Quantum Mechanics
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Anyone who is not shocked by quantum theory does not understand it.
—Niels Bohr, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics

Basic Information

Quantum Mechanics is the field of Physics dealing with the very small. It describes (and is primarily concerned with) subatomic particles, however it's ramifications extend to the macroscopic scale.

What makes Quantum Mechanics so interesting is that the universe functions very differently on the smaller scale than it does on the normal scale we are used to. Things that appear to happen with certainty are actually the result of mere probabilities at the subatomic scale. All matter and energy has wave-like and particle-like properties on the Quantum level. Particles can be linked such that observation of one modifies the other, even if millions of miles apart. Matter can spontaneously tunnel through other matter. The experimental data shows all these strange notions to be true, however, there's a great deal of debate as to what it all means philosophically. These Interpretations of Quantum Mechanics include vastly contradictory reasons for why the universe behaves as it does.

Concepts:

Interpretations:
(See also Interpretations of Quantum Mechanics)

Quantum Forces:

Experiments and Thought Experiments:

Direct Applications:

Other Fields, Domains, and Interpretations of Physics:

See Also:

Sources

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