What Quantum Physics Has Done For Us
Learning to learn
Team Project
Written for
Casey, Terry
Table of Contents
Introduction 1
What is Quantum Physics 1
Quantum Physics in everyday life 3
Recent Developments in Quantum Physics 4
Founders of Quantum Physics 6
References 8
Introduction
Quantum physics is a science which determines what happens in our lives, the world around us and substances that are not even visible to the naked eye. This branch of physics is in fact also closely connected to the human mind, our thoughts and feeling and is also interlinked with our spirituality. Many experiments and detailed amounts of research have been done by a variety of scientists during the 20th century and they have precisely discovered what really makes up quantum physics in everyday life.
What is quantum physics?
Quantum physics is the study of how and why energy and matter behave at molecular, nuclear and atomic levels. The word “quantum” derives from the Latin language meaning “how much”. Quantum physics is also based on the quantum theory. The quantum theory is the theory of matter and of very small units of energy and describes the interactions of electromagnetic radiation. The quantum theory breaks down physical things into simple and basic forms.
The Essay on Quantum Physics Light Energy Particle
... atomic level. This lead to Quantum Physics, Quantum Mechanics, and the Quantum Theory. What exactly is the quantum theor The quantum theory is as follows: 1. Energy ... fraction of a second. Obviously that doesn't happen, or life as we know it would not exist. That incorrect ... or in what direction. We don't notice this in everyday life because any uncertainty from Heisenberg's principle is well within ...
When talking about quantum physics we know that it is in fact a detailed study of quantum mechanics. First of all, quantum mechanics explains to us how everything in the entire universe has come to exist at both atomic and sub-atomic levels. Matter surrounds us and can neither be created or destroyed in the course of a chemical reaction. All matter is made up of very small particles called atoms and these atoms are indivisible and cannot be broken down into simpler particles. Examples of matter include the things around us such as tables, chairs etc. and on a more deeper level sub-atomic particles such as electrons, protons, neutrons and light.
These sub-atomic particles are minute in size. Electrons are negatively charged particles found in an atom. Protons are positively charged and neutrons have no charge (neutral) and are also the main components of an atom. Electrons all have moving particles and as Louise De Broglie (a French scientist who contributed to the quantum theory) suggested they also have a wave motion associated with them. It is stated that it is impossible to measure at the same time both the velocity and speed or position of an electron and that an electron cannot be at a fixed distance from the nucleus (known as “Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle” a principle derived by German physicist who also contributed to quantum mechanics).
When any metal is heated many of these electrons escape. This is widely known as the thermionic emission .When any electron is attracted to a positive electrode (a conductor where electricity can enter or leave an area) they gain energy also known as kinetic energy.
Light is widely associated with the electromagnetic spectrum in quantum physics. The electromagnetic spectrum contains wavelengths and energies of different waves for example gamma rays, infra -red rays or ultra violet rays. Light depends on the type of wavelength it contains and this wavelength determines the kind of colour the light will have. For example red light has a wavelength of around 650 nanometres. The colours which are visible are called a spectrum. There are many different types of spectrum such as the continuous spectrum in which all wavelengths are present and the emission line spectrum in which light is emitted when electric current is passed through hydrogen gas.
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The Northern lights are poetry, they are nature's light show, and they are quantum leaps in the oxygen atom. They are elementary particle physics, superstition, mythology and fairy tales. The northern lights have filled people with wonder and inspired artists; they have frightened people to think that the end is at hand. More exact explanations of the phenomenon could not be given until modern ...
Energy also known as quantum is made up of photons which are discrete units of light and in the emission spectrum photons are emitted. Energy is always directly proportional to frequency which implies that a photon will have more energy when the frequency is high enough however if the frequency is too high it can cause damage to humans. All particles of matter and light are what contribute to the theory of quantum physics.
Although quantum physics is extremely fascinating, it is recognised as the more complex of the sciences, therefore, people who don’t study science might find it irrelevant in their everyday lives. A recent study in Sweden, shows that, when questioned about quantum physics, they found the students only found it interesting when it was relevant to their everyday lives and made ‘personal’ and relevant to their ‘personal interests’. Therefore, in order to make quantum physics personal, lets explore its uses in everyday life.
One of the most complex inventions thats based on the basic laws of quantum physics, is the microscope.
1. Electron microscopes.
A problem with ‘light’ microscopes occurs at high magnifications. When the objects you look at are about the size of the wavelength of light, a lot of diffraction occurs. When this occurs, people often see ‘stripy’ structures that aren’t present at all.
After this was discovered, people thought that X rays would be more effective for better resolution. However it is impossible to focus Xrays as they transmit straight through any lens or eyepiece that is present.
