Yet interactions remain difficult to describe. As with city politics, the influence of particles is confined to their immediate precincts. Physicists already know that interactions are local. The better we understand such interactions, the better we understand the world and ourselves. We are compositions of particles who communicate with each other, and we learn about our surroundings by interacting with them. Information is always conveyed through interactions, whether between particles or ourselves. Physics is, essentially, the study of interactions. The force of electromagnetism between two electrons is conveyed by particles of light, and quarks huddle inside a proton because they exchange gluons. Particles even connect to each other using other particles. The term of art for such a candid affair is a measurement. The light interacts with the bits of matter, and how this interaction changes the light reveals a property or two of the bits-although this interaction often changes the bits, too. They dispatch glints of light toward particles or atoms, and wait for this light to report back. Physicists also connect to the world when they communicate with it. Information is recorded and broadcast on actual objects, even those we cannot see. All communication is, essentially, physical. Calls and texts ride flecks of light, Web sites and photographs load on electrons. We connect to each other through particles.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |