NationStates Jolt Archive

Are they waves or particles?

Photons are particles themselves, however they behave like waves.

So particles.

They are particles that act like waves

The photon itself is a particle, a quantum of a light wave. Light, however, is both particle and wave, comprised of a particle photon propagating as an electromagnetic wave.

Whichever is more convenient to the formula you are working on.

Both until you take a measurement.

Then its either a wave or a particle depending on what you are measuring.

Quantum physics ftw.

Don't listen to these clowns.. It's a liquid. Says so right there on the periodic table - in the fine print, on the left. :cool:

Don't listen to these clowns.. It's a liquid. Says so right there on the periodic table - in the fine print, on the left. :cool:

Idiot. There are no liquids in the periodic table. It must be a solid or a gas.

*drinks mercury*
*dies*

The photon itself is a particle, a quantum of a light wave. Light, however, is both particle and wave, comprised of a particle photon propagating as an electromagnetic wave.

This flip-flopping further demonstrates reality's liberal bias.

Are they waves or particles?

Yes.

Poll should be multiple choice, too.

Nonsense, I need a final answer as to their absolute nature.

Nonsense, I need a final answer as to their absolute nature.

Particles which act like waves is there absolute nature.

in fact if you take the absolute value of a photon, that is, |photon| you get wave and particle (as you know, all absolute value functions have two answers)

This flip-flopping further demonstrates reality's liberal bias.

LMFAO, comment = FTW

Idiot. There are no liquids in the periodic table. It must be a solid or a gas.

*drinks mercury*
*dies*

Here have some bromine.

Are they waves or particles?

Yes.

Are they waves or particles?

Yes. :)

Are they waves or particles?

Depends how close you look really.

It's like asking if the Earth is a particle or wave...

Are they waves or particles?

obviously neither. at the risk of sounding fasitious, one real possibility is vortexes in the aether! their also a way of looking at things and doing the math, that may or may not even represent real objects.

and we don't know that nothing can travelle faster either. we've never tried pushing anything with infinite force.

=^^=
.../\...

Wave form particles.

Particular waves.

The answer to the OP question is "yes".




EDIT: That'll teach me to read the thread.

Particles which act like waves is there absolute nature.

in fact if you take the absolute value of a photon, that is, |photon| you get wave and particle (as you know, all absolute value functions have two answers)

Uhm...what? An absolute value always has two roots but that's not always the same thing as two "answers."

How, pray tell, does one take the absolute value of a photon?

Are they waves or particles?

Yes.

Uhm...what? An absolute value always has two roots but that's not always the same thing as two "answers."

How, pray tell, does one take the absolute value of a photon?

By measuring it silly!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave-particle_duality

"Go not to the physicists for counsel, for they will say both no and yes."

Uhm...what? An absolute value always has two roots but that's not always the same thing as two "answers."

How, pray tell, does one take the absolute value of a photon?

You do so by making a joke.

You do so by making a joke.

Heh, fair enough. The angry "finals in a week" physics major in me kicked in.

Are they waves or particles?

Everything is composed of waves according to the string theory.

Heh, fair enough. The angry "finals in a week" physics major in me kicked in.

It's ok. We all have finals. For example, my calculus today.

It's ok. We all have finals. For example, my calculus today.

Best of luck. Diff Eq on friday is promising to give me a migraine for the weekend.

Are they waves or particles?

A probability density distribution.

A photon has the properties of a wave and a particle, does this mean that it is both? No. It does not. I propose that a photon is neither, but rather something that can't be broken down into deterministic terms...


...as of yet. *Jumps into a time machine to bring Einstein and a few others back that did not like quantum theory.*

Everything is composed of waves according to the string theory.

Really? Wouldn't that make it wave theory?

I always thought that string theory said everything was made of strings vibrating in the 10th dimension.

I always thought that string theory said everything was made of strings vibrating in the 10th dimension.

No, in those damnable basonic cases, we've got 26 dimensions from the wrath-of-hell Polyakov equation (that stuff is evil incarnate). The superstring and M-theory cases are usually 10 or 11, but it all comes down to reducing the extra dimensions to the usual, 4-D Space-Time continuum that can be measured with more linearity.

They are both.

And by Field Theory all particles are physical manifestations of energy fields, IIRC.

As for me, I've been dealing recently with basics of chaotic dynamics :)

Are they waves or particles?
Maybe.

I'll take the Heisenberg Option, please.