What is quantum physics in simple terms or with a real-world example?
In: Physics
Quantum physics is the field of understanding how quantum particles behave. This generally refers to the behavior of photons (light) as well as the parts of an atom: proton, electron, and neutron. Therefore it applies to every atom, every electrical current that moves electrons around, and every light source *in the universe*.
Our understanding of it is the bedrock of how we developed modern chemistry, directly resulted in the transistor design used in every single computer today, and has unlocked deeper understanding of other fundamental forces like gravity.
At the same time, it’s also generated a lot of pop science attention because of how weird it is. There’s aspects that seem like paradoxes or impossibilities in classical physics. Electrons (in an atom) *must* exist at certain energy levels. There are relatively huge gaps between these energy levels, but because they *must* exist at those levels, they seemingly teleport back and forth between them. They can also seemingly phase through solid matter if its thin enough. You can *never* know the position and velocity of a particle at the same time. It literally acts different if we’re not looking.
There’s tons of examples, and I’d recommend just going to Chat GPT or wikipedia and getting a few.
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