Assignment 2

Reflections on Uncertainty

I am fascinated by Heisenberg's uncertainty principle. As I understand it, he said we cannot measure two qualities of an object at once with the same degree of precision. In other words, one has to choose which property to focus on and by doing so, the nature of the object changes. An example of this is when one tries to define light as a wave or a particle. As we read in class, Young thought light was a wave while Plank thought light was a particle. We now know that light is both a wave and a particle and it will behave one way or the other depending on how we measure it.

In a broader context, it seems that everything is uncertain, not just the behavior of subatomic particles. For when we choose to focus on a certain aspect of something, whether it is an object, a person, a religion or a culture, the nature of it changes. Our bias interferes with its very essence. Kristina Wirtz relates the Uncertainty Principle to what happens when humans observe other cultures. She says descriptions of other cultures are necessarily dependent on the observer’s point of view. Of course we all have our own biases which affect our perceptions. It's interesting to apply theories about quantum mechanics to human perception.

Comments on Causality

Can I cause a particle to come into existence just by measuring it? Does a tree fall in the forest just because I hear it? If I don't hear it, see it or verify it’s existence in some way, does this mean it doesn't exist?

I have a hard time believing that things are not happening unless I have something to do with it. While this is interesting to ponder, I think it is egocentric to believe that I or anyone else has this much power. I prefer to think that things exist just because they do, not because I or anyone else has anything to do with it.

Is the Universe Weird?

Yes, and it is awesome too! It is so complex and so miraculous. And, physics makes it seem even more weird. It's giving me all sorts of new ways to think about the universe, and at the same time is making it even more complex.