Light: WAVE or PARTICLE? Sean Carroll explains ☀️💡

[brotherjongrey]

Lol: Just isn't that mysterious...
We have no idea why it is this way, but no mystery there

[MrEnyecz]

If that is so unmysterious, may I ask what exactly "measure" means? :)

[markusklyver]

Also to add to this, light is neither a particle nor a wave. It has particle like qualities and wave like qualities. And it also have properties that neither other particles or waves have.

[JonnesTT]

"when we're measuring it, and when we're not." it isn't all that simple.
For one, any interaction with other particles is a "measurement".
For the other, when we measure it, we'll know how it will interact, even when we don't measure until the next interaction. (that's how quantum computing is reasonably reliable)
For more, there are experiments that show that it can continue to act as a particle or return to wave form after a measurement.
For yet more, the primary representation of those waves are called probability waves in reference to their particle-like interactions. So while it interacts with itself like a wave we still tend to treat its particle interactions entirely as if it remained a particle.

At this point I'm halfway on board with the idea that quantum particles are simply waveform maxima which we can only measure in discrete quantities. That is until I read the next study that implies the wave is simply a representation of uncertainty.

[chuth]

you just reiterated the fundamentally alien thing about it tho

[fabricerocha]

A measurement means a physical interaction, that interaction collapses the wave function into a particle, it's quite beautiful.

[bartoszskowronski]

i see that they ALWAYS are as particles, But they dont move in straight line but on sinewave track.

[kevinmartin]

The difficult bit is what does 'measuring it' mean.

[The_New_UG]

"It just isn't that mysterious"

and also..

"..that's the miracle"

What? It IS mysterious, otherwise you'd be able to EXPLAIN it, rather than DESCRIBE it.

[soren]

Quite nonsense, the „measurement“ BS is what exactly makes the confusion.
Looking on diffraction patterns formed by electrons after passing through a crystal is clearly wave like and I measured it. I have no idea what Sean want to say but what he says is nonsens.

[CharlesB-NGNM]

Physicists shouldn't use the word miracle.

[siuksliukaralius]

Well maybe if it acts like one thing and then when you measure it it acts like another thing… maybe it’s neither?