INTRODUCTION:
This little book asks the big question:
“OK, So What's Really Going on Here?”
... and this is a question about our Consciousness and our Reality; our physical world and beyond. To understand or to ask additional questions that lead to answers that will blow your mind we need to take a peek at the science of Quantum Physics, or at least one test they have conducted...
So what is Quantum Physics?
Quantum physics is the study of matter and energy at the most fundamental, subatomic level (smaller than atoms). It aims to uncover the properties and behaviors of the very building blocks of nature, our physical world, and the reality we experience.
*What is quantum physics in simple terms?
1
At a subatomic level, quantum physics predicts strange
things about how Matter works that are completely at
odds with how things seem to work in the real world.
Quantum Particles (matter) can behave like Particles,
located in a single place; or they can act like Waves, distributed all over space or in several places at once.
Most of us do not understand what this means or how it
relates to our experience of life; Our Consciousness and
Our Reality... our very existence.
Having this basic understand is important if we want to answer the question, “OK, So What's really going on
here?”
There is a Quantum Physics experiment called “The
Double Slit Experiment”* that can help us better
understand, but even this can be kind of confusing if
you do not have a basic understand of the Physics
involved. So to simplify further let's look at these three important things that have already been mentioned:
Particles, Waves, and the Atom.
Wikipedia explanation of the Double Slit Experiment: *https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double-slit_experiment
2
Particles are simple, very, very small subatomic bits of matter; they have a fixed shape. For this purpose let's agree that a particle (or matter) is represented by something we can see and feel, like a marble.
Waves on the other hand seem to be more complex. Waves are how somethings move through space, like a “sound wave” or the compression wave from an explosion. We can see waves in action when we toss a rock into a pool of water and the circle of waves it makes. We have all seen what a Title Wave can do - the destruction and all the energy it carries. Waves are energy; full of potential and undefined possibilities. Waves do not have a fixed shape; they wrap around and take on the shape of whatever they hit or come into contact with, in simple terms.
In this much simplified Quantum Physics Double Slit Experiment, here is what we would expect to see.
If you have a front-board with two slits in it and you begin to shoot a bunch of marbles (Particles) at it some of the marbles will go through the slits. The marbles that go through hit a backboard and a pattern develops that is the same as the two slits in the front-board – just as we would expect. 3
Marbles going through a Double Slit Front-board
Waves are different. If you put a double slit front-board half way into a pool of water and drop a rock in front of it causing a wave, the part of the wave that goes through one slit will interfere with the part that goes through the other slit.
4
These Particle and Wave behaviors are what is expected, by you and me, and by the Quantum Physicists... but wait, there's more!
The Atom:
The Atom is important because the study of Quantum Physics is mostly Subatomic – smaller than an atom. So let's review the structure of the atom and then see how small they really are.
5
From this illustration we are reminded that an Atom has a Nucleus in the center that is made up of Neutrons and Protons. There are also Electrons in orbit round the Nucleus; like the moon orbits around the earth.
FYI: These things - Neutrons, Protons, and Electrons are also considered to be “Subatomic Particles.”
NOTE:
So this has always puzzled me, in a way. We know that everything in the physical world is made up of Atoms –
6
the chair, the mountains, steel, ants, you and me, etc. But, if you look at the structure of the atom it is more empty space than it is a solid bit of matter. So how is it that things seem to be solid? Well, size does matter. Atoms are so small, even though they are mostly empty space, when you jam a bunch of them together they seem solid to other things that are extremely large by comparison; like humans, for example. So...
How small are Atoms? For me it is easier to think in terms of molecules, like H2O, or what we call water. The H2O molecule has 3 atoms in its structure; 2 Hydrogen atoms and 1 Oxygen atom. Let's take a single drop of water. Yes, they can vary in size but lets just look at an average sized drop of water. How many H2O molecules are in a single drop of water? The answer is; 9 octillion (9,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000). Multiply the 9 octillion by 3 and you will know how many atoms there are in a single drop of water. Believe me when I say that there are a lot of them and that they are extremely, extremely small – microscopic. This blows my mind.
Now that we have a simple, basic understanding of how Particles and Waves behave, and how an Atom is
7
structured we can talk about what happened when the Quantum Physicists actually perform the Double Slit Experiment; also, sometimes called the Electron Experiment.
