Wave & Particle: Exploring the Nature of Reality

In summary: I'm not sure.In summary, particles are used to represent energy in the atomic and subatomic world because energy is quantized.
  • #1
TheDonk
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I'm sorry if this topic makes you cringe but I couldn't think of a good subject for what I want to ask/talk about.

First, are ALL particles thought to be waves and ALL waves thought to be particles? (don't say sound waves aren't particles because you know what kind of wave I mean :wink: )
I'm quite sure that this is true.

Secondly, are particles just an illusion? Where are particles needed in the explanation of anything fundamental? I'm sure you need them because people would realize pretty quick if you didn't, but I can't think of a reason. I say this because particles don't seem to have an absolute position. Are particles just waves that you look at from farther away in the way that Smilies look like circles even though they are made of square pixels and are just abstractions we invent? I'm quite sure I'm wrong but humor me and try to give simple reasons why.
 
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  • #2
the reason for particles is because in the atomic/subatomic world, energy is quantized. As in, yes, while a smiley looks nice and smooth when you're looking far away (where you're sitting down) but look closer, it is made up of little indivisible bits of pixels.

So, in fact, particles are used as the quanta of each of the 4 forces we know of now. This is because these forces come in discrete packets. A suitable analogy would be a violin and a guitar. A guitar has frets while a violin doesn't, so, you can play notes which are minimum a semitone apart. Say, a F and an F#, you can't play any note in between them in a guitar, but a violin yes. (sorry if this is a little musical ...).

In the microscopic scale, energy don't come up smooth, thus particles are used as carrying each lump of energy. Yes, in a way, particles in the macroscopic scale behave like waves in the microscopic scale and vice versa.
 
  • #3
So is the fact that we have always thought everything was made out of particles and that energy is quantized the only reasons that we still use particles in our fundamental description of the universe?
 
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1. What is the wave-particle duality?

The wave-particle duality is a fundamental concept in quantum mechanics that explains the dual nature of matter. It states that all particles, such as electrons and photons, can exhibit both wave-like and particle-like behavior depending on how they are observed or measured.

2. How does the wave-particle duality affect our understanding of reality?

The wave-particle duality challenges our classical understanding of reality, where objects are either seen as particles or waves. It suggests that at the quantum level, matter and energy are better described as a combination of both wave and particle behavior, blurring the line between the two.

3. What experiments support the wave-particle duality?

The double-slit experiment is one of the most famous experiments that demonstrates the wave-particle duality. It shows that when a beam of light is passed through two slits, it creates an interference pattern on a screen, indicating its wave-like nature. However, when the experiment is repeated with individual photons, they behave like particles and create a pattern of two lines instead.

4. Can we observe both wave and particle properties of a single object simultaneously?

No, the wave-particle duality does not mean that an object can exist as both a wave and a particle at the same time. It simply means that the behavior of the object can be described as both a wave and a particle, but not simultaneously.

5. How does the wave-particle duality impact technological advancements?

The wave-particle duality has led to the development of technologies such as electron microscopy and particle accelerators, which rely on the dual nature of matter to study and manipulate particles at the quantum level. It has also helped in the development of quantum computing, which utilizes the properties of waves and particles to process information in a more efficient way.

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