Quantum
hideIn physics, a quantum (plural: quanta) is an indivisible entity of a quantity that has the same units as the Planck constant and is related to both energy and momentum of elementary particles of matter (called fermions) and of photons and other bosons. The word comes from the Latin "quantus", for "how much." Behind this, one finds the fundamental notion that a physical property may be "quantized", referred to as "quantization". This means that the magnitude can take on only certain discrete numerical values, rather than any value, at least within a range. There is a related term of quantum number.
A photon is often referred to as a "light quantum". The energy of an electron bound to an atom (at rest) is said to be quantized, which results in the stability of atoms, and of matter in general. But these terms can be a little misleading, because what is quantized is this Planck's constant quantity whose units can be viewed as either energy multiplied by time or momentum multiplied by distance.
Usually referred to as quantum "mechanics", it is regarded by virtually every professional physicist as the most fundamental framework we have for understanding and describing nature at the infinitesimal level, for the very practical reason that it works. It is "in the nature of things", not a more or less arbitrary human preference.
For more information about Quantum, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with quantum
Fine-tuned: A wholly new approach to tuning a laser's frequency
Dec 04, 2009 |
4.9 / 5 (7) |
2
(PhysOrg.com) -- For more than 30 years, scientists have been trying to harness the power of terahertz radiation. Tucked between microwaves and infrared rays on the electromagnetic spectrum, terahertz rays ...
Physicist Jack Harris Is Honored by DARPA as One of Nation's 'Rising Stars'
Dec 04, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Jack Harris, an associate professor of physics, has received one of this year's Young Faculty Awards (YFA) from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). He is one of 33 "rising stars" across ...
Wizard at circuits, physics
Dec 03, 2009 |
5 / 5 (10) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Donhee Ham, Gordon McKay Professor of Electrical Engineering and Applied Physics, uses his personal energy and understanding of physics to design innovative integrated circuits.
Search results for quantum
Scientists Create World's Smallest Snowman (w/ Video)
Dec 04, 2009 |
3.4 / 5 (16) |
6
(PhysOrg.com) -- David Cox, a scientist in the Quantum Detection group at the National Physical Laboratory in the UK, is an expert in nanofabrication techniques. Recently, using the tools of his trade and ...
Case Western Reserve researchers' new pathway discovery published as 'Paper of the Week'
Dec 04, 2009 |
2 / 5 (1) |
0
Case Western Reserve University researchers, from the School of Medicine's Department of Nutrition, discovered two new metabolic pathways by which products of lipid peroxidation and some drugs of abuse, known as 4-hydroxyacids, ...
Scientists take theoretical research on 'nasty' molecule to next level
Dec 04, 2009 |
4.4 / 5 (11) |
3
(PhysOrg.com) -- Some atoms don't always follow the rules. Take the beryllium dimer, a seemingly simple molecule made up of two atoms that University of Delaware physicists Krzysztof Szalewicz and Konrad Patkowski ...
Tahoe faces new development battle: green vs. green
Dec 03, 2009 |
4 / 5 (2) |
0
As snow begins to blanket Lake Tahoe, the region finds itself facing a new kind of development battle: green vs. green.
List of search results for quantum
