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askAphysicist
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I think I can safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics. ~ Richard Feynman
askAphysicist said:I think I can safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics. ~ Richard Feynman
atyy said:Feynman meant he did not understand quantum mechanics. Here are two of his errors in http://www.feynmanlectures.caltech.edu/III_01.html#Ch1-S7. (I would like to stress that the lectures are very marvelous and full of insight, and well worth reading.)
Error 1: We choose to examine a phenomenon which is impossible, absolutely impossible, to explain in any classical way, and which has in it the heart of quantum mechanics. In reality, it contains the only mystery. We cannot make the mystery go away by “explaining” how it works. We will just tell you how it works. In telling you how it works we will have told you about the basic peculiarities of all quantum mechanics.
Feynman was referring to the double slit experiment. Why is it mysterious? It is natural that different experiments can give different results. You can find a discussion of this error in the introductory section of http://arxiv.org/abs/1301.3274.
sheaf said:I'm confused about why Feynman's statement is seen as an error.
sheaf said:I'm confused about why Feynman's statement is seen as an error.
sheaf said:The Fuchs/Schack reference looks very good though, I look forward to reading it...
bhobba said:The meaning of things generally, not just this statement, but generally, is usually contextual. The issue here is what context you think the statement was made in. The different answers all have a different take on context.
martinbn said:@atyy: Feynman most definitely did not mean that he was the one that didn't understand QM. He would have said so. If he said nobody he meant nobody. It is another question what he meant by "understand". I also don't understand what you mean by errors! It seems that you are suggesting that he really didn't understand and made errors about the most basic experiment in QM! In fact it seems that you are suggesting that only Bohm (and people who like bohmian mechanics) understand QM!
atyy said:First he claimed mystery where there is none - it is simply that different experiments give different results.
Nugatory said:"Mystery" is itself somewhat contextual.
It will, however, appear if you dig deeply enough into just about anything... and Feynman was one of the all-time great deep diggers.
ZapperZ said:I can safely say that, since your modern electronics work, a lot of people "understands" quantum mechanics.
http://physicsandphysicists.blogspot.com/2007/04/no-one-understands-quantum-mechanics.html
Zz.
Sure: Feynman was describing the standard interpretation of quantum mechanics. I suppose he could have pointed out that there are other interpretations... going into them each in detail would have been beyond the scope of the lecture series.Bohmian Mechanics provides a counterexample to Feynman's reasoning.
AlexCaledin said:Perhaps "nobody understands quantum mechanics" means "there is no place under quantum mechanics" - in the sense that, within physics, QM itself must be the most basic framework of understanding...
bahamagreen said:Makes you wonder...
Ever play 20 questions? The underlying premise is like classical realism - it assumes the person has actually chosen, well defined, and isolated the object you are to guess and you then proceed to ask questions about the object that they must answer "yes" or "no". The premise of realism implies and entails that with sufficient time (and faster using various strategies) one could determine the object they have selected. A brute force approach would be to ask of each of the 10^90 or so particles of the observable universe, "Is this one part of it?"... there are better strategies to speed this up... but the idea is that eventually you will find the object in question.
Ever play 20 questions with a child? Sometimes they will randomly answer your first question "yes" or "no", and then answer all subsequent questions in such a way that all previous answers remain always self-consistent... the narrowing class of possibilities containing the object you seek to identify continues to have the appearance of realism but in fact there is no real chosen selected object at all, only a formal procedural process - a series of crafted questions always met with consistent answers...
The first time my little niece pulled this on me it kinda blew my mind.
Richard Feynman meant that as humans, we are often biased and tend to fool ourselves into believing things that may not be true. We must be aware of our own biases and actively work to eliminate them in order to arrive at the truth.
This quote reflects Feynman's belief that hands-on experimentation and active engagement with the subject matter is crucial for truly understanding it. He believed that one must be able to recreate something in order to fully comprehend its inner workings.
Feynman believed that true scientific progress and discovery comes from constantly questioning and challenging existing beliefs and theories. By questioning everything, scientists are able to push the boundaries of knowledge and uncover new truths.
Feynman was emphasizing the interconnectedness and complexity of nature. He believed that by studying even the smallest pieces of nature, we can uncover the larger patterns and organization of the universe.
For Feynman, the universe was a vast and mysterious place, full of wonder and complexity. He believed that even the smallest things, like a glass of wine, contained within them the secrets of the universe. This quote reflects his curiosity and passion for exploring the unknown through science and life.