Observational Effect: Defining Particle Position

  • Thread starter Thread starter Einstein's Cat
  • Start date Start date
Einstein's Cat
Messages
182
Reaction score
2
Can an observer specifically define the position a particle or is it a matter of equal probability whether the observer defines either the particle's position or motion?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Not so clear to me what it is you are asking. Could you elaborate, provide some context, perhaps ?

And -- a belated -- welcome to PF :smile: !
 
Einstein's Cat said:
Can an observer specifically define the position a particle or is it a matter of equal probability whether the observer defines either the particle's position or motion?

Some measuring devices and techniques determine position and others determine momentum. We get to choose which one we use.
 
Cheers thank you
 
Not an expert in QM. AFAIK, Schrödinger's equation is quite different from the classical wave equation. The former is an equation for the dynamics of the state of a (quantum?) system, the latter is an equation for the dynamics of a (classical) degree of freedom. As a matter of fact, Schrödinger's equation is first order in time derivatives, while the classical wave equation is second order. But, AFAIK, Schrödinger's equation is a wave equation; only its interpretation makes it non-classical...
I am not sure if this falls under classical physics or quantum physics or somewhere else (so feel free to put it in the right section), but is there any micro state of the universe one can think of which if evolved under the current laws of nature, inevitably results in outcomes such as a table levitating? That example is just a random one I decided to choose but I'm really asking about any event that would seem like a "miracle" to the ordinary person (i.e. any event that doesn't seem to...

Similar threads

Back
Top