Quantum Mechanics

post by jenn (pixx) · 2025-01-20T23:50:15.171Z · ? · GW · 0 comments

Contents

  Topic
  Prep work
None
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Meet inside The Shops at Waterloo Town Square - we will congregate in the indoor seating area next to the Your Independent Grocer with the trees sticking out in the middle of the benches (pic) at 7:00 pm for 15 minutes, and then head over to my nearby apartment's amenity room. If you've been around a few times, feel free to meet up at the front door of the apartment at 7:30 instead.

Topic

For this week's meetup, we'll be trying to learn quantum mechanics (the interesting bits!). We'll begin with an introduction to the fundamental postulates of quantum theory, to put us on the same page about what can be rigorously said in this framework. We'll then move on to a more qualitative discussion of some interpretations of quantum theory, and on the more applied side, how the laws of quantum theory lead to technological possibilities such as quantum computing and cryptography.

Prep work

• If you haven't taken a class in linear algebra before, take a look at this document to get a quick intro - it should be an accessible introduction to the important concepts we'll need in the meetup. (The last few pages "For the interested reader" are optional.)

• Pick one (or more!) of the following interpretations of quantum theory, and flip through its wiki page to get a rough idea of what it says (some parts may not be understandable without the formalism, but just aim to get the gist of it).
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Many-worlds_interpretation
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_Bayesianism
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Broglie–Bohm_theory
• Optional: prepare one or two questions you may have about quantum interpretations or technology, and post them in the Discord channel beforehand, so we can consider discussing them at the meetup!

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