Current Events > I need someone to explain in simplier terms why the Universe isn't real.

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-universe-is-not-locally-real-and-the-physics-nobel-prize-winners-proved-it/

Because this is very long and I am very stupid

well it expands at the speed of light, right? so this makes sense

I would love to but there's an obnoxious cookie pop-up that I refuse to accept and can't read the website.

It doesn't quite mean that the Universe itself isn't real, as the article is quick to clarify what local and real both mean in this context (although I take offense to it mentioning that apples are still red when not observed since color is not an inherent property of objects, but I can forgive them for the Douglas Adams quote afterwards!)

The state of subatomic particles is determined by a wave function and, as far as one interpretation of quantum mechanics goes, it only collapses into a single state when observed. Reading into the double-slit experiment can your understanding on that better, but it'll likely still sound confusing since it seems so counter intuitive to how we know how reality works. The important thing to know for this article is that, as far as our understanding of quantum mechanics goes (which I might add is really damn good!), particles only seem to 'choose' a state when interacted/observed with.

Locality is easily the most important principal in our understanding of physics -- objects/particles can only be influenced by what is happening in their immediate surroundings, limited by the ultimate speed limit, the speed of light. It's important to note for the purpose of this article that the speed of light only applies locally -- what this means is that you can't exceed the speed of light relative to the Earth. It's important to clarify, because the Universe is expanding so fast, that many, many galaxies are receding away from us *faster* than the speed of light, but this does *not* break locality because there is nothing here on Earth that can possibly interact "locally" with anything in any of those distant galaxies. (The reason they're moving away faster than the speed of light is because more space is being created due to the expansion of the universe, but that's another subject!)

This is important to know! - because the experiments outlined in the article deal with the EPR Paradox, where, when one particle of an entangled pair is measured, no matter where you are in the Universe, you will instantly know the properties of the other particle, seemingly breaking locality, as if somehow, this particle was able to send information about itself faster than the speed of light to the other entangled pair instantly. We have no real answer for why this happens -- it's very easy and tempting to say as someone who doesn't have a solid grasp on quantum mechanics that there's just hidden variables that determine a particle's spin that we just don't know, but the article goes to great lengths to explain all the experiments that prove that's just not true, that quantum mechanics really are random and this interaction at a distance is as spooky and weird as it sounds.

So basically, particles don't have a definite state until 'observed', and somehow they can also break locality, the single most important facet of our understanding of the universe, and while there's many interpretations of what that can mean for the nature of reality itself, absolutely any theory you choose has some really uncomfortable, completely mind-boggling and counter-intuitive ramifications to it that has powerful implications for our understanding of how the Universe works.

Okay I read it. Basically a couple of scientists proved that if a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, it does not in fact make a sound. It also didn't fall in the first place. It is considering falling and making a sound but has not yet decided to do either of those things yet.

Tyranthraxus posted...

Okay I read it. Basically a couple of scientists proved that if a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, it does not in fact make a sound. It also didn't fall in the first place. It is considering falling and making a sound but has not yet decided to do either of those things yet.

Uhh... I'm too dumb. Do this again but... Dumber

Smackems posted...

Uhh... I'm too dumb. Do this again but... Dumber

Subatomic particles may have no defined properties until observed.

You know how you can look at a subatomic particle and say "that's a lepton!" And I can be like "how do you know?" And you can be like "because it does x y and z"

Those guys proved essentially that it wasn't a lepton at all until you observed it doing x y and z.

Cntrl + F "eyes"

0/0

I am disappinted, CE.

Tyranthraxus posted...

Subatomic particles may have no defined properties until observed.

You know how you can look at a subatomic particle and say "that's a lepton!" And I can be like "how do you know?" And you can be like "because it does x y and z"

Those guys proved essentially that it wasn't a lepton at all until you observed it doing x y and z.

So nothing is real unless something observes it? That kinda thingy?

Smackems posted...

So nothing is real unless something observes it? That kinda thingy?

Basically yes although observation here doesn't mean the same thing as casual English observe. Even if no one is aware of the subatomic particles they can still be observed by light itself.

If the universe isn't real, I guess our solar system isn't real either

Homeless_Waifu posted...

If the universe isn't real, I guess our solar system isn't real either

The word universe is doing a lot of stretching and heavy lifting here. The universe is real. Everything is real, it just doesn't exist until observed. Like a Minecraft world. Blocks don't exist until you walk in range of their spawning distance.

Tyranthraxus posted...

Basically yes although observation here doesn't mean the same thing as casual English observe. Even if no one is aware of the subatomic particles they can still be observed by light itself.

......

This shit ain't real

I'm not real

Nothing is real

Oh fuck oh shit I'm not real oooohhhh dookie britches

It's the simulation trying to save memory for loading times

Because some think ww live in a simulation

thx1138 posted...

Because some think ww live in a simulation

What no they don't that's preposterous