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Quantum Wave Function: PDF Print E-mail
Monday, 16 November 2009 07:47
  • a wave packet interpretation for particles means there is an intrinsic fuzziness assign to them
  • the wave function is the mathematical tool to describe quantum entities
The wave nature of the microscopic world makes the concept of `position' difficult for subatomic particles. Even a wave packet has some `fuzziness' associated with it. An electron in orbit has no position to speak of, other than it is somewhere in its orbit.

To deal with this problem, quantum physics developed the tool of the quantum wave function as a mathematical description of the superpositions associated with a quantum entity at any particular moment.

 

 

  • wave function express likelihood *until* a measurement is made
The key point to the wave function is that the position of a particle is only expressed as a likelihood or probability until a measurement is made. For example, striking an electron with a photon results in a position measurement and we say that the wave function has `collapsed' (i.e. the wave nature of the electron converted to a particle nature).

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