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: Metaphysical theories pertaining to the observer effect are fun to explore, but it is highly doubtful that there is any “mind magic” involved in the observer effect. TIP: There are also a few a non-physics observer effects too, this is a comment on how people’s behavior changes when it is being watched. This is generally true and is backed up by data (but is a theory). [ 6]
Quick Summary of the Observer Effect
Keeping in mind that no-one, including me, understand exactly what is causing the observer effect, below is a list of four key concepts related to understanding what we do know about quantum physics and the observer effect. 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.