OSHER 858 - Atoms, Subatomic Particles, and Quantum Mechanics

Quantum mechanics describes the behavior of objects the size of atoms and smaller. In class, we will discuss insights that led to the development of quantum theory. We will address quantum concepts such as Wave-Particle duality, the Uncertainty Principle, and virtual particles. We will examine experiments that led to the discovery of subatomic particles, from the electron in 1897 to the Higgs boson in 2012. We will also explore the strange and counterintuitive behavior of quantum systems, including quantum entanglement that Einstein called “Spooky Action at a Distance”