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Feb 23 2010 02:00pm
I was wondering if anyone had a good way to visualize wave particle duality that light and electrons are said to have, i think i understand the concept but i cant picture it in my head
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Feb 23 2010 03:30pm
It really isn't a "duality". All interactions involving electrons and photons can be described in the language of particles. The "wave nature" is an interpretation of their probabilistic distribution.

Stop trying to create a picture. This is a major stumbling block. There is no "picture" that can you can put in your mind to help internalize the sub-atomic world. But don't be disheartened, the fact you are struggling to find picture to describe this interaction means your starting to understanding it.
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Feb 23 2010 06:42pm
As soon as you think you understand it you will learn something new that will make your head spin and you will be even more confused.

During my sophomore year as a physics major, my Modern Physics prof said "If you use common sense in this class you are going to fail." We basically stopped trying to visualize anything at that point and just stuck to solving differential equations to explain whatever was going on.
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Mar 1 2010 08:41pm
may i suggest reading one of brian greens books? elegant universe and fabric of the cosmos put everything into layman's terms. there is a great chapter on wave particle duality in fabric of the cosmos. also there is easy to understand info on string theory, entanglement, time, parallel universes, time travel, and all kinds of other cool stuff.
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