Showing newest posts with label Quantum mechanics. Show older posts
Showing newest posts with label Quantum mechanics. Show older posts

Friday, May 01, 2009

Tiny lamp spans quantum and classical physics



"Physicists in California have made the smallest ever incandescent lamp using a carbon nanotube as the filament. The nanotube is so small it behaves as a quantum mechanical system but it's just large enough that the classical physics rules of thermodynamics should apply. Analyzing the light emitted from the tiny light will give the team a better picture of what happens in the twilight zone between the quantum and classical worlds."


And the best three response to this article are as follows:


1. How many quantum physicists does it take to change a light bulb?
Three. Two to do it, and one to renormalise the wave function.

2. You Fool! You altered the outcome by observing it!

3. I just replaced all the lamps in my house with these, but they just don't seem to brighten up the room like the old ones, and now my cat is missing.


I love physics humor -- tight but bouncy.












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