Thomas Youngs Double Slit Experiment

Throughout the nineteenth century, physicists had a consensus that light behaved like a wave, in large part thanks to the famous double slit experiment performed by Thomas Young. Driven by the insights from the experiment, and the wave properties it demonstrated, a century of physicists sought out the medium through which light was waving, the luminous ether.  Though the experiment is most notable with light, the fact is that this sort of experiment can be performed with any type of wave, such as water. For the moment, however, well focus on the behavior of light. What Was the Experiment? In the early 1800s (1801 to 1805, depending on the source), Thomas Young conducted his experiment. He allowed light to pass through a slit in a barrier so it expanded out in wave fronts from that slit as a light source (under Huygens Principle). That light, in turn, passed through the pair of slits in another barrier (carefully placed the right distance from the original slit). Each slit, in turn, diffracted the light as if they were also individual sources of light. The light impacted an observation screen. This is shown to the right. When a single slit was open, it merely impacted the observation screen with greater intensity at the center and then faded as you moved away from the center. There are two possible results of this experiment: Particle interpretation: If light exists as particles, the intensity of both slits will be the sum of the intensity from the individual slits. Wave interpretation: If light exists as waves, the light waves will have interference under the principle of superposition, creating bands of light (constructive interference) and dark (destructive interference). When the experiment was conducted, the light waves did indeed show these interference patterns. A third image that you can view is a graph of the intensity in terms of position, which matches with the predictions from interference. Impact of Young's Experiment At the time, this seemed to conclusively prove that light traveled in waves, causing a revitalization in Huygens wave theory of light, which included an invisible medium, ether, through which the waves propagated. Several experiments throughout the 1800s, most notably the famed Michelson-Morley experiment, attempted to detect the ether or its effects directly. They all failed and a century later, Einsteins work in the photoelectric effect and relativity resulted in the ether no longer being necessary to explain the behavior of light. Again a particle theory of light took dominance. Expanding the Double Slit Experiment Still, once the photon theory of light came about, saying the light moved only in discrete quanta, the question became how these results were possible. Over the years, physicists have taken this basic experiment and explored it in a number of ways. In the early 1900s, the question remained how light — which was now recognized to travel in particle-like bundles of quantized energy, called photons, thanks to Einsteins explanation of the  photoelectric effect  Ã¢â‚¬â€ could also exhibit the behavior of waves. Certainly, a bunch of water atoms (particles) when acting together form waves. Maybe this was something similar. One Photon at a Time It became possible to have a light source that was set up so that it emitted one photon at a time. This would be, literally, like hurling microscopic ball bearings through the slits. By setting up a screen that was sensitive enough to detect a single photon, you could determine whether there were or were not interference patterns in this case. One way to do this is to have a sensitive film set up and run the experiment over a period of time, then look at the film to see what the pattern of light on the screen is. Just such an experiment was performed and, in fact, it matched Youngs version identically — alternating light and dark bands, seemingly resulting from wave interference. This result both confirms and bewilders the wave theory. In this case, photons are being emitted individually. There is literally no way for wave interference to take place because each photon can only go through a single slit at a time. But the wave interference is observed. How is this possible? Well, the attempt to answer that question has spawned many intriguing interpretations of  quantum physics, from the Copenhagen interpretation to the many-worlds interpretation. It Gets Even Stranger Now assume that you conduct the same experiment, with one change. You place a detector that can tell whether or not the photon passes through a given slit. If we know the photon passes through one slit, then it cannot pass through the other slit to interfere with itself. It turns out that when you add the detector, the bands disappear. You perform the exact same experiment, but only add a simple measurement at an earlier phase, and the result of the experiment changes drastically. Something about the act of measuring which slit is used removed the wave element completely. At this point, the photons acted exactly as wed expect a particle to behave. The very uncertainty in position is related, somehow, to the manifestation of wave effects. More Particles Over the years, the experiment has been conducted in a number of different ways. In 1961, Claus Jonsson performed the experiment with electrons, and it  conformed  with Youngs behavior, creating interference patterns on the observation screen. Jonssons version of the experiment was voted the most beautiful experiment by  Physics World  readers in 2002. In 1974, technology became able to perform the experiment by releasing a single electron at a time. Again, the interference patterns showed up. But when a detector is placed at the slit, the interference once again disappears. The experiment was again performed in 1989 by a Japanese team that was able to use much more refined equipment. The experiment has been performed with photons, electrons, and atoms, and each time the same result becomes obvious — something about measuring the position of the particle at the slit removes the wave behavior. Many theories exist to explain why, but so far much of it is still conjecture.

