Tag Archives: quantum mechanics

Relative beer

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The meme humorously reflects a fundamental shift in our understanding of time in the context of physics.

1. **Clock Background**: The clock represents the traditional, classical view of time as a uniform and absolute quantity.

2. **Suzette’s Quote**: Suzette embodies the classical perspective, claiming that, in classical physics, time flows uniformly. This refers to the conventional idea of time being constant and universal.

3. **Einstein’s Entrance**: Einstein, with a mischievous expression, responds, “‘Hold my relative beer!'” This phrase humorously introduces the concept of relativity. Einstein’s theory revolutionized our understanding of time by proposing that it is not absolute but rather relative and intertwined with space.

The meme playfully illustrates the transition from the classical, straightforward notion of time to Einstein’s more dynamic and interconnected concept introduced through the theory of relativity. It uses humor and a familiar setting to make the complex physics concept more accessible and engaging. 

Spooky World of QM

MEMES

J. J. Thomson won the Nobel Prize in 1906 for his discovery that electrons are particles. Yet his son George won the Nobel Prize in 1937 for showing that electrons are waves. Who was right? The answer is both of them. This so-called wave-particle duality is a cornerstone of quantum physics. It applies to light as well as electrons. Sometimes it pays to think about light as an electromagnetic wave, but at other times it’s more useful to picture it in the form of particles called photons.

A telescope can focus light waves from distant stars, and also acts as a giant light bucket for collecting photons. It also means that light can exert pressure as photons slam into an object. This is something we already use to propel spacecraft with solar sails, and it may be possible to exploit it in order to maneuver a dangerous asteroid off a collision course with Earth, according to Rusty Schweickart, chairman of the B612 Foundation. Source. Space.com