PONTIFICAL INSTITUTE OF

THEOLOGY AND PHILOSOPHY

ALWAYE

AN ASSIGNMENT ON

PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE

THEME:

QUANTUM MECHANICS

“A Study On Quantum Mechanics

And It’s Philosophical Implications”

SUBMITTED TO REV. Dr. CHACKO

SUBMITTED BY Fr. SUNIL PAZHAMPILLY OCD, MPh

 QUANTUM MECHANICS
“A Study On Quantum Mechanics

And It’s Philosophical Implications”

I, INTRODUCTION

Together with Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, the Quantum Mechanics forms the most
important basis of modern theoretical physics. Quantum mechanics is the science of the very
small. It explains the behavior of matter and its interaction with energy on the scale of atoms and
subatomic particles. Quantum Mechanics does not follow the general principles of the ordinary
physics. The quantum particles are so small and not practically visible, yet the presence of such
particles is detected by the trails they produced during collision. The classical physics explains
matter and energy on a scale familiar to human experience. According to classical theory there
are only two entities in the world that is “Particle and Radiation”. Mechanics is the theoretical
part that is applied in the field of particle and Wave theory is the theoretical part that deals with
the radiation. However toward the end of 19th century the scientists have discovered phenomena
in both the Large (macro) and the small (micro) worlds that classical physics could not explain.
This limitation in the classical physics led to two major revolutions in the field of physics, the
origin of the theory of relativity and the development of quantum mechanics.

This assignment is a work to fulfill the demand of the Mph course on the subject “Philosophy of
Science”. The learner has taken “Quantum Mechanics” as the topic for his study. Here the
learner tries to understand the meaning of quantum mechanics, its development, understanding of
reality and the philosophical implications.
 INDEX

I, INTRODUCTION

II. QUANTUM MECHANICS

II.1.DEVELOPMENT
II.1. a. OLD QUANTUM THEORIS
II.1. a.i. Max Plank (1858-1947)
II.1. a.ii. Albert Einstein (Photoelectric Effect) 1905
II.1. a.iii. Niel Bohr (1913)

II.1. b. NEW QUANTUM THEORY

II.1. b. i. Louis De Broglie (1924)
II.1. b. ii. Schrodinger’ Wave Equation (1926)
II.1. b. iii. Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle (1927)
II.1. b. iv. Davisson And Germer (The Double Slit Experiment (1927)
II.1. b. iv. a. Constructive Interference,
II.1. b. iv. b. Destructive Interference

III .INTERPRETATION OF THE QUANTUM MECHANICS

III.1. The Copenhagen Interpretation
III.1. i. Uncertainty Principles (indeterminacy principles)
III.1.ii. The Principle of Complementarities and
III.1.iii. The Collapse of the Wave Function

III.2. Many-World Interpretation

IV. PHILOSOPHICAL IMPLICATIONS

IV .a) Non-Deterministic or uncertainty principle
IV .b) Non-Locality
IV .c) Coherence And Decoherence
IV .d) Cause and Effect relations

V. CONCLTIONS

VI. BIBLIOGRAPHY

**************************
II. QUANTUM MECHANICS

Quantum mechanics is the science of the very small. It explains the behavior of matter and its
interactions with energy on the scale of atom and subatomic particles. Classical mechanics,
based on Newton’s laws of motion (1686), successfully describes the motion of all macroscopic
objects such as a falling stone, orbiting planets etc, which have a particle like nature. 1 As the
sign of further development there came Dalton’s (1766-1844) Atomic Theory. He postulated that
matter is made of atoms, which are indivisible and indestructible and he regarded the atom as the
ultimate particle of matter.2 However these laws, when applied to microscopic objects like
electrons, sub-atoms, molecules etc, failed to explain them. The main cause for this is the
ignorance of the classical mechanics about the concept of dual behavior of matter especially for
sub-atomic particles and the uncertainty principle. In order to overcome this problem of Physics,
the dual behavior of matter, a new filed has developed and it is called the Quantum Mechanics.
According to quantum mechanics events do not happen deterministically, but everything is mere
possibility.

