Quantum Suicide and Immortality, Schrödinger's Cat and the Weird World of Quantum Mechanics

This is a very long article but I promise that it's worth the read if you find Physics fascinating.

How Quantum Suicide Works
by Josh Clark

Introduction to How Quantum Suicide Works
A man sits down before a gun, which is pointed at his head. This is no ordinary gun; i­t's rigged to a machine that measures the spin of a quantum particle. Each time the trigger is pulled, the spin of the quantum particle -- or quark -- is measured. Depending on the measurement, the gun will either fire, or it won't. If the quantum particle is measured as spinning in a clockwise motion, the gun will fire. If the quark is spinning counterclockwise, the gun won't go off. There'll only be a click.

Nervously, the man takes a breath and pulls the trigger. The gun clicks. He pulls the trigger again. Click. And again: click. The man will continue to pull the trigger again and again with the same result: The gun won't fire. Although it's functioning properly and loaded with bullets, no matter how many times he pulls the trigger, the gun will never fire. He'll continue this process for eternity, becoming immortal.

Go back in time to the beginning of the experiment. The man pulls the trigger for the very first time, and the quark is now measured as spinning clockwise. The gun fires. The man is dead.

But, wait. The man already pulled the trigger the first time -- and an infinite amount of times following that -- and we already know the gun didn't fire. How can the man be dead? The man is unaware, but he's both alive and dead. Each time he pulls the trigger, the universe is split in two. It will continue to split, again and again, each time the trigger is pulled.­

This thought experiment is called quantum suicide. It was first posed by then-Princeton University theorist Max Tegmark in 1997 (now on faculty at MIT). A thought experiment is an experiment that takes place only in the mind. The quantum level is the smallest level of matter we've detected so far in the universe. Matter at this level is infinitesimal, and it's virtually impossible for scientists to research it in a practical manner using traditional methods of scientific inquiry.­

Dark Future of the Sun

Our Sun has served Earth well for almost five billion years. It's bathed us with heat and energy. But like humans, our home star is mortal. In five billion years, it will stop nurturing its planetary offspring.

The Sun

Taken by Hinode's Solar Optical Telescope on January 12, 2007, this image of the Sun reveals the filamentary nature of the plasma connecting regions of different magnetic polarity.

The aging star will bloat out beyond the orbit of our planet incinerating all living things--including humans if we're still around.

Life-cycle of the Sun

Hate E-mails with Richard Dawkins

Thought this one was really funny! lol

Total Eclipse

Once they were dreaded and thought to be dragons eating the sun!

RAWR!

But modern science has dispelled mythology and we now look forward to total Solar Eclipses as one of the most spectacular phenomena in the heavens.

How a total solar eclipse occurs.

Explore the complex movements of Earth, Moon and Sun that produce these unusual events and hear details why we may be the only intelligent beings in the known Universe to witness eclipses like we see on Earth. Man-made eclipses also figure into the science in the form of instruments called “coronagraphs.” They blot out the sun and reveal its corona, uncovering secrets which, while enlightening, also warn of a disaster that could make our advanced technology crash and burn.

Finally, travel into deep space, where the tiny eclipses caused by planets circling distant stars is now beginning to reveal hundreds more stars where “exoplanets” exist… perhaps even those in habitable zones like the Earth.

Asteroid Attack

What are the latest discoveries in the deadly world of asteroids? Will a Japanese spacecraft become the first to bring an asteroid sample back home?

253 Mathilde, an asteroid measuring about 50 kilometres (30 mi) across. Photograph taken in 1997 by the NEAR Shoemaker probe.

What would happen to America's east coast if the impact that helped form Chesapeake Bay 35 million years ago struck today? And why did President Obama choose an asteroid as the destination for the next manned mission into space? Learning about these huge space rocks isn't just about science, it's about survival.

Secrets of the Space Probes

They've discovered water on other planets, and snatched the actual building blocks of life from a comet's tail.

