Submitted by TheGandPTurtle t3_111g7s9 in askscience
MasterPatricko t1_j8jak1s wrote
Reply to comment by Atlantic0ne in Light traveling through a medium that slows it. Does the same photon emerge? by TheGandPTurtle
> A quality answer and even some better added mystery. Nice! Well done. So, why do physicists fight about that? Is it actually unsettled science?
It's not as mysterious or unsettled as portrayed -- rather it is a case of using non-specific language when trying to simplify for students or laypeople, leading to confusion. The math is exact and well tested. Have a look at my direct reply.
As for interpretations of quantum mechanics -- that one is unsettled. We know the math of QM works very well, but we have little idea what physical meaning (if any) to assign to a lot of the intermediate operations we do in a calculation. Ars Technica recently published a decent article on the topic.
Atlantic0ne t1_j8jczlx wrote
Another quality reply, thank you.
So… if you’re in the mood, what do you rank as the #1 plausible reason for QM/particle behavior when observed? Have you heard of the many worlds theory?
[deleted] t1_j8joe28 wrote
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