Curated category
Quantum mechanics
- Quantum mechanicsA single electron in a hydrogen atom exists as a cloud of probability rather than a fixed point. The brighter areas on the wave function diagram represent a…
- Quantum field theoryIn 1930, Robert Oppenheimer published a paper showing that calculations in quantum electrodynamics always resulted in infinite quantities.
- Subatomic particleA proton contains two up quarks and one down quark. This composite particle is smaller than an atom yet holds the core of matter.
- MultiverseIn the sixth century BCE, the pre-Socratic Greek philosopher Anaximander first suggested that infinite worlds might exist.
- Photoelectric effectIn 1887, Heinrich Hertz observed a strange behavior inside his spark-gap apparatus. He placed the device in a darkened box to see the sparks more clearly.
- ObservableA physicist in 1920s Cambridge held a ruler and measured the position of a falling ball. That measurement was an observable, a physical property that could…