Brian Cox Lecture

[striker16]

I tried to follow last night's Brian Cox lecture about quantum mechanics in 'A Night with the Stars' (18/12/2011) and understood some of it but can anyone tell me what he was on about when he said that by rubbing his diamond he was affecting the rest of the universe by making energy bands or something alter??

[herrlosse]

can anyone tell me what he was on about when he said that by rubbing his diamond he was affecting the rest of the universe by making energy bands or something alter?

Hi, yes. When he rubbed the diamond, he caused it to warm up through friction. He also said that no two particles in the universe can be at exactly the same temperature. So essentially when he rubbed the diamond, every other particle in existence was in communication with it. As it warmed, the particles which exist at those temperatures then had to change their temperatures (either higher or lower, but if something is warming up, observable particles tend to cool down) and because their temperatures have changed, others must. Thus affecting the energy population of the entire universe.

[striker16]

Jan 6, 2012 18:40:39 GMT 1 herrlosse said:

can anyone tell me what he was on about when he said that by rubbing his diamond he was affecting the rest of the universe by making energy bands or something alter?

Hi, yes. When he rubbed the diamond, he caused it to warm up through friction. He also said that no two particles in the universe can be at exactly the same temperature. So essentially when he rubbed the diamond, every other particle in existence was in communication with it. As it warmed, the particles which exist at those temperatures then had to change their temperatures (either higher or lower, but if something is warming up, observable particles tend to cool down) and because their temperatures have changed, others must. Thus affecting the energy population of the entire universe.

Fascinating. Thanks.

[principled]

herriose

As it warmed, the particles which exist at those temperatures then had to change their temperatures (either higher or lower, but if something is warming up, observable particles tend to cool down)

I assume that this is all based on the concept that the energy in the universe is constant (ie energy cannot be destroyed nor created).
This would suggest that as particle "a" goes from x k to xk+1 another should go from down by 1 k. Is this the case?

The problem I have with this isn't the change locally, but that some far off molecule changes