This section deals with Development, Old Quantum Theoris; Max Plank (1858-1947), Albert
Einstein (Photoelectric Effect) 1905, Niel Bohr (1913), and New Quantum Theory; Louis De
Broglie (1924), Schrodinger’ Wave Equation (1926), Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle (1927),
Davisson And Germer (The Double Slit Experiment (1927), Constructive Interference, and
Destructive Interference,

II.1.DEVELOPMENT

Quantum Theory is the theoretical basis of modern physics that explains the nature and behavior
of matter and energy on the atomic and subatomic level.  The human beings were under a great
search to know the ultimate nature of reality. As a result of this unceasing quest there originated
the quantum mechanics. The quantum mechanics may be defined as the physics of molecules,
atoms and elementary particles. The development of quantum mechanics can be seen in two
stages; 1) Old Quantum Theory and 2) New Quantum Theory.

II.1. a. OLD QUANTUM THEORIS

The scientists questioned some of the age old concepts like absolute motion, absolute space,
absolute mass, unlimited perfectibility of experimental result etc. The attempts were also made to
know how the energy is emitted, propagated and absorbed. The solution to the later search was
that energy is emitted, propagated and absorbed continuously as water flows. The wave theory
successfully explains many properties of electromagnetic radiations such as reflection, refraction,
diffraction, interference, polarization, etc., but fails to explain some phenomenon like black body
radiation, photo-electric effect, etc.3

The beginning of the 20th century marked with the greatest discovery of atom. The atoms consist
of nucleus and electrons. The electrons are revolving round the nucleus in different orbits and
1
Chemistry part-1, p49, State Council of Educational Research and Training, 3rd edition, March 2011,
Thiruvananthapuram.
2
Abbid, p26
3
Fundamental Physics, Vol.ll, K.L.Gomber & K.L. Gogia, pub. byPradeep Publications, 22nd Edition,2012
each orbit has a discreet energy level. This discreet energy or packet of energy is called Quanta.
The term Quanta is a Latin word which means minimum amount of any physical entity involved
in an interaction.

II.1. a.i. Max Plank (1858-1947)

Max Plank is the first German physicist, who made many contributions to theoretical physics.
His name was marked as the founder of the quantum Mechanics, which revolutionized the
human understanding about the atomic and sub-atomic processes. The wave theory failed to
explain some phenomenon like black body radiation, photo-electric effect, etc. In order to
explain black body radiation and photo-electric effect, Max Planck in I901 presented a new
theory, which is known as quantum theory of radiation to the German Physical Society.
According to this theory, a hot body emits radiant energy not continuously but discontinuously in
the form of small packets of energy called quantum (in plural quanta).Through this theory Planck
had sought to discover the reason that radiation from a glowing body changes in color from red,
to orange, and, finally, to blue as its temperature rises. The energy associated with each quantum
of a given radiation is proportional to the frequency of the emitted radiation. He found that by
making the assumption that energy existed in individual units in the same way that matter does,
and was therefore quantifiable. According to Plank, light radiation consists of tiny packets of
energy called Quanta. One quantum of light radiation is called a Photon which travels with the
speed of light.4 Planck's constant, symbolized H, relates the energy in one quantum (photon) of
electromagnetic radiation to the frequency of that radiation. The existence of these units became
the first assumption of quantum theory.

Black body:- A blackbody is a theoretically ideal radiator and a surface that absorbs all radiant
energy falling on it. The term arises because incident visible light will be absorbed rather than
reflected, and therefore the surface will appear black. The energy emitted by a blackbody is
called blackbody radiation.

