this post was submitted on 29 May 2024
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Physics

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A question for the Physics communities (lemmy.world)
submitted 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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I think I need to rephrase the question. I'll post again in a few days.

The replies so far have generally been very polite, given the subject. I was nervous about that. Thanks everyone!

... Hear me out, okay?

Back in 2000 I took my first solo, out of state trip, to meet an online friend. When I got off the bus, she greeted me, and let me know that we had to go stop by her friends house on the way back.

She was Wiccan and needed some Spiritual guidance because the night before she saw a black portal open up in the corner of her room that was giving her really bad vibes.

It wasn't my thing, but I never discounted it. Maybe it was real, and if nothing else it's just how her mind is rationalizing things.

But I guess my question is: Does the Scientific Method rule out the possibility that a "real" portal appeared in her room?

Taking wave function probability into account and the absense of data from the room, is it fair to say that the scientific method doesn't rule out the black portal being real?

Looking for black and white answers if possible, but I'd also love to hear your reasoning~

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 months ago (1 children)

The scientific method doesn't rule out any phenomena, it simply provides a method of investigating phenomena.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 5 months ago (2 children)

I should have put more emphasis on the other part: The possibility, however unlikely, that a wave function "cascade" would create (what at least appears to be) a black portal.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 months ago (1 children)

a wave function "cascade"

I'm not sure what you're referring to. It sounds like you've heard some physics words, misunderstood them, and are regurgitating them based on that misunderstanding.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (2 children)

I'm asking questions based on "physics words" I've heard, yeah.

I just used cascade to describe many waves collapsing to create a whole.

I'm asking if the wave functions in the particles around us could collapse in such a way that they could absorb light, or even change the composition of atoms?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago

Since you're seeking for answers within physics buzzwords, you're missing a lot of nuance which is causing you to come up with nonsensical theories. For one, the wavefunction doesn't exist 'in' the particle, it is the particle. A wavefunction collapsing is what causes a particle to show up in a specific location (going by the most prominent interpretation of the wavefunction); as long as the wavefunction is non-zero at more than one location, the particle exists in all those locations.

Equipped with this knowledge, phrases like "a wavefunction collapsing in such a way that it absorbs light" or "change the composition of atoms" make no sense, so I'd suggest you to rethink your assumptions, and, if possible, not look at quantum mechanics as a magic black box that can explain everything a mind can conjure up.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago

I'm asking if the wave functions in the particles around us could collapse in such a way that they could absorb light, or even change the composition of atoms?

Your question doesn't make sense.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

You're throwing around the term 'black portal' very casually. I have no idea what it means, but it is certainly a big leap from whatever was observed to some conclusion about what it actually was. That's a big flaw if you are trying to get at the truth.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago (1 children)

The scientific method can't rule out the existance of supernatural stuff like gods or magic. And you can totally explain a black portal (or literally anything you want) with magic or the actions of a god.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Can they be explained by quantum states being in an incredibly unlikely but not impossible state?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Is it really an explanation if it requires something so incredibly unlikely?

I think you will have a much better chance for finding an explanation by looking into optical illusions or hallucinations.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Is it really an explanation if it requires something so incredibly unlikely?

Yeah, technically

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Can you elaborate on the portal? What does it do, is it between two locations or is it just a hole, or is it just a black circle?