What EXACTLY is the 'Observer Effect'?

Transcript

So, how does all this connect to the what they call the observer effect where you I want to measure the particle right there. I I got to look at it. So, I shine light on it and the light sends it somewhere else. Yeah. So, I can't actually ever know what the particle is doing.

>> Right. And and so there's two things in there. One is, as you're saying, to look is to interact. And when you interact, say by bouncing a photon off a particle, you affect the particle >> because I need the photon to take the picture. >> That That's right.

So that's one key point that emerges from these ideas >> that we can never know anything. >> No, no, no. This is on that on that. That's the crazy thing. Y'all went on this crazy I'm sorry.

I'm sorry. I got that. That is just not right. Okay. >> Quantum mechanics tells us that the things that you thought you could know are not the things that you can know.

But with quantum mechanics, we've made predictions of the anomalous magnetic moment of the electron to 14 decimal places using a theoretical calculation. And we've measured it and it agrees decimal by decimal by decimal on all of those numbers. And that's why we love these numbers. They show us that we understand what we're doing. [Applause] >> Okay, Brian just blew a gasket.

So you can know without knowing is what you're saying. >> We can know. >> Let me just say this, Brian. The type of energy you're bringing. All right.

Wait, wait. I'm in.