2010 5 Vol.32, Sum No.189 pp26-34 100875 1 10BZX002 2009 12 30 1965- Email: tiansong@bnu.edu.cn 1
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2001 4 24 2005 6 29 2008 8 17 2009 1 4 2009 2 3 Sunshine loft, Berkeley 1 2004 5 2 John A. Wheeler and Kenneth Ford, 1998, Geons, Black Holes and Quantum Foam, New York: W. W. Norton & Company. p.263 3 2004 2 4... 1999. 25. 5 1982.16 6 E. A. Burtt, The Metaphysical Foundations of Modern Science, New York, 1925, p.236... :,1994.249. 7... 1999. 120-121. 8 John A. Wheeler, At Home in the Universe, Springer, 1996. p.295. 9... 1999. 4. 10.. 1.. 1994. 228-239. 11.. 2000. 66-85. 12... 1999. 463. 13... 1999. 470-471. 14... 1999. 469. 15... 1999. 472. D. Favrholdt 16... 1998. 206. 17... 1998. 204. 18...2004(2). 11
Why Quantum Mechanics Makes Us Puzzled? --- An Explanation for Niels Bohr s Complementary Principle from His Concept of Phenomenon Tian, Song Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875 Abstract: The great difference between the sub-atom dimension reality described by quantum physics and the ordinary reality by classical physics makes people puzzled and thus calls for explanation. There is no absolute explanation workable in any context. I argued that, to give an explanation is to tell a story which can be understood and accepted by the audience to whom you expect to give the explanation. Therefore, an explanation must be related with the general idea of the audience. Only when the audience feels puzzled will an explanation be needed. If the audience does not feel puzzled, the explanation is not necessary. For the people living in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the magical things happen in quantum reality is just ordinary things in their world, so they won t search for an explanation for quantum reality. If some people feel puzzled and need an explanation, it means that what those people are familiar with is a different kind of reality, and it also means that those people expected to see a same or at least similar reality with what they are familiar with. I argued that, the world is the world what we are able to see; the world we are able to see is what our eyes (sense organs) are able to see; what we see is defined by the cognitive model of our sense organ. The explanation for what we see is in some extent related with our culture context. I named the scale that human sense organs are able to observe as primary sensual dimension. Classical physics is an explanation system for the world within primary sensual dimension, and it is compatible with ordinary languages. This is the classical view of reality: the world consists of matter or objects that exists, acts and reacts in space and time; the world is continuous; an object consists of smaller objects, and etc. The limitation of the primary sensual dimension is defined by optical telescope and optical microscope. This view of reality is accepted by most of people who trained by modern education. People try to extend this view of reality to larger and smaller scale, but it does not work either on the cosmos dimension or the sub-atom dimension. As for the world under the sub-atom dimension, a physical object may not have a specific shape or occupy a specific position; the continuous in classical reality is replaced by the disperse, and the determined causal relation is replaced by the probability relation, etc. 1938, Niels Bohr introduced a term phenomenon into quantum physics to replace its counterpart concept object in classical physics. The quantum reality cannot be observed directly by human s sense organs. All objects in the quantum world are theoretical construction by phenomena such as the data of instrument, the trace in chamber, the image of film and such which can be observed directly. However, it is not possible to construct a single visible model to explain those phenomena. Two paradoxical and alternative models, like particle and wave, are needed in the explanation, and this is the complementary principle. Key Words: explanation; phenomenon; complementary principle; reality (classical reality; 12
quantum reality); the primary sensual dimension; visible model Tian, Song(1965-). Ph.D. in Philosophy and History of Science. An associate professor in College of Philosophy and Sociology. Research fields: philosophy of science (general theory, philosophy of physics), the thought history of science, science anthropology, science communication, and criticism of industrial civilization. Reference, 1, TIAN, Song. Delayed-choice Experiment and the Puzzle of Reality It Raised, Studies in Dialectics of Nature, Beijing, 2004(5) 2, John A. Wheeler and Kenneth Ford. Geons, Black Holes and Quantum Foam, New York: W. W. Norton & Company. 1998, p.263 3, Tian, Song. What We See Is What We Can See On the Isomorphism Between Science and Human's Cognitive Pattern by Wheeler s Diagram of Reality, Philosophical Researches, Beijing, 2004(2); 4, Robin Crearge Collingwood. The Idea of Nature, (Chinese version), Huaxia Press, Beijing, 1999. 25. 5, John A. Wheeler. Physics and Austerity, (Chinese Verision), Anhui Science and Technology Press, 1982.16 6, E. A. Burtt. The Metaphysical Foundations of Modern Science, New York, 1925, p.236. 7, John A. Wheeler. At Home in the Universe, Springer, 1996. p.295. 8, W. Heisenberg. Physcics and Philosophy. (Chinese Version). Beijing, The Commercial Press, 1999. 4. 9, Hu, Xinhe. The Concept of Nature within the Concept of Modern Physics, Nature Philosophy, Vol.1, ed. By Wu, Guosheng, Beijing, China Social Science Press, 1994. 228-239. 10, Jin, Wulun. Genesis Philosophy, Baoding, Heibei Univerisity Press, 2000. 66-85. 11, Ge Ge. Niels Bohr and His Complementary principle, Collection of Shiqingshi, Beijing, Worker Press, 1999. 463. 12, Niels Bohr. Niels Bohr Collection, Vol.7, (Chinese version), Beijing, Science Press, 1998. 206. Why Quantum Mechanics Makes Us Puzzled? --- An Explanation for Niels Bohr s Complementary Principle from His Concept of Phenomenon Abstract: Tian, Song Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875 The great difference between the sub-atom dimension reality described by quantum physics and the ordinary reality by classical physics makes people puzzled and thus calls for explanation. There is no absolute explanation workable in any context. An explanation must be related with the our culture context. Classical physics is an explanation system for the world within primary sensual dimension, the scale that human are able to observe directly by sense organs. Classical physics, primary sensual dimension and ordinary languages are compatible with each other. The limitation of the primary sensual dimension is defined by optical telescope and optical microscope. People try to extend this view of reality to larger and smaller scale, but it does not work either on the cosmos dimension or the sub-atom dimension. Niels Bohr introduced a term phenomenon into quantum physics to replace its counterpart concept object in classical physics. All objects in the quantum world are theoretical construction by phenomena such as the data of instrument, the trace in cloud chamber. However, it is not possible to construct a single visible model to explain those phenomena. Two paradoxical and alternative models, like particle and wave, are needed in the explanation, and this is the complementary principle. Key Words: explanation; phenomenon; complementary principle; reality (classical reality; quantum reality); the primary sensual dimension; visible model 13