Afleveringen
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Imagine writing an equation so powerful it predicts an entire mirror world. Thatâs what Paul Dirac did in 1928. In this episode, we enter the high-speed realm where quantum mechanics crashes into Einsteinâs special relativityâand out pops something totally unexpected: antimatter.
Diracâs equation didnât just fix the math for fast-moving electrons, it also demanded that every particle has a shadow twin with the opposite charge. Antimatter.
Sounds like sci-fi, right?
Then a guy named Carl Anderson actually found the positronâthe electronâs anti-twinâraining down from space. Spoiler: that confirmed the math. We explore spin, negative energy, and why the universe seems to be made of matter, not antimatter.
This is also where things get philosophical. Like⊠if antimatter exists, where did it all go?
By the end of this episode, the universe will look less like a clean equation and more like a cosmic mirror. -
What do glowing ovens, spooky electrons, and a French prince have in common? They all helped shatter our understanding of reality. This episode unpacks the rise of quantum mechanicsâaka the most successful, most confusing theory in all of science.
It all starts with Max Planck's "oops" fix for a physics meltdown, which turns into the idea that energy comes in tiny, indivisible lumps. Then Einstein goes full rebel and claims light isnât just a waveâitâs also a particle.
Mind. Blown. But waitâit gets wilder.
Louis de Broglie flips the script again by proposing that matterâyes, even YOUâhas wave-like properties. Weâll walk through iconic experiments, from the photoelectric effect to electron diffraction, that prove the universe doesnât play by classical rules.
This is where reality stops being intuitive and starts being... quantum.
By the end, youâll see why Feynman said, âIf you think you understand quantum mechanics, you don't.â -
Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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Quantum mechanics isnât just a theoretical playgroundâitâs changing everything. From the lasers in your phone to MRI scans that save lives, quantum physics powers our modern world. But the real breakthroughs are still ahead.
Quantum computing could solve problems no classical computer ever could. Quantum teleportation is already happening in labs. Quantum cryptography could make hacking impossible. And physicists are still trying to merge quantum mechanics with gravity to uncover the deepest mysteries of the universe.
Whatâs next for quantum science? Will we ever fully understand it? Or will it keep surprising us in ways we canât yet imagine? The quantum revolution is just beginning.
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Albert Einstein did not get along with quantum mechanics. He called it "spooky action at a distance" and spent decades trying to explain the fallacies. But Niels Bohr fought back, defending the Copenhagen interpretation, which claimed that quantum reality doesnât exist until we measure it.
The Bohr-Einstein debates were some of the most legendary arguments in science, filled with clever thought experiments, deep philosophy, and a battle over the nature of reality itself. Did Bohr really defeat Einstein? Or was Einsteinâs skepticism a clue that quantum mechanics is still incomplete?
This episode unpacks the greatest physics debate of all time and the experiments that settled the score.
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In the classical world, you can measure where something is and how fast itâs moving with perfect accuracy. But in the quantum world? Not a chance.
In 1927, Werner Heisenberg proposed something shocking: the more precisely you measure a particleâs position, the less you can know about its momentum, and vice versa.
This wasnât a limitation of our toolsâit was a fundamental property of nature. The Uncertainty Principle shattered the idea of a predictable universe, proving that at the smallest scales, reality is a game of probabilities, not certainties.
But what does this mean for free will? Does reality truly exist before we observe it? And did Heisenbergâs discovery kill determinism once and for all?
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Imagine firing a tiny particle at a barrier with two slits. It should go through one or the other, like a bullet. But in the double-slit experiment, something unbelievable happens.
When no one is watching, particles act like waves, interfering with themselves. But the moment we try to observe which slit they go through, the interference pattern vanishes, and they behave like individual particles. Itâs as if electrons know theyâre being watched.
This experiment isnât just a physics puzzleâitâs a philosophical crisis. Does reality only exist when observed? How can something be in two places at once? And what does this mean for our understanding of the universe? This is the experiment that shattered classical physics and forced scientists to rethink reality itself.
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Atoms should be unstable. According to classical physics, electrons should spiral into the nucleus in a fraction of a second. Yet, atoms persist, and the universe exists. How?
Danish physicist Niels Bohr had an idea: electrons donât move freelyâthey stay in specific energy levels, jumping between them in sudden quantum leaps. His model finally explained why atoms are stable and why elements emit light at specific colors. But Bohrâs atomic model had its flawsâit only worked for hydrogen and still couldnât explain why electrons donât just drift between energy levels.
This episode takes us through the bold, bizarre, and sometimes flawed ideas that shaped the first quantum atomic model and set the stage for something even weirder.
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In 1900, Max Planck wasnât trying to revolutionize physicsâhe was just trying to fix an equation. Instead, he stumbled upon one of the most shocking ideas in science: energy isnât continuousâit comes in tiny, indivisible packets called quanta.
This accidental discovery shattered classical physics and became the foundation of quantum mechanics. But even Planck himself didnât believe it at first! Why did he resist his own idea? How did it solve the âultraviolet catastropheâ that had physicists scratching their heads? And why does this discovery still shape everything from modern technology to the nature of reality?
Welcome to the moment that started it all.
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For centuries, physics was a world of certaintyâplanets orbited predictably, forces followed rules, and everything seemed explainable. But by the late 19th century, cracks started to form. The rules of classical mechanics couldnât explain bizarre new discoveries: light behaving strangely, atoms emitting weird patterns, and a supposed âcatastropheâ lurking in the ultraviolet spectrum.
Scientists were puzzledâ explore the moment when Newtonian Mechanics hit a wall, forcing physicists to rethink reality itself. From Newtonâs perfect universe to the mysteries that broke it, this is the story of a scientific revolution in the making
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