Dean's World

Did We End The Universe Prematurely By Observing It?

Dave Price

Short answer: no, this is just technobabble.

Less short answer: outside of sci-fi, quantum "observations" have nothing to do with whether a human brain perceives them, and humans are very unlikely to have produced any kind of particle/force interaction so novel to the universe that it creates a species of quantum wavefunction collapse that hasn't happened trillions of times before.

There's about a million fictional allusions to this idea, perhaps best exemplified by a line from an Aeon Flux episode: "Light, in the absence of eyes, illuminates nothing." It's fun idea and a great plot device, but unserious.

Here's the classic "quantum observation" experiment. Note that the results have nothing to do with whether a human happens to be standing there watching it.

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Elisha Feger (mail) (www):

Even if we did kick off a phase transition to another energy state or the like, doing it via those kinds of observations means we won't notice for a few billion years. And I don't really care what happens a few billion years from now. :p

11.28.2007 4:56pm

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Mike (mail):

How about this as a shorthand: "The world exists and it does not matter if you are there or not."

Or shorter: "Get over yourself, monkey-man."

11.28.2007 5:20pm

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Martin L. Shoemaker (www):

Quantum phenomena are best discussed using math and sticking to the quantum scale. Trying to discuss them using English on the macro scale is almost doomed to failure.

I forget who I heard this analogy from, but it's true. You could, using English words, write out the entire contents of a symphony; and the result would be very accurate and yet complete gibberish. But in musical notation -- or in digitized signal -- that symphony has meaning. English isn't the right language for everything.

11.28.2007 5:23pm

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Vic Stein (mail):

This is mostly an example of bad science reporting. Larry Krauss has been apologizing all around the internet: basically the reporter took a look at their preliminary drafts, saw a poorly worded conclusion, though it sounded sensational. He contacted Krauss, who waxed methaphorical without really realizing what the journalist's angle was. And hence... a crappy misleading article with an exciting headline.

11.28.2007 5:34pm

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HokiePundit (RDB) W&M 1L (mail) (www):

But...but...what about the butterfly in Tokyo that flaps its wings? What about dinosaurs?

11.28.2007 6:23pm

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TallDave (mail) (www):

Well, that's a plus for Larry Krauss.

11.28.2007 6:35pm

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Chris Crawford (mail):

If the Big Bang occurs in the forest and nobody hears it, does the Universe exist?

11.28.2007 7:03pm

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Jack G (mail) (www):

Dagummit!

Now ya tells me!

And I have already cashed in my term life and blew it all on the Strip in anticipation of the heat death.

I wish you people would get your stories straight!

11.28.2007 7:55pm

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Martin L. Shoemaker (www):

We live in a universe of quantum uncertainties, Jack. As soon as we get the story straight, it'll change.

11.28.2007 8:34pm

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Jack G (mail) (www):

As soon as we get the story straight, it'll change.

Are you saying the universe is crooked, or is that just our story?

11.28.2007 10:13pm

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Martin L. Shoemaker (www):

Are you saying the universe is crooked, or is that just our story?

You say that like the two are mutually exclusive. We live in a universe of superposition, where both can be true (and false) simultaneously.

11.28.2007 10:30pm

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Jack G (mail) (www):

You say that like the two are mutually exclusive. We live in a universe of superposition, where both can be true (and false) simultaneously.

Nah, I was just trying to see if we could get our stories straight.

But if you're saying that we both can and we can't, then I think there's a very good chance you're right about that.

Unless you ain't.
And then we're right back where we started.
Or are we?

11.28.2007 11:01pm

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Ken Hall (www):

It ended seven and a half minutes ago. Where were you?

11.29.2007 10:36pm

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