- #1
tonyxon22
- 75
- 5
If I understand correctly, this very important principle in quantum theory says that the more precise you know the position of a particle, the less precise its momentum can be known. So this raises several questions to my mind:
1) Does this principle applies to photons? Isn’t a photon source, and a photomultiplier (which I understand are able to detect individual photons) a completely defined system? If light travels in straight lines, we can emit one single photon and also detect it, so I think that indirectly we know everything about the photon, including its position and of course speed (because it’s fixed) at all times. I mean, is seems logical that we can predict that the photomultiplier is going to detect a photon when you shoot light into it, so I don’t see where the uncertainties are in this system.
2) Regarding the other particles, how is it possible to manipulate them without know exactly where they are and how they’re moving? In old TVs for example where you had a shooter of electrons manipulated by magnetic fields to make them crash in a particular way against a sensitive screen to create an image. Don’t you need to know where the electrons are in the first place, and what your magnetic flied is doing to them (how they are moving)? I have the same doubt with the Large Hadron Collider. In order to cause a frontal collision between to protons at 99,999% the speed of light(!) don’t you need to know exactly where they are and how they are moving?
Thanks and best regards,
1) Does this principle applies to photons? Isn’t a photon source, and a photomultiplier (which I understand are able to detect individual photons) a completely defined system? If light travels in straight lines, we can emit one single photon and also detect it, so I think that indirectly we know everything about the photon, including its position and of course speed (because it’s fixed) at all times. I mean, is seems logical that we can predict that the photomultiplier is going to detect a photon when you shoot light into it, so I don’t see where the uncertainties are in this system.
2) Regarding the other particles, how is it possible to manipulate them without know exactly where they are and how they’re moving? In old TVs for example where you had a shooter of electrons manipulated by magnetic fields to make them crash in a particular way against a sensitive screen to create an image. Don’t you need to know where the electrons are in the first place, and what your magnetic flied is doing to them (how they are moving)? I have the same doubt with the Large Hadron Collider. In order to cause a frontal collision between to protons at 99,999% the speed of light(!) don’t you need to know exactly where they are and how they are moving?
Thanks and best regards,