https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=Jrball 2026-04-20T15:57:19Z User contributions MediaWiki 1.30.0 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1240:_Quantum_Mechanics&diff=44355 2013-07-20T15:04:05Z

<p>Jrball: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 1240<br /> | date = July 19,2013<br /> | title = Quantum Mechanics<br /> | image = quantum_mechanics.png<br /> | titletext = ''You can also just ignore any science assertion where 'quantum mechanics' is the most complicated phrase in it.''<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> This comic plays with the fact that quantum mechanics is a very complex subject that is frequently misapplied by laymen. Many of the phenomena studied in quantum mechanics are counter to common sense and can only be expressed in complex mathematics. Yet, since the field is fundamental to our understanding of reality, it is commonly cited to support broad sweeping philosophical generalizations. This practice can be seen in the real world by listening to a discussion between first-year philosophy students or attending the Burning Man Festival.<br /> <br /> In this comic, [[Cueball]] uses quantum mechanics to prove that dogs must have souls, refering to {{w|Observer (quantum physics)|observer}} in sense of {{w|Consciousness_causes_collapse#.22Consciousness_causes_collapse.22|quantum physic wave function collapse}}. However the vast majority of people do not have a sufficient understanding of quantum mechanics to judge if his statement is correct. Nevertheless, Randall's message is, you don't need to understand quantum mechanics to judge the statement. No matter what the sentence is, it is almost certainly incorrect, so &quot;you can safely ignore&quot; it.<br /> <br /> The title text makes a reservation for scientific statements that really involve quantum mechanics but only if &quot;quantum mechanics&quot; is not the most complicated term in the sentence. This is saying that this problem even extends past discussions about philosophy to science assertions. However, you can tell when a scientist is correctly applying quantum mechanics, because, to do so, they will have to use phrases more complicated than &quot;quantum mechanics.&quot; In other words, it is the nature of quantum mechanics that, in order to correctly apply it to explain anything, you will have to use very complicated phrases.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[Cueball facing ponytail while holding a leash leading to a dog]<br /> :Cueball: But dogs can observe the world, which means that according to quantum mechanics they must have souls.<br /> :'''Protip:''' you can safely ignore any sentence that includes the phrase &quot;according to quantum mechanics&quot;<br /> <br /> ==Trivia==<br /> Niels Bohr's quote:<br /> <br /> ''If quantum mechanics hasn't profoundly shocked you, you haven't understood it yet.''<br /> <br /> {{w|Hidden variable theory#.22.5BGod.5D_does_not_play_dice.22|Albert Einstein being famously wrong}}:<br /> <br /> ''I, in any case, am convinced that He [God] does not play dice.''<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> &lt;!-- Include any categories below this line. --&gt;<br /> <br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]</div>

Jrball https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1240:_Quantum_Mechanics&diff=44347 2013-07-20T14:32:40Z

<p>Jrball: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 1240<br /> | date = July 19,2013<br /> | title = Quantum Mechanics<br /> | image = quantum_mechanics.png<br /> | titletext = ''You can also just ignore any science assertion where 'quantum mechanics' is the most complicated phrase in it.''<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> This comic plays with the fact that quantum mechanics is a very complex subject that is frequently misapplied by laymen. Many of the phenomena studied in quantum mechanics are counter to common sense and can only be expressed in complex mathematics. Yet, since the field is fundamental to our understanding of reality, it is commonly cited to support broad sweeping philosophical generalizations. This practice can be seen in the real world by listening to a discussion between first-year philosophy students or attending the Burning Man Festival.<br /> <br /> In this comic, [[Cueball]] uses quantum mechanics to prove that dogs must have souls. However the vast majority of people do not have a sufficient understanding of quantum mechanics to judge if his statement is correct. Nevertheless, the author's message is, you don't need to understand quantum mechanics to judge the statement. No matter what the sentence is, it is almost certainly incorrect, so &quot;you can safely ignore&quot; it.<br /> <br /> The title text makes a reservation for scientific statements that really involve quantum mechanics but only if &quot;quantum mechanics&quot; is not the most complicated term in the sentence. This is saying that this problem even extends past discussions about philosophy to science assertions. However, you can tell when a scientist is correctly applying quantum mechanics, because, to do so, they will have to use phrases more complicated than &quot;quantum mechanics.&quot; In other words, it is the nature of quantum mechanics that, in order to correctly apply it to explain anything, you will have to use very complicated phrases.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[Cueball facing ponytail while holding a leash leading to a dog]<br /> :Cueball: But dogs can observe the world, which means that according to quantum mechanics they must have souls.<br /> :'''Protip:''' you can safely ignore any sentence that includes the phrase &quot;according to quantum mechanics&quot;<br /> <br /> ==Trivia==<br /> Niels Bohr's quote:<br /> <br /> ''If quantum mechanics hasn't profoundly shocked you, you haven't understood it yet.''<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> &lt;!-- Include any categories below this line. --&gt;<br /> <br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]</div>

Jrball