Quantum Leap Day

From iFlush: Swimming in Science, 2013, Portable Press

The year is 1947 and Bell Labs has just invented the transistor, a world-changing device using quantum mechanics. What is quantum mechanics? I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’ll explain that below!

Weird Science

Don't be scared off by the term quantum mechanics. A quantum is the tiniest bit of energy inside an atom. And mechanics is the study of motion. So quantum mechanics is the field of science that deals with the motion of tiny stuff inside atoms. And, boy, is that world a weird one! 

classic atom model

Take an electron, for example. It’s a tiny particle that orbits an atom’s nucleus. Kind of like a planet orbiting the Sun, right? Wrong! Experiments have shown electrons can behave like waves. And trying to predict where one will be at any moment is a guessing game because electrons can instantly jump from one orbit to another—making quantum leaps! 

But it gets even weirder. Two quanta (the plural of quantum) can share a mysterious link, even if they’re far apart. In one experiment in 2012, scientists took a connected pair of photons (quanta of light) and separated them. Photon 1 was then altered, and guess what? Photon 2, on an island 88 miles away (143 km), was instantly altered as well! The two were entangled, a strange connection between quanta that no one can really explain. 

In fact, there’s a lot about quantum mechanics that scientists have trouble explaining. Even Richard Feynman, a quantum brainiac, once said, “I think it is safe to say that no one understands quantum mechanics.” But here’s the thing: quantum mechanics isn’t just weird. It’s useful! Especially to inventors.

The transistor was one of the first inventions using quantum mechanics. It replaced vacuum tubes, which were big, easy to break, and needed a lot of electricity. Transistors made the computers of today possible. They’re also responsible for digital cameras, CD and DVD players, cell phones, ATMs, lasers, and the list goes on and on. 

So, now you know what I know—which isn’t much. But hopefully it’s more than you knew about quantum mechanics when you woke up today.