- #1
FeDeX_LaTeX
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"Moving Individual Atoms"?
Hello;
I recently read an article about this video - IBM moving individual xenon atoms to create the IBM logo.
I'm not sure I understand what they're doing in this video - are they using a computer to simulate/show what this would look like if the atoms really were that shape? I was under the impression that we aren't certain that atoms are particles because of the wave-like properties they can exhibit (for example, C60 molecule in double-slit experiment). A number of things don't make sense for me, such as why they aren't moving (they don't seem to obey Heinsenberg's uncertainty principle either since they seem to know exactly where they are - but is the computer simply using a probability density function to give the user an idea of the rough location of the atom?).
I also saw this picture: http://www.foresight.org/utf/unbound_lbw/pictures/ibm.gif
So what are they moving? Apologies if this is a stupid question, but I'm just confused, since atoms should be made up of smaller sub-atomic particles, and, on top of that, we shouldn't be seeing that kind of picture because of wave-particle duality, correct?
Thanks.
Hello;
I recently read an article about this video - IBM moving individual xenon atoms to create the IBM logo.
I'm not sure I understand what they're doing in this video - are they using a computer to simulate/show what this would look like if the atoms really were that shape? I was under the impression that we aren't certain that atoms are particles because of the wave-like properties they can exhibit (for example, C60 molecule in double-slit experiment). A number of things don't make sense for me, such as why they aren't moving (they don't seem to obey Heinsenberg's uncertainty principle either since they seem to know exactly where they are - but is the computer simply using a probability density function to give the user an idea of the rough location of the atom?).
I also saw this picture: http://www.foresight.org/utf/unbound_lbw/pictures/ibm.gif
So what are they moving? Apologies if this is a stupid question, but I'm just confused, since atoms should be made up of smaller sub-atomic particles, and, on top of that, we shouldn't be seeing that kind of picture because of wave-particle duality, correct?
Thanks.
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