For our science post of the day, let us revisit the double-slit experiment. The video you’re about to see whos scientific proof that there’s something not quite logical about the universe. In other words, you’ll see that the mere act of observation can completely change the outcome of an event. Scientifically speaking, classical particles don’t interfere with each other; they merely collide. Continue reading for three videos and more information.
If classical are fired in a straight line through a slit they will all strike the screen in a pattern the same size and shape as the slit. Whereas when there are two open slits, the resulting pattern will simply be the sum of the two single-slit patterns. But time and time again, the experiment demonstrated that the coherent beams of light were interfering, creating a pattern of bright and dark bands on the screen.
However, the bands on the screen were always found to be absorbed as though it were composed of discrete particles, also known as photons. By simply placing an observation device in place, the wave function of the photons collapsed and the light behaved as classical particles once more, and could only be resolved by claiming that light behaves as both a particle and a wave. Observing them causes the range of behavioral possibilities to narrow to the point where their behavior become predictable once more.
The Double Slit experiment basically gave rise to the particle-wave theory of photons and made scientists aware of the incredible, confounding world of quantum mechanics, where nothing is predictable, everything is relative, and the observer is no longer a passive subject, but an active participant with the power to change the outcome.
