The word ‘degeneracy’ has a central place in physics. In my last post I narrated the fearsome battle between two powerful opponents: gravity, which attempts to compress a white dwarf into smaller and smaller space, and electron degeneracy pressure, which aims to counteract this compression. A ‘degenerate’ is not something you would want to call your friend, so you’ll want to back yourself up with knowledge that you can gain from reading this post.
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Just under a week ago today, something very important was announced. No, not my university lectures commencing again, although that is indeed very important. I urge those of you slacking from the new online format of education to stay on top of things (yes, I’m looking at you). No, it was the announcement for the receivers of the Nobel Prize in Physics 2020. And it was an extremely well deserved one.
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Two weeks ago, we explored the implications of blurry marbles (or quarbles). Today, we’ll proceed by taking a look at one of the most significant consequences of a blurry reality (i.e. quantum mechanics), the Pauli exclusion principle.
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For the past few weeks, we’ve anxiously held our post at the precarious front line of the clash between the theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. On one side, Einstein firmly stands with his brothers-in-arms whilst across the battleground, Bohr and his quantum comrades lie in wait. With their theoretical arguments primed and thought experiment artillery armed and ready, both sides have been eagerly waiting for a decisive resolution that might finally bring the conflict to a rest. Who shall emerge victorious? Will we finally be able to hear the Bell of peace ring?
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Marbles seem to be the latest trend on The Nexus, so here we go. I have two marbles that are identical in every physical aspect – same size, colour, weight, everything – and I give them to you one by one. When I hand over the first marble, I state that this is Marble #1, and you take it with your left hand. When I hand over the second marble, I state that this is Marble #2, and you take it with your right hand. You repeat in your head over and over again that #1 is in your left hand and #2 is in your right so that you don’t forget. I’m rather evil though, and I won’t let you mark them in any way to ensure that they remain identical.
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