What Makes Up the Solidity of Tables?

[bluecap]

I want to describe to a date what are tables made of without having to tell her about quantum mechanics or wave function.

I plan to say something like this.

Scientists don't know what are the particles in the tables made up of.. whether they are localized particles or made up of dream stuff or made up of maths.

She may answer back: But tables are solid.. how could they be anything else?

I may say: But when the math interfere.. it produce matter.. scientists called the process decoherence.

But the above would sound nerdy. What is the best way to say it? The localized particles being bohmians.

I got this idea from Demystifier who described it in the thread Pilot Waves of Apples

"Yes. According to the Bohmian interpretation, the apples and oranges we can touch are made of a large number of pointlike particles. Those particles are guided by the wave, but we don't touch the wave itself.

On the other hand, the Copenhagen interpretation is not so specific about what these things we touch are really made of. But even though it is not very specific about that, it definitely denies the existence of those Bohmian pointlike particles."

How do you rephrase it without using the word Bohmian or Copenhagen.

How about the following:

Science doesn't know what tables are made of.. either by a large number of pointlike particles that is guided by an invisible wave, or invisible things that appear to be solid due to interferences of mysterious substances or wave.

I don't want to complicate it by describing Many worlds.

Please give your own description like what I just described without using the words wave function, Bohmians or Copenhagen. Thank you!

 

[DrChinese]

Many tables are made of wood. Some are made of plastic or metal or other substances. All of these are in turn composed of a great number of very small molecules. All scientists agree about this.

So what is the question again? And by the way, after that answer: what is the difference between a table and a chair? At some level, I hope you will see that the answer above is as good as any possible answer to your question.

 

[bluecap]

Many tables are made of wood. Some are made of plastic or metal or other substances. All of these are in turn composed of a great number of very small molecules. All scientists agree about this.

So what is the question again? And by the way, after that answer: what is the difference between a table and a chair? At some level, I hope you will see that the answer above is as good as any possible answer to your question.

I want to describe to her the quantum mystery like whether particles are explained by CI, Bohmians, Many Worlds, Objective Collapse or TI.. but for introduction.. don't want her to take the whole medicine first.. but just doing it at a time.. so what words to describe them to her *initially*... because if I mention any world like Bohmian, she may just get bored... so want to pique her interests first.

 

[berkeman]

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