Title: Observing a Phenomenon Affects Its Outcome - Fact or Myth?
Headings: Observing a Phenomenon Affects Its Outcome
Observing a Phenomenon Affects Its Outcome Fact
Can Observing Something Change Its Outcome?
Quick Summary of the Observer Effect
The Observer Effect
Dual Wave-Particles and the Double-Slit Experiment
Double-Slit Experiment:
Schrödinger’s Cat
Wavefunction Collapse and Quantum Superposition
The Uncertainty Principle
What We Know Today
Conclusion
References
Citations

Content: All elementary sub-atomic particles, like quarks and electrons, have a dual nature. They are both a particle and a wave and they exist in a state of probability (a state of “quantum superposition”) until observed (measured). This is shown to be true with the double-slit experiment. The double-split experiment not only proves the dual nature of particles, further testing shows that the behavior of particles seems to be affected by our observation (measurement process). If we look for (measure for) a particle in spot A it appears in spot A, if we look for it in B, it appears in B.
The observer effect shouldn’t be confused Werner Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle which says we can’t measure both a particle’s position and its momentum with “certainty” at the same time. It’s confusing because we call both “measuring”, but in Heisenberg’s case we mean math, and for the observer effect we mean the observation of an experiment. The observer effect should also not be interpreted to mean that we could change the behavior of particles with our mind (maybe we could, but this remains completely unproven by science, despite attempts). FACT: The observer effect is rooted in scientific experiments, but it can be applied to almost any other field in some degree of practical and philosophical effectiveness. For instance, a focus group is affected by knowing they are being watched and a computer program may run slower if being monitored.