AaS! 189: What is the Meaning of Quantum Mechanics? (Part 7: Many Worlds, Infinite Possibilities)
Ask a Spaceman!
Paul M. Sutter
4.8 • 853 Ratings
🗓️ 6 December 2022
⏱️ 50 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Part 7! What is the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics? How does decoherence play a critical role? What are the strengths and weaknesses of this idea? I discuss these questions and more in today’s Ask a Spaceman!
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Thanks to Cathy Rinella for editing.
Hosted by Paul M. Sutter, astrophysicist and the one and only Agent to the Stars (http://www.pmsutter.com).
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Before I dig into today's topic, I wanted to mention that this episode is brought to you by my friends |
| 0:13.5 | at CHRP. Churp is an audiobook retailer known for awesome deals without any commitments or |
| 0:19.6 | subscription, and I have an audiobook club with them. |
| 0:23.2 | I know you're always asking me for book recommendations. |
| 0:26.0 | Well, here it is, folks. |
| 0:27.1 | At the start of every month, I'll announce the pick here, and chirp will deeply discount the audiobook for a limited time. |
| 0:33.4 | We'll listen to the audiobook together, and at the end of the month, you'll have a chance to share your thoughts and see what other club members thought to. My next pick is Chasing the Sun |
| 0:43.0 | by Linda Geddes. I've often talked about our fundamental connection to this guy. You know, |
| 0:47.5 | that's like a thing of mine. That connection can take on more than cultural and symbolic |
| 0:52.6 | meanings. That connection can be very literal, |
| 0:55.1 | especially when it comes to the sun. My pick this month, Chasing the Sun, explores our relationship |
| 1:01.3 | with our nearest star and how the regular rhythms of sunlight impact our lives in so many |
| 1:06.9 | surprising ways. To join, go to chirpbooks.com slash spaceman and grab my next pick, |
| 1:13.7 | chasing the sun on sale for over 75% off for a limited time. I wasn't kidding about the great deals. |
| 1:19.7 | And be sure to press follow to join my club to stay in the loop on future picks and other |
| 1:25.1 | exclusive content from me. That's chirpbooks.com slash |
| 1:29.9 | spaceman. |
| 1:33.6 | I have a game for you. And let me know if you'd like to play it. So here's the setup. I'm going to |
| 1:40.5 | concoct some sort of quantum dice roller. |
| 1:47.7 | You know, maybe it's a radioactive decay of an element. |
| 1:51.0 | Maybe it's the spin position of an electron when you'll look at it, you know, whatever. |
| 1:58.6 | It's some sort of quantum element that is going to give a 50-50 chance. |
... |
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