2012 - What does it mean to you?

[dreadgeek]

Originally Posted by Sachita

Although I am not an expert I am certain it's all about
Quantum Physics
http://library.thinkquest.org/3487/qp.html

I don't see how it could have anything to do with quantum physics. The reasons for this will require a bit of explanation.

QM (quantum physics) is a theory dealing only with microscopic objects. By this I mean that it really only deals with *sub-atomic* objects. The reason for this is that the sub-atomic world deals with objects on what is called the Planck length. The Planck length is the smallest conceivable distance. It is 10^-43 (that's a 1 with 43 zeros in front of it). Atoms are HUGE compared to the Planck length. Once you start talking about molecules and other macro-objects (and for our purposes here even a single bacterial spore is a macro-object) all of the various statistical effects cancel one another out and we can safely treat that object as a classical phenomena (meaning we don't need to use quantum physics). (This is not ALWAYS the case, computer circuitry is becoming so small that engineers have to take into account quantum mechanical effects but they are building logic gates that are only, maybe, a dozen or so atoms across. To give you a sense of scale the average human hair is between 800,000 and 1,200,000 atoms across.)

Quantum mechanics is necessary when talking about things like the nucleus of an atom or the electron shells around that nucleus but that is really about all. The only OTHER exception I can think of is when you are dealing with the interior of a black hole (which, no matter the size of the black hole's event horizon can be treated as a singularity at or a little larger than the Planck length). However, it's important to note that this ONLY applies to the *interior* of a black hole, once you are beyond the event horizon black holes can be treated as relativistic objects because they are so massive and you can ignore any quantum mechanical effects.

Fritjof Capra and Fred Alan Wolf (Dr. Quantum) not-with-standing people in the mainstream of physics do not ascribe quantum mechanical effects to macro-objects.

Another important thing to remember about quantum mechanics is that it is a *statistical* theory. While it is still deterministic what is usually talked about is the probability that, for instance, a given electron will be found in a given orbit (shell) of an atom.

Quantum mechanics is a vital part of what is called the Standard Model of particle physics but the key words here are *particle* physics. QM enables physicists to describe the four fundamental forces (electromagnetic, gravitational, strong and weak nuclear)*, what they are made of (quarks and bozons) and why they have the strengths they do. However, once you are talking about objects *effected* by those forces typically quantum mechanics is not particularly useful.

Anything the size of the Earth and certainly any living things ON the Earth are too large and too hot (from a thermodynamic perspective) for quantum mechanics to apply to them. Even a single neuron in your brain is too large and too hot for quantum mechanics to be usefully applied to it.

I'm not saying that it is absolutely *impossible* just very, very, very, very, very, very improbable!

*The four forces in order of strength are:

1. Strong nuclear force: Responsible for holding atoms together. Messenger particle is the gluon.
2. Weak nuclear force: Responsible for atomic decay. Messenger particle the W and Z gauge bozons.
3. Electromagnetic force: Responsible for light, electricity and magnetism. Messenger particle is the photon.**
4. Gravity: Warping of space-time by the presence of mass. Messenger particle is the graviton.

** To appreciate the difference in strength values between the electromagnetic force and the gravitational force (the two forces we're most familiar with) try this. During a thunderstorm take a comb and rub it on your shirt (best if it is wool) then hold that comb over a piece of unimpeded paper sitting on your desk. It should lift the paper. Think about this. It takes the mass of the entire PLANET to hold the paper on the desk and only the small amount of static electricity you can generate during a thunderstorm with a comb to overcome the planet's gravity!

Here is a link to a paper I wrote on the misuse of quantum mechanics for a philosophy of science class last term. While I wrote it with my professor (who was a chemist in another career incarnation) as a target audience it should still be accessible to most people (I hope):

http://web.me.com/dreadgeek/Dreaded_...mysticism.html