little bang said:If you didn't know if the "observation" tool was on or off, could you tell if a single electron had been "observed?" Does wavefunction collapse influence the electron in any measurable way? (Besides the built-up detections on the screen.)
little bang said:The idea is to be able to determine if an "observation" has been made. If you could measure some difference in the electron's behavior other than the interference pattern, could you determine exactly what causes collapse?
If the slit experiment is looking at photons, and a photon has a certain wavelength when it's fired, does collapse affect the wavelength afterwards?
The double-slit experiment is a famous experiment in quantum mechanics that demonstrates the wave-particle duality of matter. It involves shooting particles, such as electrons, through two parallel slits and observing the resulting interference pattern on a screen behind the slits.
The double-slit experiment is significant because it challenges our classical understanding of particles and waves. It shows that particles can exhibit wave-like behavior, and that the act of observation can affect the behavior of particles.
Electron observation in the double-slit experiment refers to the act of detecting and measuring the position of an electron as it passes through the slits. This observation is thought to cause the collapse of the electron's wavefunction, which determines its behavior.
Wavefunction collapse in the double-slit experiment refers to the sudden transition of a particle from a state of superposition (existing in multiple places at once) to a definite state (existing in only one place). This is thought to occur when the particle is observed or measured.
The double-slit experiment relates to the uncertainty principle because it demonstrates that the more precisely we measure the position of a particle, the less we know about its momentum, and vice versa. This is a fundamental principle of quantum mechanics and is related to the wave-like behavior of particles.