Planck’s constant: - Plank’s Constant, which is symbolized by ‘h’, is a fundamental

physical constant. It is the constant of nature introduced by Max Plank . It is the
fundamental characteristic of the mathematical formulations of quantum mechanics. This is a
constant that gives the unvarying ratio of the energy of a quantum of radiation to its
frequency and that has an approximate value of 6.626 ×1 0−34. This constant plays the same
role that the speed of light plays in relativity theory. The significance of Planck’s constant in this
context is that radiation, such as light, is emitted, transmitted, and absorbed in discrete energy
packets, or quanta, determined by the frequency of the radiation and the value of Planck’s
constant. The dimension of Planck’s constant is the product of energy multiplied by time, a
quantity called action. Planck’s constant is often defined, therefore, as the elementary quantum
of action.5

II.1. a.ii. Albert Einstein (Photoelectric Effect) 1905

4
Fundamental Physics, Vol.ll, K.L.Gomber & K.L. Gogia, pub. byPradeep Publications, 22nd Edition,2012
5
Quantum Mechanics Statistical Mechanics and Solid State Physics, D. Chattopadhyay and P.C. Rakshit, Pub. by
S. Chand & Company Ltd, 7th edition, 2006
The term Photoelectric Effect means the ejection of electrons from the surface of the metal when
the metal is exposed to light of certain minimum frequency. According to Einstein the
photoelectric effect cannot be explained by considering the light as wave, hence applying
quantum theory as follows:

1. All electromagnetic radiations consist of small discrete energy packets called photons. These
photons are associated with definite amount of energy given by the equation E=hν.

2. Energy is emitted, absorbed as well as propagated in the form of photons only.

3. The electron is ejected from the metal, only when a photon of sufficient energy strikes the
electron. When a photon strikes the electron, some part of the energy of photon is used to free the
electron from the attractive forces in the metal atom and the remaining part is converted into
kinetic energy.6

According to him not just the energy, but also the radiation itself was quantized in the same
manner. Thus he support Max Plank’s hypothesis

II.1. a.iii. Niel Bohr (1913)

Niel developed the Quantum Theory through his experiment on the spectral lines of the hydrogen
atom by assuming that energy came in quanta. According to him if an electron is to jump up
away from the nucleus to a higher energy orbit, it needs to gain energy. This extra energy is
received from the light falling on the atom. The incident light must deliver exactly the right
amount of energy to make up the difference between the energy of the orbit left behind and the
one to which the electron jumps. According to him the energy is transferred in a certain well
defined quantity. Bohr assumed that the amount of energy drawn from the light conform to
Plank’s formula, that is, the energy is just ‘h’ times its frequency.

II.1. b. NEW QUANTUM THEORY

In old quantum theory, the theories were depended on a contradictory mix of classical and non-
classical notions. But those theories gave a wonderfully rich repertoire of methods for accounting
for atomic spectra. But a major breakthrough came in the field of quantum mechanics was in the
middle of the 1920s. During this time on wards a number of theories came up and contributed a
lot to the quantum domain. De Borglie, Schroedinger, Heisenberg, Born etc were some of them.
The main ideas of the New Quantum theory are, Matrix based approaches, the Matter Wave
ideas, C-Numbers and Q-Numbers and etc.

II.1. b. i. Louis De Broglie (1924)

According to him there is no fundamental difference in the makeup and behavior of energy and
matter. On the atomic and sub-atomic level the matter and the energy will behave either as wave
or as particle because the atomic level particles have very less mass and hence both particle and
wave nature is prevalent in them. This dual behavior of displaying both particle and wave nature
is known as dual nature of matter. According to him electrons and protons are real particles

6
Eureka: Discovering Your Inner Scientist (Basic Books, 2014), Chad Orzel, 
associated with real wave and for every particle, the particle nature comes from its mass and the
wave nature comes from its matter wave. To Broglie this particle is guided by a single and real
wave called the pilot wave.

II.1. b. ii. Schrodinger’ Wave Equation (1926)

The mathematical equation used by Schrodinger in quantum mechanics to interpret the changes
over time of a physical system in which quantum effects, such as wave-particle duality, are
significant is known as Schrödinger’s wave equation. Here he tries to explain everything in terms
of real wave. For him there are no particles or energy quanta. The so called particles, he says
that, only the crests formed by a group of material waves moving along exactly like particles.
The equation is a mathematical formulation for studying quantum mechanical systems. It is
considered a central result in the study of quantum systems and its derivation was a significant
landmark in developing the theory of quantum mechanics. It serves as a mathematical model of
the movement of waves, and proves that wave and matrix mechanics are mathematically
equivalent.7

II.1. b. iii. Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle (1927)

According to Heisenberg the precise and simultaneous measurement of two complementary

values - such as the position and momentum of a subatomic particle - is impossible. According to
him the more precisely one value is measured, the more flawed will be the measurement of the
other value and vice versa. This theory became known as the uncertainty principle, which
prompted Albert Einstein's famous comment, "God does not play dice."

