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originally posted in:Secular Sevens
Edited by Seggi:
7/29/2013 6:48:12 AM
10
I'm really not sure what exactly you're asking, but I [i]think[/i] you're asking if we can measure a particle's spin along different axes at the same time, in which case the answer is no. It's not a limitation of modern technology, though, it's a natural limitation - like the uncertainty principle you're probably familiar with that deals with momentum and position. I can go into more depth if you want, but I'm not even sure if that's what you're asking, so I'll leave it at that for now.
Also, small sidenote: electrons don't actually 'spin' in any kind of classical sense, we just call it spin because it's mathematically equivalent to intrinsic angular momentum.
English
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I see, so basically he was just loosely throwing around "observation". So "observation" in his terminology throughout the book in regards to the electron is just how we perceive it through math and other forms of learning about it? I would love to hear more about it as his book didn't really dive deep into it yet and as I am new to the subject it would benefit me greatly. If it isn't too much to ask, of course.
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Edited by Seggi: 7/29/2013 7:24:57 AMWell, no, we can observe it, but it's not like we can get a visual look in the same way we can take a picture or recording of something on the macroscopic level. We usually observe it by looking at the energy levels of electrons. The classic example of observing spin is the [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stern%E2%80%93Gerlach_experiment]Stern Gerlach experiment[/url]. Anyway, I was going to go into detail and try to explain mathematically why we can't measure spin along two different axes simultaneously, but when I think about it, it probably wouldn't be too meaningful unless we went a fairly long way back. It requires a bit of background.
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Thank you very much, I am learning more and more with every reply. So, the "spin" is actually an orbital like movement?
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No, that's a different property. Electrons have both extrinsic (orbital) and intrinsic (spin) angular momentum. Spin's just something we can't really think of classically.
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Ah, so there really wouldn't be any way you could put it into wording using classical terms?
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Rotation... Similar to the earth rotating on an axis
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Edited by Seggi: 7/29/2013 11:12:37 AMNo, again, that doesn't really work in the quantum case. If it referred to intrinsic angular momentum in the classical sense (ie. spin, or 'rotation' as you put it), then the electron would be spinning faster than light (like, on the order of around 10^10 m/s faster or more). It works mathematically, but it's not the same thing conceptually.
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Well if that is the case I'm not exactly sure what the author of the book meant by "spin" I guess I will have to get the book myself haha Also most of what I know about physics is self taught so thank you for correcting me in aspects where I am wrong
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[quote]Well if that is the case I'm not exactly sure what the author of the book meant by "spin"[/quote]It's really just a name we use because of the similarities they have. Specifically, the ways intrinsic (spin) and extrinsic (orbital) angular momentum are defined (mathematically) are pretty much identical.
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Basically. We just call it spin because that's sort of what it acts like.
