We did something a little different in this episode and answered questions from you, our viewers. If you have a questions about the universe, past videos, or life as a scientist, leave a comment below!
How can you train yourself to be a quantum detector? Quantum interactions happen at impossibly small scales. But the life-size effects are all around you. You can detect quantum mechanics all over — if you know how to look for it.
ADVANCED SCIENTIFIC NOTE: Quantum mechanics would be much more obvious if we had very sensitive eyes. If your eyes identified each photon individually, you would see them land as described in the video, and only build up to this wave pattern. The pattern that we see can be explained classically by waves, it is *ultimately* a quantum phenomenon. The only reason it’s hard to tell is because our light detectors (eyes) aren’t quite sensitive enough.
Even if you don’t, watch anyway. Maybe I’ll convince you. And if not, maybe I’ll impart some important skills or perspectives upon you. A lot of what I say can be applied not only to physics, but to other academic disciplines as well.
Here are some resources for learning physics (in order of increasing difficulty)
Amateur (little to no math)
A Briefer History of Time by Stephen Hawking
The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow
The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene
Cosmos by Carl Sagan
Fearful Symmetry by Anthony Zee
Recruit (some calculus, maybe a DiffEQ here or there)
University Physics by Roger Freedman
Physics (Vol 1 and 2) by Resnick, Halliday, and Krane
Regular (know calculus cold, and have a good handle on DiffEQs)
An Introduction to Mechanics by Kleppner and Kolenkow
Electricity and Magnetism by Purcell
Classical and Statistical Thermodynamics by Ashley Carter
Hardened (all of the “baby maths” should be second nature to you)
Classical Mechanics by Taylor
Introduction to Electrodynamics by Griffiths
Introduction to Quantum Mechanics by Griffiths
Introduction to Elementary Particles by Griffiths
Veteran (you will not survive)
A Modern Approach to Quantum Mechanics by Townsend
Quantum Field Theory in a Nutshell by Anthony Zee
Studies indicating that studying in pairs is ideal:
Hake, R. R. (1998). Interactive-engagement versus traditional methods: A six-thousand-student survey of mechanics test data for introductory physics courses. American journal of Physics, 66, 64.
When Sick Science! first got its start, we introduced an experiment called the Color Mixing Wheel. This spinning science toy was a great way to show you what happens when the primary colors blend together to make secondary colors. Our Sick Scientists have taken it a step further. What happens when you spin a wheel that has all 6 primary and secondary colors?