II.1. b. iv. Davisson And Germer (The Double Slit Experiment (1927)

The original experiment was performed by Davisson and Germer in 1927. Its further developed
version is known as the modern double-slit experiment. It is a demonstration to show that light
and matter can display characteristics of both classically defined waves and particles; moreover,
it displays the fundamentally probabilistic nature of quantum mechanical phenomena

In this experiment the light is allowed to pass through two parallel slits and the resultant image is
allowed to fall on a screen at some distance. The light diffracts while passing through the slits
and move forward in two waves. These two waves of light interfere with each other forming the
characteristic pattern of interference. This process produces the interference pattern of fringes
(light and dark bands). This same pattern can be seen on the surface of a calm pond when ripples
are formed by dropping two pebbles in the water. The physicists have generally accepted the
interference pattern as the result of the interaction between light waves.

The essential thing in these interference experiments is the way the waves combine. The patterns
arise because the waves can add up two ways, destructive and constructive interference. This
interference happens in different parts of the region where the waves intersect.

7
Quantum mechanics statistical mechanics and solid state physics, p.27, D. chattopadhyay and P.C. rakshit, S.
chand & company, new delhi,2006
II.1. b. iv. a. Constructive Interference,

The phases of the waves are such that they add to form a combined wave of greater amplitude.
All the parts of the two waves line up to interfere constructively everywhere. It means if two
waves meet and both peaks coincide, the result is a peak with their combined height and it is
called as constructive interference

II.1. b. iv. b. Destructive Interference

The phases are such that the waves subtract to cancel out. The figure shows the greatest possible
effect of destructive interference. All parts of the two waves line up in such a way as to interfere
destructively everywhere. If a peak and trough coincide, then the two can cancel out. This is
called destructive interference

An important version of this experiment involves single particles. Sending particles through a
double-slit apparatus one at a time results in single particles appearing on the screen. When these
particles are allowed to build up one by one then there emerges an interference pattern. This
demonstrates the wave-particle duality, which states that all matter exhibits both wave and
particle properties: the particle is measured as a single pulse at a single position, while the wave
describes the probability of absorbing the particle at a specific place on the screen. This
phenomenon has been shown to occur with photons, electrons, atoms and even some molecules.
So experiments with electrons add confirmatory evidence to the view that electrons, protons,
neutrons, and even larger entities that are ordinarily called particles nevertheless have their own
wave nature and even a wavelength (related to their momentum).

All these ideas joined together we call as the new quantum theory. All these approaches were
really the old theory which is dressed up in different mathematical clothing. According to the
new quantum theory matter fundamentally is not made of particle or waves, it consists of a form
of matter that is both particle and wave, and this is true both for ordinary matter like protons and
electrons and for radioactive matter like light. But the new quantum theory has introduced the
element of probability and its application to macroscopic bodies.

III .INTERPRETATION OF THE QUANTUM MECHANICS

There are a number of interpretations done by different scientist and thinkers on the quantum
theory. The Copenhagen interpretation and the Many-Worlds theory stand as two important ones
in this regard. An interpretation of quantum mechanics is a set of statements which attempt to
explain how quantum mechanics informs our understanding of nature. Although quantum
mechanics has helped us to have a rigorous and thorough experimental testing, many of these
experiments are open to different interpretations. There exist a number of contending schools of
thought, differing over whether quantum mechanics can be understood to be deterministic, which
elements of quantum mechanics can be considered "real", and other matters.

III.1. The Copenhagen Interpretation

The Copenhagen Interpretation is one of the standard interpretations of quantum mechanics. This
interpretation made a general attempt to understand the world of atoms as this is represented by
the quantum mechanics. The founding fathers of this interpretation are Niels Bohr, Werner
Heisenberg, Max Born and other physicists who made important contributions to the overall
understanding of the atomic world. They together formed an interpretation of the physical
meaning of quantum mechanics known as the Copenhagen interpretation. According to this
interpretation, physical systems generally do not have definite properties prior to being
measured, and quantum mechanics can only predict the probabilities that measurements will
produce certain results.

