Gedunken Shmedunken

[zigmazag18]

Here's a question. Suppose I have an electron sitting comfortably in some finite potential well (think a ball in a soup bowl where the ball is moving around in the bowl but not moving fast enough to pop out of the bowl). Suppose further that the wavefunction of the electron extends outside of the bowl (think of the ball as a wave whose ends flop

Comments

[onefamiliarface]

Wizards cast fireballs. Oh wait...that doesn't work in real arguments of reality does it? Electrons are wizards? I'm gonna go with that one. It pretty much ties up any loose ends.

I was just always under the impression that scientists used the "wizards cast fireballs" argument when it came to stuff like that by saying, "Oh, but it doesn't work at the sub-atomic level."

[zigmazag18]

oh much to the contrary, the conservation of energy pops up everywhere in quantum field theory and particle physics. It's about the single most robust and ubiquitous law there is. Really, it's about the only statement in all of physics that I'm more or less comfortable calling a "law".

And everyone knows wizards have solar panels lining their pointy hats, providing their "mana".

[stinkomandx]

Answer 1: Just blow a little into the well and you can pop the electron out.

Answer 2: What does this have to do with lightsabers?

[zigmazag18]

Well it's been a major motif of my lj for the past few years to toss out ridiculous claims that I've managed to once again "break physics". I'm willing to add that to my list of perpetual life accomplishments/goals:

1) Come up with ridiculous but oddly conceivable time-travel theories.
2) Same deal with teleportation (the secret is in the trampoline...).
3) Build a light saber (note to self, do this one when you're very old and have lived a satisfying, full life).
4) Break physics.

hmmmm, I'll have to update my resume now.

[onefamiliarface]

I actually have been trying to ride a cannonball into a Sultan's tower for nigh on 2 decades now, but nothing doing. Sometimes our most passionate goals are the hardest to reach.