I had never heard of the Pauli Exclusion Principle before in the way this fellow, physicist Brian Cox, describes it, but it sort of freaks me out. It basically says that every atom in the world is instantaneously affected by every other atom. Watch the video and you'll see. I mean it's not like he's saying that an atom in my thumb could totally be like a solar system for some really little dudes, or that Schroedinger's Cat might appear in my bathtub. No, he's saying that by definition, if I scratch my bottom, I change the entire universe. You know, at first this seems real cool, like I'm some sort of all-powerful god or something, but then the responsibility sets in. Just think about it. If anything you do necessarily changes the universe, it seems like you should be really careful about what you do. Then of course, the reality of the situation takes over. Everybody is continually changing the universe. So, basically, every atom of my being is continually jerked around because you don't think before you scratch your bottom. I mean, come on... Think a little people. Please.
Below are two videos that try to explain the Pauli Exclusion Principle in different terms.
No comments:
Post a Comment