How can an atom exist in two places at once until observed?

Question

How can an atom exist in two places at once until observed?

In: 0

Answer 1

Because that’s the nature of things in the universe.

It’s not “1 thing that exists in 2 places,” it’s “a thing that exists in a constrained set of possible locations, until certain conditions constrain it further.”

Think of a hill made of Jello.

The question of “what is the precise location of the hill” doesn’t make sense because a hill requires multiple locations simultaneously to even have a shape to call a hill.

Now if you interact with that Jello hill, there was a definite location that happened. However, you interacted with it which affects the hill, thus changing its fundamental space it occupies and changing how and where it can interact with something else in the future.