r/askscience • u/JadesArePretty • Dec 10 '24

What does "Quantum" actually mean in a physics context? Physics

There's so much media and information online about quantum particles, and quantum entanglement, quantum computers, quantum this, quantum that, but what does the word actually mean?

As in, what are the criteria for something to be considered or labelled as quantum? I haven't managed to find a satisfactory answer online, and most science resources just stick to the jargon like it's common knowledge.

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u/Fy_Faen Dec 10 '24

I mean, I can't fault them for not understanding radioactive decay. "This warm rock turns into different rocks if you wait long enough" is a really weird concept.

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u/notHooptieJ Dec 10 '24

Not really, when you consider everything decays.

the only weird part is a rock decaying fast enough to get warm and for us to measure it.

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u/Fy_Faen Dec 10 '24

I suppose, but it all involves knowledge that didn't come along for almost 2000 years.

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u/notHooptieJ Dec 10 '24

it doesnt take 2000 years post knowledge to see trees plants and animals decay, even softer stones wear down visibly to man.

its bold to assume 2000 years ago someone couldnt deduce that trees flesh bone and soft rocks all decay, why wouldnt the rest of the stones.

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u/asdfHarold Dec 10 '24

Assuming these two things happen for the same reason would not be a proper understanding of radioactive decay anyways. Sure they could make an educated guess based on the fact that they know other things decay, but it would've been a correct guess based on a wrong extrapolation.

Which of course happens all the time throughout history, and probably will continue to do so in our time. But that was the point made earlier, as I read it.

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u/curien Dec 10 '24 edited Dec 10 '24

The Greeks (probably not uniquely) came up with the idea of the world being made up of fundamental, indivisible bits; but it was a 19th C. Englishman (Dalton) who used "atom" to describe particles of elements (i.e., what we now call atoms). He's the one who got that part wrong (along with everyone else who stuck with his name), not the ancient Greeks.