History of science

How can a particle be in two places at once?

Imagine you're watching a coin flip, and it lands perfectly balanced on a table. Instinctively, you know it can't be spinning in two directions simultaneously.

Quantum physicists discovered that tiny particles, like electrons, can exist in multiple states at once, defying our usual understanding of being in just one place at a time. This is called superposition.

Example

A particle in a quantum experiment can be in a state where it's both spinning clockwise and counterclockwise until it's observed.

Remember this

Superposition means particles can exist in multiple states or places simultaneously until they're measured.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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