Double Slit Experiment
The first Double Slit Experiment was conducted by Thomas Young in 1801 as a demonstration of the wave behavior of visible light. Young showed that passing light through a double slit front-board would result in an Interference Pattern on the back-board, proving the wave-like behavior.
Since then the experiment has become extremely sensitive, highly technical, and directed towards a more specific investigations; so let's move forward to current times and into the area of Quantum Physics.
Today, when Quantum Physicists conduct the Double Slit Experiment they shoot Subatomic Particles through the double slit front-board. The subatomic particles they shoot are Electrons that come from Atoms. Here is what happens.
8
MIND BLOWING:
NOTE: When Scientists conduct a new experiment they often set it up, flip the “on” switch and leave the room. It's a safety thing in case the experiment blows-up.
In their investigation into the behaviors of subatomic particles the Quantum Physicists, in their laboratory set up the highly technical equipment that can automatically shoot a subatomic Electron Particle at a Double Slit front-board. They set it up, flipped the switch, and left the room. When the time was up, the indicators showed that the experiment was complete and successful.
Looking at the data the Quantum Physicists realized that the Pattern on the back-board showed an Interference Pattern. But how is that possible? Electrons are bits of Matter and should have made a double slit pattern, just like the marbles did; but instead it made an Interference Pattern like a wave. HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?? Remember, no one was in the room watching when the experiment went off.
They conducted the experiment again in exactly the same way and received the same result... and again they asked: How is that possible? 9
So they set it up a third time and left the room, but this time they included a watching device so they could see how it is that these little bits of Matter were behaving like waves and creating an Interference Pattern. When the time was up, the indicators showed that the experiment was complete and successful.
Looking at the data the Quantum Physicists realized that the Pattern on the back-board showed only the two slit pattern, like the marbles, and not an Interference Pattern like a wave. WHAT? That can't be correct.
They conducted the experiment again in exactly the same way and received the exactly the same result... and again they asked: How is that possible? What is going on here?
Over recent time Quantum Physicists have conducted this experiment hundreds of times and always with the same result: When there is no one watching the Electrons act like Waves, and when someone is watching the Electrons act like Particles.
OK, I hear you but I'm still not sure I understand what this means...
10
SIMPLEST EXPLANATION:
When I first heard this I was just like... ok, I'm not sure I really understand. So it was explained to me again using this simple example:
On one side of the room you have a piece of equipment (Electron Gun) that can shoot Electrons. On the other side of the room you have 10 targets in a line across the back wall. The Electron gun aims at one target and shoots out one (1) Electron. If someone is in the room watching the experiment then the Electron hits only the one target that the gun is aiming at. If no one is watching the one Electron hits all 10 targets at the same time.
So what is the difference and how do you explain the behavior? Go back to Particles and Waves. Particles are a piece of Matter which has substance and a fixed shape. Waves are energy that is an undefined potential.
When someone is watching the experiment there is an predefined “expectation” or belief regarding how the Electron should or will behave... and so it does. The Electron Gun aims at one target and so it hits the one
11
target. It behaves as we would expect it to. It does what we believe it will. When no one is watching there is no expectation or belief regarding how the Electron will behave and so, like a wave it seems to go everywhere. It hits all 10 targets because without any belief or expectation the Electron reflects all possibilities; all potentials.
The Final Conclusion that Quantum Physicists have determined it that Electrons behave according to how WE BELIEVE they will behave and not according to some law of physics, or some law of the universe, or of God... but rather we see and experience what we believe – and we believe what we are told to believe, when we are babies; while we are developing our own belief system based on the info we are provided by Society, Parents, Religion... it is what we are Cultured into believing. That is our reality.
The question is, if only one target represents our reality; if only one target represents our belief system then what are the other 9 realities? I guess the answer is; What do you Believe them to be?
This is why I ask the question: “OK, So what's really going on here?” 12
VIDEO
Link to What the Bleep – dbl slit experiment and consciousness...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiAj7S6ko9Q
Animated; Silly, kinda fun, Informative
If you would like us to send you a FREE printed copy of this pamphlet
($2 postage & handling)