Just a quick question about the double slit experiment.

[Esoremada]

If electrons are shot through the double slit one at a time, is it observed that each electron hits randomly in one of the dense areas of an interference pattern, or is it only observed after a long time that the interference pattern emerges?

To rephrase, what I'm asking is whether a single particle hits the wall in many places at once in the form of an interference pattern, like you would observe from a single wave sent through, or whether each individual particle only hits a single random spot on the wall and the pattern emerges after many repetitions.

 

[cragar]

pattern emerges after many electrons are shot. Each electron makes one mark on the screen.

 

[jtbell]

See this animation of an interference pattern as it appears on the screen. It starts out slowly, one spot at a time, then speeds up so you don't have to wait an hour or so to see the pattern take shape.

 

[sophiecentaur]

If electrons are shot through the double slit one at a time, is it observed that each electron hits randomly in one of the dense areas of an interference pattern, or is it only observed after a long time that the interference pattern emerges?

To rephrase, what I'm asking is whether a single particle hits the wall in many places at once in the form of an interference pattern, like you would observe from a single wave sent through, or whether each individual particle only hits a single random spot on the wall and the pattern emerges after many repetitions.

I think it would help if you think about it in a different way. A single electron can end up anywhere and the result is totally random. The probability of where it will actually hit depends upon the statistics. The probability distribution is the same shape as the interference pattern. Very unsatisfactory, I know, but that seems to be the way it is.

 

[pmacias]

This is a great question about the double slit experiment. The answer is that the interference pattern only emerges after many repetitions of sending individual electrons through the double slits. This is because each individual electron behaves like a particle and can only hit one spot on the wall at a time. However, when many electrons are sent through, the interference pattern emerges due to the wave-like nature of electrons. This phenomenon is known as wave-particle duality, where particles can exhibit both wave-like and particle-like behavior. So, to answer your question, the interference pattern is not observed for a single electron, but rather emerges over time as more and more electrons are sent through the double slits.