The solution to this problem is to use electron beams. The wave nature of the electrons means that they can be reflected from microscopic objects just like light waves. [1] These microscopes are used by millions of scientists everyday. We rely on them for everyday medical problems that we may have. For example blood tests or food allergy tests. Therefore quantum physics really does affect our everyday life and keeps us alive!
2. Positron emission tomography (PET scans).
This is a nuclear medical imaging technique that produces three dimensional image or picture of functional processes of the body. Before this, scanning equipment was fairly basic in compassion to modern machinery. The scans were not as detailed as the images that are produced with this machine. It is an example of quantum physics because the system can detect pairs of Gamma rays that realised by a positron emitting radionuclide or a tracer. This occurs as the tracer decays and the emitted positrons annihilate with the electrons of the body. The patient is prepared with the radioactive element that corresponds to the part of the body that is being imaged. These scans are essential for our well being and can help us cope with everyday problems for example sore stomachs, kidney infections and other problems that we face in our day to day lives.
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The Quantum Theory The quantum theory is the concept that energy is absorbed in a small pocket called a quantum, which in some situations behaves as particles of matter do. While particles, when in motion, exhibit certain wavelike properties. The quantum theory proposed a dual nature for particles and waves, with one aspect predominating in some situations and the other aspect predominating in ...
Now that we have seen examples of everyday quantum physics, let’s look at some recent developments in physics. Billions is spent every year on investigating quantum physics and here are some of the newest and most exciting developments in the area.
Quantum Thrusters.
Developments in quantum physics could make more of science fiction possible. Warp-drive technology popularized by TV’s “Star Trek” a form of “Faster than light” could be bolstered by the physics of quantum thrusters.
NASA physicist Harold “Sonny” White, working out of the Johnson space centre in Houston, is experimenting with such concepts on a smaller scale in the lab using light measuring devices. A spacecraft with warp-drive would look like a rugby ball with two large rings encircling it.
Quantum Thrusters are based on nuclear fusion. The fusion of two hydrogen isotopes deuterium (2H) and tritium (3H) creating an alpha particle (4He) and a neutron. The products contain around 17.6 million electron volts (MeV) of released kinetic energy through the loss of mass in the fusion process.
INUMAC
The most powerful MRI scanner is near completion, as announced on the 24th of October 2013.
Known as INUMAC (it stands for ‘Imaging of Neuro disease Using high-field MR and Contrastophores’) the scanner is being built by the University of Freiburg to provide scientists with a far greater degree of detail when looking inside the human body.
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I. Introduction Physics is the natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through space and time, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves. Physics is one of the oldest academic disciplines, perhaps the oldest through its inclusion of astronomy. Over the ...
Ordinary MRI scanners found in hospitals have a spatial resolution of around 1 millimetre, the INUMAC will be able to image areas from 0.1 millimetres upwards. Voxels at this size (these are volumetric or three-dimensional pixels) contain just 1,000 neurons, out of the brain’s estimated 86 billion. [2]
This is a significant finding for the diagnosis and treatment of disease, and should be finalised in 2014.
The Founders of Quantum Physics
There are many scientists who made great contributions to quantum physics down through the years. Ten famous physicists laid down the foundations of quantum physics by making ground-breaking discoveries that formed the basis of modern quantum physics.
Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck, more commonly known as Max Planck was a German theoretical physicist born in Kiel, Germany on the 23rd April 1958. [3] Planck lived a diffult life. He lost his first wife, Marie Merck to what was suspected to be tuberculosis. His daughter Grete died whilst giving birth and his eldest son Erwin was executed for his role in an attempted assasination of Adolf Hitler. [4] Despite his personal traumas, Planck had a very successful scientific career. He was responsible for the development of the quantum theory. [5] The quantum theory is a crucial aspect of quantum physics. It revoluionized the understanding of atomic and subatomic processes. Planck won a Nobel Prize in Physics in 1918 for his discovery. [6] Planck died on October 4th 1947. [7]
Albert Einstein was born on March 14th 1879. [8] Einstein, like Planck, was a German-born theoretical physicist. [9] Einstein was travelling in the United States when Hitler came into power in 1933 and decided to remain in the United States for the remainder of his life. [10] Einsten became an American citizen in 1940. [11] Einstein alerted Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United States at the time of World War II, to the fact that German were potentially developing new types of extremely destructive bombs and advised that the United States began research into such bombs. [12] Einstein developed the theory of relativity which formed one of two pillars of modern physics. [13] Einstein received a Nobel Prize in 1921 for his discovery. Einstein died the 18th April 1955.
