IN A NUTSHELL

Quantum physics seeks to explain the activity of matter/energy within the smallest physical expanses of the universe. The realm of quantum physics spans from atoms, to the subatomic particles that create atoms, down to the enigmatic fabric of space/time.

IMPLICATIONS

With the development of quantum physics, a paradigm shift erupted in our understanding of science. The image of a 'clockwork universe' in which everything follows neatly from A to B has given way to a vision of a less predictable, less tangible universe. In the microworld, we cannot be certain of any outcome, but merely calculate the chance that something will happen.

When it comes to large things like baseballs and planets, things within the realm of classical physics, scientists can, given enough information, reliably predict an object's speed or its location in the future. For small things,though, like subatomic particles, just the act of observing the particle affects its speed and location. Scientists cannot gather enough information to predict a result with certainty; they can only calculate the relative probability of various outcomes. Quantum physicists have discovered that the universe has a built-in limit to the amount of information we can gather through measurement. Quantification has its limits; just because something cannot be completely measured and quantified doesn't mean it's useless to inquire about its nature.

The uncertainty inherent to the quantum reminds us that we are not in control of a completely predictable universe. If the universe is not just a predictable machine, perhaps things are more than just the sum of their parts. Perhaps there is a unique dynamic that emerges as the parts work together as a whole, and are interconnected within a greater whole.

'Star Map,' by Antonio Intrieri

Also, the fact that we are aware of the quantum world indirectly, through our technology rather than directly through our senses, reminds us there is more to the universe than just what we can see, touch and feel directly, and that these things are meaningful.

WHAT HAPPENS IN THE MICROWORLD STAYS IN THE MICROWORLD

With the above being said about revolutions in thinking about physics and the universe, about what we can know and how we know it, I feel the following admonitions are in order. Some have taken the amazing freak show of the quantum world and extended its implications to large things. People have pinned the word 'quantum' to everything from vitamins to self-help schemes in an effort to imbue their products with the awe-inspiring and mysterious attributes of the quantum. Yes, the quantum world is the physical core of everything and all of us, and it does behave in wondrous and unconventional ways, but just because a subatomic particle can disappear and reappear somewhere else, usually close by, does not mean that you or I will anytime soon. It's just much less likely that the gazillion subatomic particles that make up big things will disappear all at the same time and reappear at the same time and in the same place. Most inaccurate claims about quantum physics don't usually go as far as suggesting we can transport ourselves like the characters in Star Trek, but this example illustrates how things in the microworld can behave in amazing ways, yet this behavior remains in the context of the quantum realm.

Another aspect of quantum physics often elaborated upon in unsubstantiated ways is the role of the observer, and hence, consciousness in relation to quantum physics. The fascinating intersection between the material and our minds is a fertile source of speculation, however, not enough is known to make definite assertions about how the quantum interfaces with consciousness.

Some would claim that we "create our own realities"via quantum effects. Those who assert this usually draw upon the "many worlds"theory, an idea postulated by some physicists, saying that for every possibility of every variable, a different universe exists. This theory says that instead of one universe, there are many; that we really inhabit a 'multiverse.' I don't think one needs to invoke quantum physics to assert that, to some degree, we create our own realities, but anyone who says that quantum physics can allow you to "see it, believe it, achieve it" is just full of wishful thinking, which isn't all bad, but isn't all true either. An amusing and informative article addressing this topic can be found at: http://www.abc.net.au/science/features/bleep

If you're interested in agreeing, disagreeing or expounding upon issues like these, please visit The Quantum Physics Tarot's discussion board

A FEW OF THE MAIN POINTS

'Objects' in the subatomic world behave very differently from those in the world at large - Particles tunnel through theoretically impenetrable barriers, disappear and reappear, and can be 'connected' to each other despite being separated by large distances. Evidence of this connection displays itself at speeds faster than light, which is supposed to be impossible...these are just a few examples of the weird behavior within the quantum...

Energy comes in 'packets,' or discrete units called "quanta," not in a continuous, unbroken spectrum - This discovery of the quantisation of energy is what kicked it all off for quantum theory in the early 1900's when physicists like Einstein, Lorentz and Boltzmann responded to a paper Max Planck wrote concerning 'black-body radiation.' To answer the question of whether light is a particle or a wave, physicists studied the way light and other forms of energy, like x-rays, radiate off matter. Throwing more particles of light at an object, increasing frequency, increases the number of particles thrown off, but does not increase the amount of energy emitted. This is why Einstein proposed that the amount of energy particles have come in specific units, which he called quanta.