Neil deGrasse Tyson Explains The Weirdness of Quantum Physics

Quantum mechanics is the area of physics that deals with the behaviour of atoms and particles on microscopic scales. Since its inception, the many counter-intuitive aspects and results of quantum mechanics have provoked strong philosophical debates and many interpretations.

Neil deGrasse Tyson explains quantum physics in a way that is understandable even for the lay person. In Quantum Mechanics there is no such thing as absolute certainty when looking for something. This phenomenon is known as Uncertainty Principle and was Introduced first in 1927 by the German physicist Werner Heisenberg. Heisenberg realized that one implication of quantum physics is that the act of measurement always disturbs the object measured.

Neil deGrasse Tyson explains that the whole computer world is based on the principle of Quantum Physics. We are able to manipulate the electrical properties of silicon only because we can study the wave nature of electrons.

Our daily routines are often governed by technology that is directly related to Quantum Physics, thus our lives rest upon these fundamental scientific discoveries.

Another hard concept to grasp is Quantum entanglement. Einstein referred to it as "spooky action at a distance. It occurs when a pair or group of particles is generated, interact, or share spatial proximity in a way such that the quantum state of each particle of the pair or group cannot be described independently of the state of the others. But Neil deGrasse Tyson and Lawrence Krauss explain this concept with everyday life examples which makes it a little bit easier to understand.

As Neil deGrasse Tyson points out, the first quantum phenomena were observed more than a century ago. However scientists are still learning about this realm of our universe.