The Impact Of Art On The Life Of The Believer - 1378 Words

Throughout history, art has been an essential component of almost every civilization, both for its own sake and for the reflection it provides of changing social attitudes and political climates. Yet while art does serve an important role in secular society, how should it influence, and perhaps even change, the lives of believers? Does God value art? If so, how does He expect us to interact with both secular and religious works of art? This essay will address these and other questions by analyzing the definition of art, discussing the role of art in the life of the believer, and considering how to properly evaluate artwork. We will close our discussion with a reflection on the importance of encouraging artistic expression and appreciation†¦show more content†¦3). This latter definition is more comprehensive than the former because it explains that art requires skill and is a medium through which an artist conveys a message. Yet even this description is not completely accurat e. First, artists occasionally create ‘ugly’ artwork to express inner turmoil or to convey harsh truths about society. Second, not all imaginative designs can be considered great art. Although creating a mural for a home, for example, certainly requires imagination and skill, the mural might not qualify as a work of art according to the judgement of art historians. Perhaps a better way to ‘define’ art would be to utilize a multifaceted approach, such as that suggested by Jeffrey T. Dean. Dean proposes that in order to determine whether a certain work can truly be considered art, it should be compared to â€Å"radial categories† of artwork (31) in the context of the â€Å"historical narrative† of art (29). In other words, the item in question must have some relation, whether direct or indirect, to a recognized work of art, and the connection between the two pieces (if one exists) will likely correlate to known developments in art history (31 â €“ 33). Based on these definitions, what types of creative works would not be considered art? According to Maria Khan, â€Å"Art is derived from our external and internal experiences. Art is a projection of what you experience, how you view the world and what you want to

Hunger Games Free Essays

The Hunger Games Essay By: Yasmeen Sahibzada The Hunger Games is a story of a 16-year old young adult named Katniss Everdeen who changes by her fate of entering the annual Hunger Games. The Hunger Games is an annual televised fight to the death. This event is held to entertain the Capitol. We will write a custom essay sample on Hunger Games or any similar topic only for you Order Now The Capitol is a utopian city where the Panem’s most powerful and wealthy live. Over the course of the book, Katniss enters the games, finds fake love, becomes a part of the star crossed lovers, and finds herself not able to let go of the boy with the bread. In the beginning of the book, Katniss is already well matured and takes the leadership role in her family. Although she is practically an adult, she cannot handle the stress when her sheltered sister is chosen to be in the Hunger Games. Due to this stress, Katniss volunteers herself in the games. In her time in the games, Katniss fully understands how life as part of the districts is meant to be. The Capitol dictates everyone’s life purposes and cannot be changed. Katniss has formed a real bond with Peeta (the boy with the bread†¦long story) who is faking their love for their immunity. Afraid to lose Peeta, they both pretend to eat poisonous berries so they will both win the games. This angers the Capitol because they have just been shown as weak but cannot purposely murder their victors and still seem innocent in all this chaos. Towards the end of the book, Katniss can really hold her own. Now, instead of only risking her own life in this act of defiance, she has sparked a rebellion in the districts. Katniss is the Girl on Fire, named for her distinct costume in the tribute parade. It is now Katniss against the oppressive government. This is the time when Katniss decided that she is the change that Panem has needed for the past 74 years. The theme of The Hunger Games is simply manipulation. Everybody living in Panem was trained to think the Capitol made the games to protect the people from another civil war when really, the games were made to show the people of Panem who’s boss and to not mess with them. They are forced to send their kids off to their guaranteed death but they can’t do anything about it because the Capitol is in control. The fact that Katniss overlooked the lies she was fed to realize the truth shows a lot on her character. In conclusion, I really enjoyed reading The Hunger Games. The writing was at Collins’ all time high, considering she also wrote for Little Bear, a show that I loved as a child. I enjoy very futuristic and rebellious series. This is the main reason as to why The Hunger Games sparked my attention. How to cite Hunger Games, Essay examples Hunger Games Free Essays The Hunger Games is a fictional book. which establishes the relationship between the protagonist Katniss, and the protagonist Peeta. Katniss is a 16 year old girl who lives In District twelve, Panem. We will write a custom essay sample on Hunger Games or any similar topic only for you Order Now She Is the sole provider for her family and competes in the Hunger Games, a game where two people from each of the twelve districts are chosen to fight to the death. Peeta is a 16 year old boy who is also from District Twelve who competes in the Hunger Games with Katniss. Throughout the book there s great debate on whether Katniss and Peeta are in love, or not in love. Katniss pretends to be In love with Peeta because It helps her In the Games, and It Is an act of survival. Peeta on the other hand is deeply in love with Katniss. Throughout the book Katniss often finds herself making multiple references back to her friend, Gale, who has been her best friend for years. She wonders what life would be like with Katniss pretends to be in love with Peeta. She sees It as her only way of survival In the Games. When she and Peeta are in an affectionate state, the Capitol audience is ntertained. This results In her and Peeta getting both food and messages from their mentor Haymitch and their sponsors. Luckily, they entertain the audience enough to survive the games but towards the end of the book Peeta says to Katniss, â€Å"It was all for the games, how you acted. † (Pg. 372) This is legitimate proof that Katniss only pretended to be in love with Peeta. Based on much evidence from the book, it is revealed that Peeta is deeply in love with Katniss. Prior to the beginning of the Games, both Katniss and Peeta had to take art In a pre-game Interview. In Peeta’s Interview. he tells the audience how winning the games would not help his situation because he is deeply in love with Katniss. Katniss was not happy with Peeta’s statement, but later In the book calmly asks him, â€Å"Peeta, you said at the interview you’d had a crush on me forever. When did forever start? † (Pg. 300) Peeta responded, â€Å"Oh let’s see. I guess the first day of school. We were five. You had on a red plaid dress and your hair†¦ it was in two braids Instead of one. My father pointed your out. (Pg. 300) This is the most heart-felt moment between the two; however Katniss only asked Peeta the question because she knew she had to keep entertaining the audience. Her strategy to manipulate Peeta’s emotions was a great advantage to her game. Katniss often makes references back to her friend Gale, her long time best friend that Is back home In District Twelve. She has mixed feelings about him because when Katniss was about to leave for the games, Gale was saying good bye to Katniss and was cut short with the slamming of a door. There are many misinterpretations about what Gale was trying to say to Katniss. Most people, Including Katniss, think that he ‘OF2 was aoout to say â€Å"l love you Inls unnnlsnea sentence OlsturDs Katnlss aurlng tne games when she has mixed feelings about Peeta. Katniss thinks to herself, â€Å"Gale’s not my boyfriend, but would he be, if I opened that door? † (Pg. 280) Any person who is truly in love would not be thinking about other men in this way. Throughout the Hunger Games there is great talk on whether Katniss and Peeta are in love, or not. Katniss pretends to be in love with Peeta because it helps her in the Games, and she uses it as an act of survival. Peeta on the other hand, is deeply in love with Katniss. During the book Katniss often finds herself making multiple mentions back to her friend, Gale, who has been her best friend and hunting buddy for years. She wonders what life would be like if she was with him. Too conclude, Katniss and Peeta are not meant to be. They have completely different individualities and although it may seem that their pretend love is mutual, it is not. How to cite Hunger Games, Papers

