A question for the Physics communities

I think I need to rephrase the question. I'll post again in a few days.

The replies so far have generally been very polite, given the subject. I was nervous about that. Thanks everyone!

... Hear me out, okay?

Back in 2000 I took my first solo, out of state trip, to meet an online friend. When I got off the bus, she greeted me, and let me know that we had to go stop by her friends house on the way back.

She was Wiccan and needed some Spiritual guidance because the night before she saw a black portal open up in the corner of her room that was giving her really bad vibes.

It wasn't my thing, but I never discounted it. Maybe it was real, and if nothing else it's just how her mind is rationalizing things.

But I guess my question is: Does the Scientific Method rule out the possibility that a "real" portal appeared in her room?

Taking wave function probability into account and the absense of data from the room, is it fair to say that the scientific method doesn't rule out the black portal being real?

Looking for black and white answers if possible, but I'd also love to hear your reasoning~

nooneescapesthelaw , (edited )

Can you elaborate on the portal? What does it do, is it between two locations or is it just a hole, or is it just a black circle?

rah ,

The scientific method doesn't rule out any phenomena, it simply provides a method of investigating phenomena.

GardenVarietyAnxiety OP ,

I should have put more emphasis on the other part: The possibility, however unlikely, that a wave function "cascade" would create (what at least appears to be) a black portal.

rah ,

a wave function "cascade"

I'm not sure what you're referring to. It sounds like you've heard some physics words, misunderstood them, and are regurgitating them based on that misunderstanding.

GardenVarietyAnxiety OP ,

I'm asking questions based on "physics words" I've heard, yeah.

I just used cascade to describe many waves collapsing to create a whole.

I'm asking if the wave functions in the particles around us could collapse in such a way that they could absorb light, or even change the composition of atoms?

rah ,

I'm asking if the wave functions in the particles around us could collapse in such a way that they could absorb light, or even change the composition of atoms?

Your question doesn't make sense.

goddard_guryon ,
@goddard_guryon@sopuli.xyz avatar

Since you're seeking for answers within physics buzzwords, you're missing a lot of nuance which is causing you to come up with nonsensical theories. For one, the wavefunction doesn't exist 'in' the particle, it is the particle. A wavefunction collapsing is what causes a particle to show up in a specific location (going by the most prominent interpretation of the wavefunction); as long as the wavefunction is non-zero at more than one location, the particle exists in all those locations.

Equipped with this knowledge, phrases like "a wavefunction collapsing in such a way that it absorbs light" or "change the composition of atoms" make no sense, so I'd suggest you to rethink your assumptions, and, if possible, not look at quantum mechanics as a magic black box that can explain everything a mind can conjure up.

Apytele , (edited )

Not sure how math/logic factors into this for you but the impossibility of proving a negative seems to apply here. It's one of the basic bits of logic I teach patients (at least when they ask about reality testing, which is rare). I tell them it's pretty near impossible to prove something doesn't exist or didn't happen, and that I find the best thing is to focus on what was most likely. It's very rare I don't find a very mundane reason for pretty much everything, and the few things I can't there's pretty much nothing I can do about anyway.

GardenVarietyAnxiety OP , (edited )

I'm not trying to prove that something doesn't exist. I'm asking if we follow the scientific method, does our current understanding of quantum physics allow for phenomena like this to potentially exist in reality?

nooneescapesthelaw ,

This is more of an "is it possible?" type of thing more than it is proving a negative.

For example is it possible for a human to grow 200 feet tall? The answer is no (im not a biologist but probably not) and then you can justify it with science

tobogganablaze ,

The scientific method can't rule out the existance of supernatural stuff like gods or magic. And you can totally explain a black portal (or literally anything you want) with magic or the actions of a god.

GardenVarietyAnxiety OP ,

Can they be explained by quantum states being in an incredibly unlikely but not impossible state?

tobogganablaze ,

Is it really an explanation if it requires something so incredibly unlikely?

I think you will have a much better chance for finding an explanation by looking into optical illusions or hallucinations.

GardenVarietyAnxiety OP ,

Is it really an explanation if it requires something so incredibly unlikely?

Yeah, technically

rah ,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occam%27s_razor

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