains how these particles interact and how they give rise to the physical properties of matter.

2. Why is quantum mechanics important?

Quantum mechanics is important because it helps us understand and predict the behavior of matter at the atomic and subatomic level, which is essential for many modern technologies such as transistors, lasers, and MRI machines. It also provides the foundations for fields like quantum computing and quantum cryptography.

3. What are some key principles of quantum mechanics?

Some key principles of quantum mechanics include wave-particle duality, uncertainty principle, superposition, and entanglement. These principles describe the behavior of particles at the quantum level and are necessary for understanding the complex nature of quantum systems.

4. How does quantum mechanics differ from classical mechanics?

Classical mechanics is based on Newton's laws of motion and describes the behavior of macroscopic objects. In contrast, quantum mechanics deals with the behavior of particles at the subatomic level and is governed by different principles, such as probabilities and wave functions. Additionally, classical mechanics is deterministic, while quantum mechanics is probabilistic.

5. What are some real-world applications of quantum mechanics?

Some real-world applications of quantum mechanics include transistors, lasers, LED lights, MRI machines, and nuclear power plants. It is also being explored for potential applications in fields such as quantum computing, cryptography, and communication.

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