Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • All About Space

    QUANTUM MECHANICS 101

    Dec 05, 2019 7 minutes
    Interviewed by Lee Cavendish

    Richard Feynman said about 50 years ago: “I think I can safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics.” Is that still the case?

    I think that is the case as long as we interpret what he says in a certain way. What is absolutely the case is that physicists don't agree about quantum mechanics. Even if one physicist does understand it, nobody else thinks that they understand it. As a field I would say it's safe to say that physicists don't claim to understand quantum mechanics.

    Did you write the book to make quantum mechanics more accessible, or was it to outline that there are issues and call for new physics?

    I definitely didn't want to just outline the issues. I wanted to present the plausible way forward based on [Hugh] Everett’s ‘many-worlds’ version of quantum mechanics, while also arguing that even if that approach is wrong, it's still very important that we have an approach, that we don’t just wallow in the mystery of quantum mechanics and that we stop just saying: “Wow. It's weird. It's spooky. It'll never be understood” and try to bring it into the realm of

    You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

    More from All About Space

    All About Space5 min read
    Do You Have What It Takes To Be An Astronaut?
    NASA intends to reach Mars in the next decade, and sciencefiction movies and TV shows are making space exploration look more exciting than ever. But have you ever asked yourself if you’re really cut out for life as an astronaut? In 2021, NASA receive
    All About Space5 min read
    “I Want To Be A Champion Of Sustainability In Space”
    In July 2023, the venerable Ariane 5 roared skyward and attained retirement status. But that launch also signalled what you saw as Europe entering a launch crisis. How are you dealing with that predicament? We had quite a few challenges. Industry too
    All About Space2 min read
    Venus In Art And Mythology
    The high visibility of Venus in the night sky has made it a fixture in human mythology and art since before history began. In Roman mythology, Venus was the goddess of love, beauty, fertility, prosperity and victory. Considered an ancestor of the Rom

    Related