Question about the Double Slit Experiment

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the double slit experiment, specifically questioning why the interference pattern or evidence of electron collisions does not manifest throughout the entire experimental environment. Participants explore the nature of electron behavior before and after passing through the slits.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions why the interference pattern is not observed everywhere in the room during the double slit experiment, suggesting a lack of tracking of electron behavior.
  • Another participant proposes that single particle interference does occur throughout the environment but is not being monitored, indicating that a complex setup is required to track the electrons from source to detection point without interference from other sources.
  • Further clarification is provided regarding the behavior of electrons, noting that before passing through the slits, they behave as a single wave, which then splits and interferes after the slits, as per various interpretations and hypotheses.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

The discussion contains multiple competing views regarding the nature of electron behavior in the double slit experiment, and no consensus has been reached on the specific reasons for the absence of an observable interference pattern throughout the room.

Contextual Notes

Participants express uncertainty about the tracking mechanisms required to observe electron behavior and the interpretations of wave-particle duality in the context of the experiment.

salvestrom
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It maybe the lateness of the hour, but I've just had another one of those awkward thoughts that only people who know more than I do can provide an answer for (I'm compelled to edit quickly and note that by this I mean that no one I know's going to have a clue, not that I'm somehow an authority on the subject... you'll probably figure that out for yourselves).

Anyway. Why doesn't the interference pattern, or perhaps more accurately, the evidence of an electron collision appear everywhere in the room the experiment is being conducted in? On the backside of the slit, on the front. On the walls. And so on... Would it?
 
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salvestrom said:
It maybe the lateness of the hour, but I've just had another one of those awkward thoughts that only people who know more than I do can provide an answer for, and I won't let go until I get one...

Anyway. Why doesn't the interference pattern, or perhaps more accurately, the evidence of an electron collision appear everywhere in the room the experiment is being conducted in? On the backside of the slit, on the front. On the walls. And so on... Would it?

it (single particle interference) does happen all over, its just not being tracked...

an (elaborate) setup is needed to track...from source to detection point...while at the same time ensuring no interference from other sources...

if that's what you are asking
 
yeah, I'm referring to the point in the experiment where individual electrons are being fired through the slits, but before the slits are monitored.
 
salvestrom said:
yeah, I'm referring to the point in the experiment where individual electrons are being fired through the slits, but before the slits are monitored.

before the slits...its a single "wave"...after the slits...the wave splits into two and then they interfere...as per some of the interpretations/hypothesis...
 

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