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Quantum Police

vbloke

Disturbing shirts
Joined
Feb 14, 2005
Messages
717
Using the word "quantum" to describe anything other than the fundamental notion that a physical property may be "quantised" is bizarre to begin with. Quantised means that the magnitude can take on only certain numerical values, rather than any value, at least within a range. For example, the energy of an electron bound to an atom (at rest) is quantised. This accounts for the stability of atoms, and matter in general.

To use it to try and explain how astrology, telepathy, telekinesis, dowsing, perpetual motion, etc works is analogous to trying to explain to a builder how telepathy works by "brick vibrations", or that astrology works by "brick patterns" or that you can power a free energy machine by utilising the "zero-brick energy" of the universe just goes to show that you're trying to demonstrate your profound unknowledge of the subject in order to justify your claims.

I am trying to get a collection of examples of where people have used the quantum misunderstanding to bamboozle the general public which will eventually be published on a Quantum Police website, alongside an anlaysis of how the claim is spurious.

Post any examples here and I'll eventually get round to collating them together.

Incidentally, as some of you may be aware, the Metro's(a free UK paper) astrologer once likened quantum physics to making patterns and fractals
 
I really wanted to stop reading that article when I got to this:
There are 12 planets you need to look at when you do someone's chart blah bah
But regrettably I read further until I saw this:
If the moon can influence the tides then, seeing as we're about 70 per cent water, maybe it can affect us too.
:hb:
 
Incidentally, as some of you may be aware, the Metro's(a free UK paper) astrologer once likened quantum physics to making patterns and fractals.
Did you see the letter about it that they published? I posted a couple of quotations from it.
 
Just ask any QM woo what Dirac's equation is. Or the first three digits of the denominator of the fine structures constant.

When they can't and waffle around, say, "Well, how 'bout pi? Can you tell me the first five digits of pi?"

Should drive the point home.
 
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I don't know. I kind of like that they all use "quantum" to describe their crap. It makes it so much easier to see the woo....
 
Quantum Police?

No! We need The Quantum Inquisition!

No one expects The Quantum Inquisition! Their chief weapon is Uncertainity Principle. Their chief two weapons are Uncertainity Priniciple and Unified Theory! Their... Among their chief weapons are Uncertainity Principle, Unified Theory and quarks!

Seriously though, I think it's the fact that very few people understand quantum physics that makes the word "quantum" a nice buzzword. It's like it was with radioactivity soon after it was discovered, with uranium tinctures (the empty bottles from these are nowadays considered hazardous material - after 100 years!) that supposedly cured most of the diseases, especially mental ones.

Just you wait, next wave of pseudoscience cr@p will be superstring this and that...
 
Hi VBloke - I believe Terry Pratchett makes some interesting (ironic) quotes about things being "quantum" in his Discworld books - I'll see if I can find them for you...
 
Hi VBloke - I believe Terry Pratchett makes some interesting (ironic) quotes about things being "quantum" in his Discworld books - I'll see if I can find them for you...

Yes. In Roundworld, we often say/said that a thing we don't understand is 'magic'. In DW, magic does exist, so instead they use the word 'quantum'. From the Discworld Companion:

Quantum. In a nutshell, a word used on Discworld to summarise any complex scientific explanation in pretty much the same way as 'magic', here, is used to summarise any complex occult one. A kind of cosmic 'get out of hal-understood free' card, in other words.
 
Don't foget the super hero of Bleep Science, "Dr. Quantum!"
http://www.fredalanwolf.com/

Science words generally suffer this way. Even older ones such as "Electromagnetic."
"Ether," when it was a Science word, got taken to the bank in numerous ways.

May the Force be with you!
 
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