Voyager 1 - the farthest human-made object from Earth at 17.242 billion km, or 10.712 billion miles and currently traveling at 17.07 km/s or 61,452 km/h (38,185 mph)

But can space probes find a new Earth and even make contact with alien life? In the 21st century, space probes are photographing, drilling and even sniffing new worlds in the quest for life and scanning thousands of distant suns trying to detect Earth-like planets. It's only a matter of time before space probes unlock the secrets to extra-terrestrial life and the universe itself.

Time Travel

One of the universe's most enduring mysteries is time travel.

Albert Eisntein

Discover why time travel into the future is unavoidable in the Einsteinian world of relativity. As for the past the laws of physics don't tell us it's impossible, but the bizarre consequences of going into the past and altering the future make for mind-bending science. Finally go for the future by traveling to the nearest star, 4.3 light years away in only 45 days.

Magnetic Storm

It bursts from the sun with the power of 10,000 nuclear weapons and when it hits our planet it could create the largest disaster in recorded history.

Coronal Mass Ejections - When these blast through the sun's outer atmosphere and plow toward Earth at speeds of thousands of miles per second, the resulting effects can be harmful to communication satellites and astronauts outside the Earth's magnetosphere. On the ground, the magnetic storm wrought by these solar particles can knock out electric power. A better understanding of this solar activity could give people on Earth more time to prepare by placing satellites in a safe configuration, planning the best time for astronaut space walks or rocket launches, and implementing contingency plans to deal with any power outages.

A magnetic storm from the sun could wipe out electrical power and nearly every piece of electronics in the Northern Hemisphere. It's a planet-wide hurricane of magnetic forces that scramble all 21st Century technology, possibly for good. What causes this magnetic superstorm? Why is magnetism so powerful and yet so poorly understood? And is there anything we can do to prevent the Magnetic Storm?

Mars: The New Evidence

In the last few years, Mars has shown many new clues that life may have once existed there and may even exist there today.

The Red Planet

There is now proof that water once flowed on the surface and that the frozen poles are mostly water, not carbon dioxide as previously thought. Mars has snow, an auror and lightning generated by dust storms. Most intriguing of all are the seasonal plumes of methane that just may point to bacteria living below the surface.

The panoramic view of Mars taken by the Mars Rover Exploration Opportunity (MER-B)
Click for Hi-Res Version (12348x2208)

7 Wonders of the Solar System

We are in the midst of the greatest era of space discovery. 21st century spacecraft and sophisticated imaging technology are venturing into un-chartered territory every day--and much of the extraordinary phenomenon is happing right in our own cosmic backyard. Take an exhilarating, unprecedented exploration of the seven most amazing wonders of our solar system.

Olympus Mons - the tallest known volcano and mountain in the Solar System

Take an exhilarating, unprecedented exploration of the seven most amazing wonders of our solar system. Our virtual tour begins with a trip to Enceladus, one of Saturn’s outer moons, where icy geysers spout from its surface. Then venture to Saturn’s famous rings, which contain mountain ranges that rival the Alps. Next dive into the eye of the biggest storm in the solar system–Jupiter’s Great Red Spot. Soar through the Asteroid Belt, containing millions of leftover rocks from the formation of the solar system. Trek up Mount Olympus, the largest volcano, located on Mars. Have a close encounter with the searing surface of the sun, and finish the journey by exploring our home planet Earth.

The History Channel's The Universe

Sup guys!

Well, starting today, I'm gonna be posting the 5th season of The History Channel's The Universe.
I only started watching this and I'm only on episode 3 right now.

The 5th season is composed of 8 episodes.

Episode 1 - 7 Wonders of the Solar System
Episode 2 - Mars: The New Evidence
Episode 3 - Magnetic Storm
Episode 4 - Time Travel
Episode 5 - Secrets of the Space Probes
Episode 6 - Astroid Attack
Episode 7 - Total Eclipse
Episode 8 - Dark Future of the Sun

@LoveIslander
Is this the series you were talking about?
Life

First Life with David Attenborough

After fifty years of broadcasting, Sir David Attenborough goes back to the very beginning of life to reveal an astonishing alien-looking world. If "science is poetry of reality", this mesmerizing feature is certainly a proof of it.

