Observer Effect: The quantum mystery demystified

Jason D. Tran, Leanne Doughty, James K. Freericks

The introduction of complex numbers to solve the damped harmonic oscillator in classical mechanics can seem mysterious to students. We show how an approach based on Born and Jordan's 1930 quantum mechanics textbook both demystifies the use of complex numbers in classical mechanics and makes a strong connection to quantum mechanics. In that work, they converted the harmonic oscillator equations of motion into two uncoupled first-order equations. In classical mechanics, this mapping explicitly introduces complex numbers into the motion of the oscillator and directly shows how to solve for the position and momentum observables. Here, we explain how this mapping works and show how to demystify the use of complex numbers in damped-driven harmonic oscillators. As an added bonus, this approach also shows how to determine the energy as a function of time and makes a strong connection to quantum mechanics.

Samir A Hamouda

Hilary Putnam

Lukas Saual, Difei Zhang

(The narrative around the various mathematical and physical techniques broadly known as quantum mechanics has suffered due to the influence of social pressures. The incredible strengths of the theories and their predictive powers have become subject to a number of sensationalized story lines, which we refer to here as “quantum mysticism”. In this paper we demonstrate a three-pronged counterattack which combats these forces. A precise use of terms coupled with an accurate and intuitive way to describe the behavior of discrete and microscopic phenomenon effectively demystifies quantum mechanics. We don't go into the mathematical details here to keep our discussion accessible to the layperson. After our demystification the discipline withholds its incredible predictive power without scaring away a rational thinker. In fact quantum mechanics is an entirely rational, intuitive, and accessible discipline. The world is full of mystery; however, a discipline devoted to quantifying and rationalizing behaviors of certain specific systems is hardly the place to go searching for mystery.) 由于社会压力的影响，围绕着各种数学和物理技术的叙述而被熟知的量子力学遇到了挫折。这些理论及其预测能力的不可思议的力量已经变成了一些耸人听闻的故事情节，我们称之为“量子神秘主义”。本文对这些力量进行了三方面的反击。精确的使用准确的术语，用直观的方法描述离散和微观现象的行为，这有效地揭开了量子力学的神秘面纱。我们不会在这里讨论数学细节，以使我们的讨论能够被普通人所理解。在我们揭开了这个学科的神秘性之后，它拥有了不可思议的预测能力，同时又不会吓跑一个理性的思考者。事实上，量子力学是一个完全理性的、直观的、易于理解的学科。这个世界充满了神秘；然而，这门学科致力于对某些特定系统的行为进行量化和合理化，并不是去寻找神秘事物的地方

Ana Elisa D. Barioni, Felipe Boechat Mazzi, Elsa Bifano Pimenta +2 more

Why does such a successful theory like Quantum Mechanics have so many mysteries? The history of this theory is replete with dubious interpretations and controversies, and yet a knowledge of its predictions, however, contributed to the amazing technological revolution of the last hundred years. In its very beginning Einstein pointed out that there was something missing, due to contradictions with the relativity theory. So, even though Quantum Mechanics explains all the nanoscale physical phenomena, there were many attempts to find a way to “complete” it, e.g. hidden-variable theories. In this paper, we discuss some of those enigmas, with special attention to the concepts of physical reality imposed by quantum mechanics, the role of the observer, prediction limits, a definition of collapse, and how to deal with correlated states (the basic strategy for quantum computers and quantum teleportation). That discussion is carried out within the framework of accepting that there is in fact nothing important missing, rather we are just restricted by the limitations imposed by quantum mechanics. The mysteries are thus explained by a proper interpretation of those limitations, which is achieved by introducing two interpretation rules within the Copenhagen paradigm.