There have been many objections to the Copenhagen interpretation over the years. These
include: discontinuous jumps when there is an observation, the probabilistic element introduced
upon observation, the subjectiveness of requiring an observer, the difficulty of defining a
measuring device, and to the necessity of invoking classical physics to describe the "laboratory"
in which the results are measured.

The essential controversial features of the Copenhagen interpretation are:-

Uncertainty Principles (indeterminacy principles), The Principle of Complementarities and, The

Collapse of the Wave Function

III.1. i. Uncertainty Principles (indeterminacy principles)

The uncertainty principle states that one cannot assign exact simultaneous values to the position
and momentum of a physical system. If two properties of a wave-particle are related by an
uncertainty relation, no measurement can simultaneously determine both properties to a precision
greater than the uncertainty relation allows. In the case of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle,
this means that if we measure the position of a particle, then there's a limit to the precision with
which we can know the momentum. A consequence of this is that when we measure the position
of a particle, we affect its momentum, and vice versa.

The quantum mechanics cannot give exact results, but only the probabilities for the occurrence
of a variety of possible results. Heisenberg took one step further: he challenged the notion of
simple causality in nature, that is every determinate cause in nature is followed by the resulting
effect. This is the view in classical physics, that is, the future motion of a particle could be
exactly predicted, or "determined," from the knowledge of its present position and momentum
and all of the forces acting upon it. Against this view Heisenberg declared, that one cannot know
the precise position and momentum of a particle at a given instant, so its future cannot be
determined. One cannot calculate the precise future motion of a particle, but only a range of
possibilities for the future motion of the particle

III.1.ii. The Principle of Complementarities

According to Bohr, the wave and particle pictures are "complementary" to each other. That is,
they are mutually exclusive, yet jointly essential for a complete description of quantum events. It
means that, in the experiment an object cannot be both a wave and a particle at the same time, it
can be either particle or wave, depending upon the situation. According to the interpretation the
unobserved object is a mixture of both the wave and particle till the experiment is conducted.
During, the experiment the experimenter disturbs untouched nature. Through the experiment one
can release the limitation and learn about the nature what it really is. Thus the nature of reality is
revealed. This limitation is expressed by Heisenberg's uncertainty relations, which, for Bohr,
were related to what he was now calling "complementarity."

III.1.iii. The Collapse of the Wave Function

One of the central features of quantum physics is called the "collapse of the wave function.
When a measurement of a wave-particle is made, its wave function collapses. According to the
interpretation, the interaction of an observer or apparatus that is external to the quantum system
is the cause of wave function collapse, thus according to Paul Davies, "reality is in the
observations, not in the electron" so for example, if we precisely measure the momentum of a
particle, its wave function suddenly changes from a wave made up of many momenta, to a wave
with only one momentum. In the two slit experiment, after the wave-particle passes through the
slits, we have a wave that is spread out over a broad region, meaning that the photon could be
discovered anywhere. When it hits the film and makes a spot, this is no longer the case. We now
have the location of the photon narrowed down to a very small region, which means that its wave
function must be restricted to that region also. A sudden change like this in a wave, due to a
measurement is the collapse of the wave function. The exact mechanism behind this collapse is
not really known, and the collapse of a wave function remains as the central mystery of quantum
physics.

Complementarity, uncertainty, and the statistical interpretation of Schrödinger's wave function

were all related. Together they formed a logical interpretation of the physical meaning of
quantum mechanics known as the "Copenhagen interpretation."

III.2. Many-World Interpretation

The reason for adopting the many-world interpretation is that it avoids the collapse of the
quantum wave. This is an interpretation of quantum mechanics in which a universal
wavefunction obeys the same deterministic, reversible laws at all times; in particular there is no
wavefunction collapse associated with measurement. The phenomena associated with
measurement are claimed to be explained by  de-coherence, which occurs when states interact
with the environment producing entanglement, repeatedly "splitting" the universe into mutually
unobservable alternate distinct universes within a greater multiverse.