First Life tackles the subject of the origin of life on Earth. He investigates the evidence from the earliest fossils, which suggest that complex animals first appeared in the oceans around 500 million years ago, an event known as the Cambrian Explosion. Trace fossils of multicellular organisms from an even earlier period, the Ediacaran biota, are also examined. The naturalist travels to Canada, Morocco and Australia, using some of the latest fossil discoveries and their nearest equivalents amongst living species to reveal what life may have been like at that time. The series utilises cutting-edge visual effects to reconstruct and animate the extinct life forms.

Megavideo


If you don't like Megavideo, here are some alternative sites where you can watch this.

Click Here

Click Here



BTW, I'm running out of good videos to share so I'm really sorry for posting less frequently lately. If you have some recommendations, please do post it in the comment so I can check it out.

Anyway, enjoy watching this great documentary video.

Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking - The Story of Everything

Last Episode of this Epic Series.

In two mind-blowing hours, Hawking reveals the wonders of the cosmos to a new generation. Delve into the mind of the world's most famous living scientist and reveal the splendor and majesty of the universe as never seen before. See how the universe began, how it creates stars, black holes and life - and how everything will end.

Into the Universe With Stephen Hawking – Time Travel

The promise of time travel has long been one of the world's favorite scientific "what-ifs?" Hawking explores all the possibilities, warping the very fabric of time and space as he goes. From killing your grandfather to riding a black hole, we learn the pitfalls and the prospects for a technology that could quite literally, change everything.

The concept of Wormholes

BTW, sorry for being a bit inactive here. The other blog is taking too much of my time.

Into The Universe with Stephen Hawking - Aliens

Hawking joins science and imagination to explore one of the most important mysteries facing humankind — the possibility of alien, intelligent life and the likelihood of future “contact.” Traveling from the moons of Jupiter to a galaxy maybe not so far, far away, he’ll introduce us to possible alien life forms — in stunning CGI — that face the same universal trials of adaptation and survival as the residents of Earth.

Sex in Space

From the sex act through birth, look at how the extreme environments of space exploration might effect copulation, conception and developing human tissues, as well as how issues around sex might impact the emotional lives of astronauts. Get to the bottom of the rumors to find out if space sex has already happened, and look at how the burgeoning space tourism business may soon lead to a boom in space sex.

Probe the physiological, psychological and cultural challenges of sex in space.

This is how they imagine sex in space in 1979.

National Geographic - Inside: The Milky Way

Inside the Milky Way takes viewers on an astounding journey across 100,000 light-years to witness key moments in the history of the Milky Way. Using the latest science, NGC constructs a 3-D state-of-the-art CGI model of our galaxy. We'll peer into the heart of the Milky Way on the hunt for super-massive black holes, watch how stars are born and die, fly out and above the plane of our galaxy to understand its true shape and scour its dusty spiral arms for the possibility of life.

What Earth's skies could look like if we were in another part of the Milky Way galaxy.
This sky represents how the sun came to be with clouds of gas and dust of the Orion Nebula.

BBC Horizon 2010: What Happened Before the Big Bang

They are the biggest questions that science can possibly ask: where did everything in our universe come from? How did it all begin? For nearly a hundred years, we thought we had the answer: a big bang some 14 billion years ago.

But now some scientists believe that was not really the beginning. Our universe may have had a life before this violent moment of creation.

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Part 4


Part 5


Part 6


This is a really good documentary. It tackles about different scientific theories about the beginning of the Universe. It will give you a glimpse about the chaotic world of Cosmology! lol

I'm sure this will also cause some confusion to a few people.

I'm Back!

Hey guys! Sorry for the absence. I was too lazy too update this blog! lol

Actually, the storm took down my net for almost a week after my last post.

When it returned, I was too lazy to continue posting so I took a small "vacation".

Anyway, I'll be posting again from now on.

I have a lot of awesome documentary videos to show to everyone!