Niels Henrik David Bohr was born the 17th October 1885 in Copenhaagen. [14][15] Bohr was a Danish physicist. Bohr founded the Institute of Theoretical Physics, also known as the Bohr Insititute at the University of Copenhaagen in 1920. [16] Bohr won the Nobel Prize for his contributions to the understanding of the atomic structure and quantum theory which helped form the basis of quantum physics. [17] Bohr developed the model of the atom. [18] Bohr helped refugees of Naziism during the 1930’s when Denmark was invaded by the Germans. [19] In 1943, Bohr got word that he was to be arrested by the Germans and as a result he fled to Sweden to escape prosecution. [20] Bohr died November 18th 1962. [21]
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Physics is an ever changing description of the universe, Physics is the study of the fundamentals of everything in the universe. If you look around you and start asking questions like why does that happen or how does that work, and if you probe into the question to get at the root causes, you will be in physics.You will learn of laws and theories and it is tempting to say that a law is something ...
Louis-Victor-Pierre-Raymond, 7th duc de Broglie, more commonly known as Louis de Broglie was a French physicist born the 15th August 1892. [22] Louis de Broglie made groundbreaking contributions to the quantum theory. [23] In Broglie’s 1924 PhD thesis, he suggested that all matter has wave properties. This concept became known as the “de Broglie Hypothesis” and also as “wave particle duality”. [24] De Broglie won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1929 “for his discovery of the wave nature of electrons”. [25] Louis de Broglie died, aged 94 on March 19th 1987. [26]
Max Born was a German physicist and mathematician who played a pivotal role in the development of quantum mechanics. [27] Max Born was born the 11th December 1882. [28] Born won the 1954 Nobel Prize in Physics for his “fundamental research in Quantum Mechanics, especially in the statistical interpretation of the wave function”. [29] When the Germans came into power in January of 1933, Born was suspended from his job at the University of Göttingen due to the fact that he Jewish. Born then emigrated to Britain where he started working at St. John’s College, Cambridge. Later, John began working at the University of Edinburgh. Born became a British citizen one day before World War II broke out in Europe. He remained living in Edinburgh until 1952. He then returned to Germany to retire. Born died January 5th 1970. [30]
Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac was born August 8th 1902. He was an English theoretical physicist who made foundational contributions to the development of both quantum mechanics and quantum electrodynamics. [31] Dirac won the 1933 Nobel Prize in Physics with Erwin Schrödinger “for the discovery of new productive forms of atomic theory”. [32] Despite being autistic, Dirac is renowned as one of the great Physicist of the 20th century. [33] Dirac died in 1984 in Tallahassee, Florida where he was living at the time.
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Everywhere around the world, cars are used throughout in most people’s everyday life. From just going to the super market across the road, and going across the country boarder, cars are one of the most essential sources of item, to live a typical life style in developed countries. And although cars seem to look very simple, and can be used very simply, it can be said to be one of the most ...
Werner Karl Heisenberg was a German theoretical physicist, born December 5th 1901. Heisenberg was one of the main creators of quantum mechanics. [34] Heisenberg was awarded the 1932 Nobel Prize in Physics “for the creation of quantum mechanics”. [35] Werner Heisenberg died as a result of cancer in the kidneys and gall bladder on the 1st February 1976. [36]
Wolfgang Pauli was an Austrial theoretical physicist, born on the 25th April 1900. [37] He made substantial contributions to quantum physics. Albert Einstein nominated him for the 1945 Nobel Prize in Physics and subsequently he won it for his “decisive contribution through his discovery of a new law of Nature, the exclusion principle or Pauli principle,”. [38] Wolfgang Pauli died on the 15th December 1958. [39]
Erwin Rudolf Josef Alexander Schrödinger was an Austrian physicist, born the 12th August 1887. Schrödinger made a number of substantial developments to the quantum theory which helped to form the basis of wave mechanics. [40] Schrödinger won the 1933 Nobel Prize in Physics with Paul Dirac. [41] Schrödinger moved to Berlin in 1927 and became Planck’s successor. However, when Hitler came into power in 1933, Schrödinger decided to emigrate to England, where he obtained a fellowship at Oxford University. Subsequently, he worked at the prestigious Princeton University. Schrödinger died after a long illness on January 4th 1961. [42]
Richard Phillips Feynman was an American theoretical physicist, born May 11th 1918. [43] Feynman is renowed for his development of the theory of quantum electrodynamics. Feynman won the 1965 Nobel Prize in Physics with Julian Schwinger. [44] In a 1999 poll of 130 leading physicists worldwide by the British journal Physics World he was ranked as one of the ten greatest physicists of all time. [45] Feynman died February 15th 1988, aged 69, from two rare forms of cancer. [46]
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