I always heard about the importance and influence of Quantum Physics/Mechanics. Since my lack of physics background, it is always hard to start to learn more.
I am graceful that legendary theoretical physicist Hans Bethe, in 1999, delivered three lectures on quantum theory to his neighbors at the Kendal of Ithaca retirement community (near Cornell University) at his age 93 and share it to the World.
During the Lecture Prof Hans Bethe tried to clarify some misconception about Quantum Theory and said:
“Inventors of Quantum Mechanics including the best one, like Bohr and Heisenberg, did a very bad service to people by putting the uncertainty principle so high in their discussion.”
“Only the Orbits of electrons in atom can not be described. But quantum mechanics makes exact predictions of all observable quantities, for instance, wave lengths of spectral lines — all spectral lines of all atoms.”
“It is completely misleading to say: Quantum mechanics makes things uncertain.”
“So the idea that Quantum Theory makes things uncertain is totally wrong, and of course once Physicist stated it, the Philosopher will be delighted and said everything is uncertain. That is not at all, God.”
“But determinism does not hold in the atomic domain.”
“In atomic physics, we use known forces, electric and magnetic, and a new mechanics, namely quantum mechanics. Going on to atomic nuclei, we keep quantum mechanics, but must find new forces, the strong force. This was explained in the 1930s. In the 1960s and later, we learned that the nuclear forces are rather complicated. But quantum mechanics remained the same.”
Prof Bethe actually illustrated how insignificant of the uncertain in some calculation.
dCafe 