For those who believe in parallel universes, Schoedinger's cat is alive in some universes and dead
in others. The Many-Worlds Interpretation (MWI), as it is most widely known, has been
defended by such prominent physicists as Stephen Hawkings & Steven Weinberg. According to
them this theory is a mathematical formalism. Other physicists, like David Deutsch, do ascribe
physical reality to the innumerable parallel universes and believe that anything that can happen
must have happened in many of those universes. According to MWI the wave function does not
collapse and every quantum state really exists in some universes. The MWI is a deterministic
theory for a physical Universe and it explains why a world appears to be indeterministic for
human observers

IV. PHILOSOPHICAL IMPLICATIONS

Richard Feynman in his famous “Lectures on Physics (1961/62) argues that, the finite accuracy
of measurement also makes the future very unpredictable, because even very small errors in
prediction can lead to a very different outcome8. According to him we cannot completely pursue
science by using only those concepts which are directly subject to experiment, because there are
occasions in which theories of physics use concepts that have nothing to do with the scientific
observation.

Much of the philosophical literature connected with quantum theory centers on the Measurement
Problem, on quantum non-locality, the ontological character of quantum states, the implications
of quantum mechanics for information theory, etc. some of these areas are dealt here with;

IV .a) Non-Deterministic or uncertainty principle:-

The first point of discussion is that, the working of the Universe seems to be truly non-
deterministic, that is, the laws of physics do not define what will happen next, only the likelihood
that any of all possible outcomes will happen. If we have an atom that is in an excited state and
so is going to emit a photon, we cannot say when it will emit the photon. It has certain amplitude
to emit the photon at any time, and we can predict only a probability for emission; we cannot
predict the future exactly. This has given rise to the questions on the meaning of freedom of
will, and of the idea that the world is uncertain. Thus the aspect of uncertainty is considered as
the property of human mind and the universe. It means that the past does not determine the
future.

IV .b) Non-Locality

Another important aspect is non-locality. Non-locality implies that everything in the Universe is
instantaneously connected to everything else. This means that the Universe does have a certain
holistic nature. Our “local realistic” view of the world assumes that phenomena are separated by
time and space. Quantum non-locality proves that these assumptions are incorrect, and that there
is a principle of holistic interconnectedness operating at the quantum level which contradicts the
localistic assumptions of classical, Newtonian physics. Fritjof Capra says that, “at the subatomic
level, matter does not exist with certainty at definite places, but rather shows tendencies to exist,
and atomic events do not occur with certainty at definite times and in definite ways, but rather
show tendencies to occur.” 9

Quantum non-locality proves that “particles that were once together in an interaction remain in
some sense parts of a single system which responds together to further interactions”. 10 Since the
entire universe originated in a flash of light known as the Big Bang, the existence of quantum
non-locality points toward a profound cosmological holism and suggests that, if everything that
ever interacted in the Big Bang maintains its connection with everything it interacted with, then

8
Richard Feynman, the philosophical implications of quantum mechanics (Lectures on Physics, Volume III,
Chapter 2)
9
Fritjof Capra (1982) P.80, Turning Point, the systems view of life, Chapter 8
10
John Gribbin, In search of Schrodinger’s Cat, Quantum physics and reality, Bantam Books, 1540Broad-way, New
York 10036
every particle in every star and galaxy that we can see “knows” about the existence of every
other particle.11 It shows the holistic nature of the universe, which is caused by some other cause.

IV .c) Coherence And Decoherence

Another important point is that of coherence and decoherence. In certain conditions quantum
entities appear to exist in a superposition of different states, like being in several places at the
same time, having several values at the same time etc. This looks like several alternative
'realities', several 'possible histories', coexisting in a superposition, and there is multiple
experimental evidence for it and this is called a coherent state. In other conditions the
superposition breaks down and a single reality, a single history is selected to become 'our reality'
and this process called decoherence.

