Title: How Does Observing Particles Influence Their Behavior?
Headings: How Does Observing Particles Influence Their Behavior?
How Does Observing Particles Influence Their Behavior?
[highlight color=”blue”]Question: In the double slit experiment what is it about observation that changes the way the molecules behave? Is it the simple act of observation or a disruption from the observation equipment? [/highlight]
What About the Experiment Itself?
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Where Things Get Tricky:
WATCH: Dr Quantum – Double Slit Experiment
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Content: Anytime measuring (or observing) something causes a change in the original state, this is called the observer effect. Though we do have this problem in the double slit experiment, quantum mechanics is not the only place it shows up. Outside of the context of the double slit experiment, both the equipment and the observation could change the original state to be measured. An easy example of equipment interfering is a thermometer. The mere presence of a thermometer will either raise or lower the heat of whatever you are trying to measure. What About the Experiment Itself? The equipment certainly has the possibility of causing the observer effect, but even if the equipment were perfect, we would still have the same problem. I once heard an excellent analogy that does a good job of explaining the principle. It goes as follows: “Imagine that you’re blind and over time you’ve developed a technique for determining how far away an object is by throwing a medicine ball at it.