On Sat, 04 May 2013 13:09:17 +0200, Jos Bergervoet wrote:
> On 5/3/2013 5:29 AM, benj wrote:
>> So a theory that simply relies on probability calculations using
>> imaginary waves in nothing at all ...
>
> Are you confusing quantum field theory with an older version from
> earlier centuries, perhaps? Quantum fields are much more complicated
> than "waves", and the quantum vacuum isn't "nothing"
> but is more or less as complicated as a state with some quanta in it.
Quantum fields follow solution of the wave equation. Seems significant,
no? If a "quantum vacuum" isn't "nothing" then what is it? Oh wait. How
about "mystery".
>> ... is "incredibly accurate" science?
>
> Whether it is accurate depends on whether it makes accurate predictions.
> GPS accuracy may be "incredibly accurate" to some, I guess.. (Personally
> I believe in it, I have to add.)
So "incredibly accurate" is relative? OK. I'll buy that. So if you are
talking no solutions at all vs something that looks like what is
measured. Yeah OK. But EM calculations are what *I* call "incredibly
accurate" Not QM probabilistic hand waving. EM works to almost as many
decimal places as you can measure, even though it's known to be an
incorrect theory. Still "incredibly accurate" in it's agreement with
measurements, given enough energy to average.
>> Most real problems can't even be solved for a "probable" answer even
>> with computers! Imaginary "energy wells" is your idea of reality?
>
> Those were not mentioned at all! Where in the thread did you get the
> impression that Larry wants imaginary energy wells to describe reality?
Larry said that QM calculations were "incredibly accurate". Don't you
guys read? Jos I don't have to tell you what kind of "assumptions" are
made to create those "incredibly accurate" calculations! You already know
that.
>> And jimp you can explain wave-particle duality to us paying particular
>> attention to what mechanisms underlie the equations.
>
> But isn't that an obsolete question? Can you formulate what you mean
> with this "duality" (lest the answer given to you might be 42).
>
>> ... You can't even
>> explain if an electron splits and goes through two slits or just goes
>> through one but has "feelers" for sensing the other slit.
>
> You talk like an electron is an object, but it isn't. It's a quantum
> which describes the difference between two states of the field. Why
> would anyone explain whether a difference between situations is going
> through slits?!
See this is EXACTLY the problem here. Larry says QM is "incredibly
accurate" and you say it doesn't even describe real objects. It's all
just imaginary nomenclature that is manipulated to feel good.
Hint: Physics deals with real objects not imaginary ones.
> Or perhaps you mean with "an electron" some state of the quantum field
> that is one quantum above the vacuum? Still your question would be
> meaningless..
Questions about real experiments and real matter and real effects are
physics, not "meaningless". Questions about the meaning of words, the
naming of imaginary objects and their relationships is psychology not
physics. Are electrons self-actualizing?
> Of course it would be already meaningless if we were still talking about
> old simple wave equations instead of a quantum field. Also there, no-one
> needs to explain whether a wave goes through one slit. It simply
> doesn't, in general! But wave mechanics does not explain the outcome of
> real experiments so in that case you would have a point in challenging
> it. (It simply is wrong.)
So your argument is that if a certain mathematical mechanics (lets be
honest here) "sort of" produce results close enough to a few actual
experiments, we can simply extend the whole concept to a world view by
extrapolating into all areas where it was not demonstrated at all? And
even better, just accept that without question? I don't think so. That
isn't science.
> For a quantum field, with decoherence of simultaneous results, what
> objection do you still see? (Is it the obvious one that you feel uneasy
> with other co-existing alternatives?!)
What objections do I see? What is a "quantum field"? What is
"decoherence"? What are "simultaneous results? What is "action at a
distance? If terms don't have meaning grounded in physical reality, then
they are just psycho-babble.
It's like religious people arguing about terms like "the trinity". You
can argue half a day over it, and people on all sides are sure they are
right about it, but in the end it's just words with no experimental
verification. So people just shout dogma at each other.
This thread was started with bold statements about how much was known
about electromagnetics and I pointed out that nobody has a clue what even
light is! And then Larry decided that QM was "Incredibly accurate". And
then Jos decided that if you have a jargon name for something that
"explains" it. I suggest that just a tiny bit less exuberance would be
far more realistic.