IV .d) Cause and Effect relations

It is commonly accepted principle that for every result there is a cause. There is a great
relationship between cause and effect. But in Quantum Mechanics this relationship is not found.
In Quantum Mechanics causality is no longer a valid concept and this has created a big challenge
for the deterministic physicists and philosophers. According to Schrodinger and Heisenberg
every system can be described by a wave function which represents its energy states. But these
Wave functions do not correspond to any physical quantity in real world as they are just
mathematical tools. According to the uncertainty principle, one cannot predict the state of a
system with any precision as the observer interferes unavoidably with it. The concept of
probability shows the capacity or possibility of the reality to become something. That means the
reality is in potentiality to become something Thus the Wave function and the Uncertainty
principle stand as the failure for causality principle.

Thus the implications of quantum mechanics are multifold at various levels that our human minds
have evolved to understand the macroscopic world we can detect with our senses, and
mysteriously have also developed an impressive capability to understand many things we cannot
sense. But reality is even weirder; it contains aspects that we currently are completely unable to
grasp. If ever possible, it will take a leap in our mental development to understand what's going
on behind the quantum nature of our Universe

V. CONCLUTIONS

Quantum mechanics was one of the theories which addressed and solved main problems in
classical physics and it was a revolution in science which started by the original works of Plank,
Einstein, Rutherford, Bohr, and Born. As a direct result of the works done by Schrodinger,
Heisenberg, Dirac, and Pauli, QM reached its peak. The effect of Quantum Mechanics has a
profound influence in the way we look at the reality. This is particularly more obvious when we
compare Quantum Mechanics with Newtonian way of understanding the events in a Mechanistic
way.

John Gribbin, In search of Schrodinger’s Cat, Quantum physics and reality, Bantam Books, 1540Broad-way, New
11

York 10036.
The wave theory successfully explains many properties of electromagnetic radiations such as
reflection, refraction, diffraction, interference, polarization, etc., but fails to explain some
phenomenon like black body radiation, photo-electric effect, etc. Thus the human beings were
under a great search to know the ultimate nature of reality. As a result of this unceasing quest
there originated the quantum mechanics. According to the quantum mechanics the nature of
reality is both wave and particle in nature and it depends on the experimenter who makes the
experiment. Physical objects appear as real when conscious observation collapse the probability
waves.

One of the most surprising and controversial aspects of quantum physics is that it is impossible
to predict with certainty the outcome of a single experiment on a quantum system. When
physicists predict the outcome of some experiment, the prediction always takes the form of a
probability for finding each of the particular possible outcomes. In other words, quantum
mechanics cannot give exact results, but only the probabilities for the occurrence of a variety of
possible results. The weird nature of the Quantum Mechanics tells us that the universe is
probabilistic and the future events cannot be predicted accurately even by using scientific
methods. The concept of probability shows the capacity or possibility of the reality to become
something. That means the reality is in potentiality to become something. The principle of
uncertainty has become an undeniable nature of reality and thus of the nature. The double slit
and other experiment show the complex nature of reality. The collapse of wave function shows
the involvement of human consciousness in the process of understanding the nature of reality.
Further the quantum mechanics denies the principle of causality. It shows that quantum
mechanics is not the last word in the physics to speak about the REALITY, but have to wait,
because science is on its way to development and quantum mechanics is not the end of science.

********************

VI. BIBLIOGRAPHY

1) Chemistry Part 1, p49, State Council of Educational Research and Training, 3rd edition,
March 2011, Thiruvananthapuram.John Gribbin, In search of Schrodinger’s Cat,
Quantum physics and reality, Bantam Books, 1540Broad-way, New York 10036.
2) Encyclopedia of philosophy, vol:8th, edt.by Donald m borchert, macmillan reference, usa
3) Fundamental Physics, vol;ii, k.l. gomber &k.l gogia, pradeep publications, jalandar,ed
23rd, 2013
4) Quantum Mechanics Statistical Mechanics And Solid State Physics, p.27, D.
chattopadhyay and P.C. rakshit, S. chand & company, new delhi,2006.
5) The Philosophical Implications Of Quantum Mechanics (Lectures on Physics, Volume
III, Chapter 2), Richard Feynman,
6) Turning Point, The Systems View of Life, Chapter 8, p.80, Fritjof Capra (1982)

*********************