Michael Ellis S21

What is the Point in Quantum Physics?

Quantum physics was one of the great scientific achievements of the 20th
century and it ranks, alongside Maxwells theory of electromagnetism and Newtons
laws of motion, as one of the most important developments in the history of physics.
Though, it has explained many previously misunderstood phenomena, such as the
behaviour of light, and has led to applications in a variety of fields, the question what
is the point in quantum physics? is still a valid one. There are many people who
would accuse the development of quantum physics of being a waste of time and
money. It is most likely that their reasoning would go like this: quantum physics does
not enhance the lives of the majority of people making it relatively useless; and
useless things are never worth studying. I intend to approach both of these points
separately to show that this area of science is indeed useful and that, even if it
werent, there would still be reason for studying it.
First, I will address the practical application of quantum mechanics.
Increasingly, devices operate at a scale where quantum effects are significant and
knowledge of the theory is essential for their development. One such device is the
LASER (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation), the foundations
of which were established in Einsteins 1914 work On the Quantum Theory of
Radiation. The following decades built upon this theoretical foundation and in 1960
the first LASER was built. The basic function of the LASER is to produce photons
that are coherent and of the same frequency Without the LASER, CD players would
not exist, glasses would be the only way to correct bad eyesight and tattoos would be
even more permanent.
Another device we would be without if it werent for the development of
quantum physics is the MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) machine. An MRI
machine works by creating an electromagnetic field consisting of photons that have
exactly the right frequency to change the spin, a property of particles, of a large
number of protons within water molecules throughout the body. When the field is
turned off, the protons return to their original level of spin (a lower energy state) and
release a photon in the process with energy equivalent to the change in energy of the
proton. MRI techniques allow for very detailed images of the body and are vital in
diagnosing many injuries and diseases, they are superior to X-rays when analysing
soft tissues and the do not use the damaging ionising radiation that X-rays use.
The final application of quantum mechanics that I want to consider is its use in
the future, specifically in quantum computing. This is a hypothesised device on the
brink of being developed. It works by using qubits that act as normal computing bits
except that they can be in numerous states at the same time. This would lead to much
greater processing power than current computers and, though through this leap in
ability it could threaten some modern cryptography methods such as RSA, its benefits
would greatly outweigh this cost.
I have, hopefully, shown that quantum physics is indeed useful to the average
person, whether it is in his CDs, his hospitals or his future laptop, and now I want to
approach quantum physics from a different angle; if it was not useful would there still
be a point in it?
This question arises a lot in the study of pure mathematics. Most modern pure
mathematics is completely useless in the practical sense, and so mathematicians have
found different and, I believe, equally good ways of justifying their work. One such
way is to argue that since their area of study is practically useless is has never brought

Michael Ellis S21

harm to people; both pure mathematics and quantum physics has yet to be used in
warfare or to harm someone. This benign nature can be contrasted with sections of
chemistry and biology that have been used in chemical and biological warfare or
perhaps with the physics of relativity used in designing the atomic bomb.
Another, perhaps stronger, argument is that there is a point in pursuing
knowledge for the sake of knowledge. This is, or at least used to be, one of the central
tenets of science, when short term gain and immediate practical application were not
the reasons for research. I believe that knowledge has a value in itself and that gaining
deeper understanding of the world around us is something that is innate in all of us,
though it may manifest itself in different ways. For some people it is understanding
the building blocks of the universe, for others it is collecting every species of fish in
existence, and for some it might be trying to understand why Ashley Cole cheated on
Cheryl through the medium of Heat magazine. Using out intelligence to make our
lives more comfortable is all well and good but I think that our being here, in this
universe, is a waste of time, energy and carbon if we do not also try to understand
why. Why has driven me to write this essay, it is what separates us from the animals
and it is the most important reason for pursuing science.
Quantum physics has given us a whole new way of looking at the world and
Ive seen the ideas used in a variety of academic field. For example, Heisenbergs
famous uncertainty principle has given rise to new philosophical notions in that it has
shown there is a limit to human knowledge and that the future (as well as the present)
is and always will be uncertain to an extent. Mathematics followed physics in
declaring elements of its discipline as unknowable; it was shown by Kurt Gdel that
some conjectures could never be proven true or false. The excitement of quantum
physics has inspired many students to look into careers as researchers that they may
not have considered before and many millions of people have been inspired by it as
evidenced by the best selling of Richard Feynmans QED. All of this must be a
positive force in the world.
So in this I hope that I have shown, concisely, that there is most certainly both
a practical and philosophical point in quantum physics, and that it effects everyone in
a positive way.