Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun physics A
mathematical function that describes thepropagation of thequantum mechanical wave associated with aparticle (or system of particles), related to theprobability of finding the particle in a particular region ofspace .
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Because of the constant electon/postitron splitting and pairing, the wavefunction is very, very chaotic appearing.
Dawkins and ID 2008
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He also generalized that the quantum wavefunction is not algorithmic.
Damn Duck 2008
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Because of the constant electon/postitron splitting and pairing, the wavefunction is very, very chaotic appearing.
Dawkins and ID 2008
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In the first slide of that lecture he points out that a wavefunction is not a physical observable (because otherwise the collapse of a wavefunction in an experiment would imply superliminal propagation of a physical object).
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Most physicists particularly experimentalists are content to use the idea of wavefunction collapse as a calculational shortcut and go about the business of predicting and measuring the physical world, for which regular quantum theory works astound-ingly well.
How to Teach Physics to Your Dog CHAD ORZEL 2009
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But according to quantum mechanics, the true state of the food could be a combination, known as a wavefunction, which takes the form (food) = a (salad) + b (steak), where a and b are some numerical coefficients.
Quantum interrogation Sean 2006
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To understand the term "wavefunction", please look at this Mandelbrot Set.
Cleaning Up The Mess 2007
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In quantum physics the atoms in a gas are described by a wavefunction which is a function of all the coordinates of the atoms, but which only specifies the probability of finding a particle in a given region at a given time.
Additional background material on the Nobel Prize in Physics 1996 1996
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Actually, that seems to be the point: if there’s a puppy, the wavefunction gets remixed whether or not the puppy makes a ruckus, whereas the wavefunction is the same if there is no puppy.
Quantum interrogation Sean 2006
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Actually, that seems to be the point: if there’s a puppy, the wavefunction gets remixed whether or not the puppy makes a ruckus, whereas the wavefunction is the same if there is no puppy.
Quantum interrogation Sean 2006
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