This Will Mindfuck You: The Double-Slit Experiment
The video below shows scientific proof that there is something NOT quite logical or scientific about this universe. The mere act of observation can completely change the outcome of an event! Before I get too ahead of myself, you need to watch the video below to understand:
(Forgive the corny cartoon character explaining the concept — at least he knows his stuff)
Recap: When a camera observed the electrons, they acted as particles. However, when the no equipment was used to observe the electrons, they acted as waves and particles simultaneously.
So what’s the reason for this? Does the electron somehow know that it is being watched? That was the only “logical” reason that scientists could come up with so much skepticism and controversy followed.
Want even further proof?
Then in 2002, a group of researchers set up the experiment in a way that the electron could not possibly receive information about the existence of an observing instrument. The setup was on a much smaller scale: a single photon was emitted and an interferometer that observed the wave-or-particle behavior was either inserted or not inserted. (Click here to download the full report)
Here’s the kicker: The insertion of the interferometer took only 40 nanoseconds (ns) while it would take 160 ns for the information about the configuration to travel from the interferometer to reach the photon before it entered the slits. This means in order for the photon to “know” if it was being watched, that information would have to travel at 4 times the speed of light, which is impossible (the speed of light is the universal speed limit).
The Results: The photons acted like particles 93% of the time that they were observed. Even if the photon “guessed” the configuration each time, statistically speaking it would never have more than 52% accuracy. In scientific experiments, a 93% success rate is as conclusive as they come.
What are the implications of this?
1. Matter can act as both a wave and a particle depending on whether or not it is being observed (Wave-Duality Theory)
This is the least meaningful implication for you as a macroscopic organism, but nonetheless it’s a pretty crazy concept.
2. Observation can (possibly) affect the outcome of macroscopic events
After all, you and everything you know are composed of these microscopic particles, so why couldn’t something large be influenced as well? It would be the sum of a seemingly infinite amount of pieces of matter acting as either waves or particles. Scientists have very mixed opinions on this topic so I’ll just say it makes sense to me that this could happen on a larger scale.
3. We don’t know very much about this universe (Science is not yet an ‘exact science’)
There are a couple things out there that science still cannot explain like the characteristics of gravity, but this blows Newton’s discovery out of the water. As we study smaller and smaller particles in order to understand more about what we’re made, we seem to find more things that just don’t make sense. Point being that nothing should be ruled out completely because we simply cannot know anything for certain at this point.
What other implications did you get out of these experiments?
1. http://www.colorado.edu/physics/2000/schroedinger/two-slit2.html
2. http://arxiv.org/abs/0710.2597
3.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_mind
Lost Dog said on 07.26.2012
Ok, so I have seen this before and studied it a little. I understand it to a point and do agree that it is a mind-f/ker. The reason I got into it is that I was blown away by Schrodinger’s Cat and even though it seems impossible the double slit experiment only gives strength to Schrodinger and his cat. Even though Schrodinger’s Cat was only a thought experiment and probably more of a joke. If you want a real mind twister Take what you have learned here and go read up on Schrodinger and his cat.
oiram said on 01.02.2013
c’mon, this is an old physics experiment…we did this in highschool [1982] .combined with a bit of basic quantum knowledge this is not a mindfuck…at all….. just think ”out of the box” and its very understandable… once this becomes clear ad common knowledge, every other so-called mind fuck becomes easy to grasp… even the documentary were this is copied from is old already…
Goingthere said on 07.26.2012
Is it possible that the observer was creating a wave/energy that was pushing the mass to reacte like, well, a marble as they put it?
Jay said on 08.18.2012
I understand the the reasoning behind why this happens but there is one thing that doesnt make sense to me. Why do we see the wave pattern for the electrons at all? If the close up observation makes it show as a particle pattern (two bands) then that must mean that the only difference is the distance from which we measure it? Technically, we as humans are still an observer, but we observe the wave pattern, if we moved closer, or could see the particles as close as the ‘observing equipment’, wouldn’t we see the particle pattern? Any explanation on this would be much appreciated.
metamojohero said on 11.05.2012
So is this why you can kinda feel when someone is watching you?
Derek said on 11.05.2012
If you think this is weird, then you should look into spooky action at a distance. It basically says that when two particles are “entangled” and one particle is observed or measured, it instantly effects the other particle even when this particle is an infinite distance away.
gunn said on 11.06.2012
The particle is an ensemble of the dot events connected by probability. This probability submits to the equations of the quantum theory. No dualism is present.
http://arxiv.org/pdf/1002.3425
TripGun said on 11.27.2012
Quantum teleportation is instant, so in this case information is being instantly teleported to the traveling electron so it will behave accordingly, this does not surprise me. This experiment does suggest a thinking level of quantum consciousness as to be able to withhold information from us and also would have to understand what we are trying to see happen. As in the case of Schrodinger’s Cat it is the observation that changes the experiment and also could be used to explain that I am not me without the observer. We seem to currently lack the capacity to understand our role in the crevice of a fractal universe.
MikeA said on 12.17.2012
Half the explanation (as to why particles form a wave interference pattern) is because the dimension of time shrinks in the quantum world. In essence, the quantum world isn’t affected by time. As a result, the particles travel back and forth through space and time so they interact with each other and form the interference pattern (even if they’re shot one at a time). This is why the mathematics show that they go through no slots, one slot, the other slots, and both slots. In one history they are not going through either slot, then they go back in time and in the next history they are going through either one slot or the other, then they travel back in time and go through both slots. Of course, since we’re transcending time, these alternate histories don’t occur in sequence, they occur simultaneously. The other half of this quandary is to ask “why does observation change the result?” I believe observation (consciousness) is part of the fabric of the universe and affects it all the time (in ways we can see on the quantum level and in ways that we cannot see in the macro world). Observation brings the non-linear alternate histories into linear time – thus giving us a single history. If we dig deeper, then this could be huge for the macro world. In other words, since quantum particles can be here and not be here at the same time, then does that mean that existence has the same simultaneous relationship of being here and not here? If history and reality are variables, then it could mean that history and reality change all the time and we don’t know it because we’re not able to observe it. Perhaps the life and history that we know isn’t the same life and history that we experienced yesterday. Perhaps we are living multiple lives and experiencing multiple histories simultaneously, but again, we don’t know it because we cannot observe it.
oiram said on 01.02.2013
thats ancient…we did this expiriment at physics class in the early 80ies…hahahahahaha…. what has happened to the learning capacity of todays ”students”… too much aspartame, mercury and video-games?
TripGun said on 01.07.2013
Oiram, your comment leans towards a misconception of the experiments argument. Perhaps it is too much saccharine, malathion, DDT, diazanon and lawn-jarts.
Rakim said on 01.20.2013
Physics actually explains this experiment: What you’re seeing is radioactive decay; basically, the particle decays in a wave-like pattern, and it eventually tunnels into a straighter, post-decay state. This takes time of course, and when you try to observe the particle, it collapses into one particular state, like resetting a clock every time you look, explaining the different ending patterns…
Daniel said on 02.02.2013
There is a logic to it, we just don’t know what that logic is yet
Donavan From Space said on 03.01.2013
This is interesting to say the least, but for some reason I am of the opinion that, quantum events itself wouldn’t want us as organisms to live a life where we are aware of our past, current and future events. Thus, not necessarily saying that the idea of quantum events is an exact science, but rather the universe’s way of showing us that we will never truly understand; so stop. Logistics are logistics but is it logical to think that the universe can, at any time exploit our logical flaws by its own definition of logistics?