Quantum Star Wars
Dec. 1st, 2003 02:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
owlConversation while waslking from Quantum analysis class with Dave:
Him: So, if there's a finite possibility of atoms quantum tunnelling through a barrier, does that mean that the chair is tunnelling into my skin?
Me: Yeah, but it would take millions of years for any noticable effect to take place.
Him: Well, Quantum lectures feel like millions of years. So at the end of a long class, are you more chair than human?
Me: *laughter* He's more chair now than man, twisted and evil.
This of course led to a series of 'No, I am your chair', 'Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your chair!' and 'Use the chair, Luke!' comments.
Whee for Star Wars making physics fun! (It can also be used to illustrate the theory of special relativity. So, if Luke and Yoda had a light clock on Dagobah, and Han and Leia are travelling at an appreciable fraction of c relative to them, and have an identical clock...)
Him: So, if there's a finite possibility of atoms quantum tunnelling through a barrier, does that mean that the chair is tunnelling into my skin?
Me: Yeah, but it would take millions of years for any noticable effect to take place.
Him: Well, Quantum lectures feel like millions of years. So at the end of a long class, are you more chair than human?
Me: *laughter* He's more chair now than man, twisted and evil.
This of course led to a series of 'No, I am your chair', 'Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your chair!' and 'Use the chair, Luke!' comments.
Whee for Star Wars making physics fun! (It can also be used to illustrate the theory of special relativity. So, if Luke and Yoda had a light clock on Dagobah, and Han and Leia are travelling at an appreciable fraction of c relative to them, and have an identical clock...)