Ethics Of Cheating Essay Example For Students

Ethics Of Cheating Essay Cheaters Never Win, Oh wait they dotheyre Cheaters Cheating is defined in the dictionary as, to deceive by trickery; swindle, however the dictionary fails to tell you if it is right or wrong to cheat. People have many different beliefs when it comes to cheating; some think its fine to do while others completely disapprove. I intend to show the different beliefs, from different perspectives of people, and also intend on proving which beliefs have the strongest and weakest arguments. An ethical egoist could argue that we have an obligation to cheat. Ethical egoists maintain the belief that we should act selfishly. We should do things that we believe in our self-interest, which is our own genuine interest. Egoist would cheat to benefit themselves, they believe that their own interest receives much more weight than everyone elses interest. Egoist realize that we are solely responsible for their own lives, therefore if cheating would benefit their lives then cheating is acceptable. If we did not cheat it would bring possible misfortune to our lives. However, it could also be argued by ethical egoist that we do not have an obligation to cheat. Egoist would agree that morality is about overcoming our selfishness and living our life with positive concern for the well being of others. Cheating is not looking at the well being of others, but rather doing the complete opposite. Unless everyone in the country had the answers to the test, then it would be considered good to cheat. Ethical egoist also like to think of themselves as good people, therefore they would want others to regard them in the same way. A cheater would not be regarded as a good person but rather, a bad person and a liar. A utilitarian would probably agree with cheating. Utilitarianism believes that morals are based on the happiness or misery of people. If a person cheated and got an A on the test, they would obviously be happy. Utilitarians also have the tendency to look at the short-term affects of a situation. For example, cheating would result in an A, however the broad perspective is that nothing would be learned, or if they were to get caught cheating they would fail, therefore in actuality they are not benefiting at all. Deontology on the other hand would argue that you should not cheat. Deontology assumes that we all have clear sets of duties that we ought to obey, these are given to us from God or our own reason. Therefore cheating is obviously wrong, so you ought not to cheat. Deontology believes that you have a set of duties that you follow. In deontological ethics, an action is considered morally good because of some characteristic of the action itself, not because the result of the action is good. Of the three approaches to ethics that are mentioned above I think that the egoists support of cheating makes the best argument. Although, I personally do not believe in cheating I do think that egoist do justify the act of cheating. Egoists feel that we should put our selves before all others and that we should do what makes us happy. They feel that whatever will benefit us most will in turn make us happier. I think the comparison of the strongest argument brings out the weaknesses in the other two arguments. I feel that utilitarianism does not have as strong of an argument for cheating, because they do not look at the entire situation and also they are interested in the happiness of themselves, cheating is not necessarily always going to make you happy. I believe that deontology has the weakest argument, they live by what you ought to do. They base all their decisions on God or morals that they were taught, they do not think on their own; they are told of their duties. It seems to me that deontology is almost robotic in a sense. These two arguments seem to concrete for people to actually maintain. English Essay I do not believe that any of the approaches to ethics would say that you had an obligation to cheat, but rather they explain their reasoning for why it would be acceptable to cheat. All three of these approaches .