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0 pointslutusp13y ago0 comments

> I didn't realize anyone had worked out the level at which quantum mechanics decoheres to Newtonian mechanics.

Well, yes, of course -- the Heisenberg Uncertainty principle is the border between them:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncertainty_principle

Equation: 𝝈x 𝝈p >= ℏ/2

I emphasize the "border" isn't a like a solid barrier, it's more a statement about probability.

Also, everyone should realize that the relationship between human brain function and QM is very speculative. It might be true, it might just be someone's pet idea. There's no real evidence for or against a role for QM in brain function, and a number of persuasive suggestions that it's not involved.

0 pointslutusp13y ago0 comments

> I didn't realize anyone had worked out the level at which quantum mechanics decoheres to Newtonian mechanics.

Well, yes, of course -- the Heisenberg Uncertainty principle is the border between them:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncertainty_principle

Equation: 𝝈x 𝝈p >= ℏ/2

I emphasize the "border" isn't a like a solid barrier, it's more a statement about probability.

0 comments

4 comments · 1 top-level

vorg13y ago· 3 in thread

I was thinking about Schrodinger's cat. Quantum Decoherence and Consciousness are two phenomena not yet(?) explained by science, so it's natural to wonder if they're related to each other.

lutuspOP13y ago

> Quantum Decoherence and Consciousness are two phenomena not yet(?) explained by science, so it's natural to wonder if they're related to each other.

I would credit the argument only if they had an association, not solely because they're both unexplained. Otherwise we could assume a connection between Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster, on the dubious ground that they're both asserted to exist but with no evidence. :)

> I was thinking about Schrodinger's cat.

It's important to say that the Schrodinger's cat experiment is a useful thought experiment, but it can't actually be carried out -- too many ways for the system to decohere.

thedufer13y ago

To clear things up, "Schrodinger's cat" was an attempt to show the absurdity of the current best interpretation of quantum mechanics (it _is_ absurd, but it still models reality to the best of our knowledge). It was never intended to be an actual experiment, nor would it actually work.

lutuspOP13y ago

> It was never intended to be an actual experiment, nor would it actually work.

True, but it describes a theoretical property of quantum theory. Its value is only in showing the weirdness of the quantum world.

The problem is that many people read about it and conclude that it's a practical experiment.

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