- #1
PositiveGoo
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Double Slit and "The Observer"
Hi! First of all, I am just getting started in Physics, so I apologize if this is a silly question.
I was talking with my boyfriend (who has a degree in physics) about the double slit experiment. Obviously, if you perform the experiment one electron (or photon?) at a time, an interference pattern results. However, if you try to measure which slit the electron (or photon) goes through, the interference pattern disappears. Cool. Uncertainty Principle. I'm down.
My boyfriend then said, however, "If you put the detector (that monitors which slit the particle is traveling through) in a black box so that you can't see the results, the interference pattern reappears." I called bulls*#t.
Let's say you have an experiment where the detector is going through all the normal operations of detecting which slit the particle travels through, BUT it does not record or display the results in any way. Will an interference pattern result on the screen? I say no. He says yes.
I'm sorry if this is a really stupid question, but my boyfriend is really smart and knows tons about Physics. But I can't find anywhere (reliable) that supports this argument.
Thanks so much,
PositiveGoo
Hi! First of all, I am just getting started in Physics, so I apologize if this is a silly question.
I was talking with my boyfriend (who has a degree in physics) about the double slit experiment. Obviously, if you perform the experiment one electron (or photon?) at a time, an interference pattern results. However, if you try to measure which slit the electron (or photon) goes through, the interference pattern disappears. Cool. Uncertainty Principle. I'm down.
My boyfriend then said, however, "If you put the detector (that monitors which slit the particle is traveling through) in a black box so that you can't see the results, the interference pattern reappears." I called bulls*#t.
Let's say you have an experiment where the detector is going through all the normal operations of detecting which slit the particle travels through, BUT it does not record or display the results in any way. Will an interference pattern result on the screen? I say no. He says yes.
I'm sorry if this is a really stupid question, but my boyfriend is really smart and knows tons about Physics. But I can't find anywhere (reliable) that supports this argument.
Thanks so much,
PositiveGoo