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welder — Probability
Published: 2006-04-03 04:57:01 +0000 UTC; Views: 2580; Favourites: 57; Downloads: 252
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Description
“God does not play dice with the universe.” So said Einstein in his disparagement of quantum mechanics. However, despite his opposition, quantum theory has proven to be quite successful. It turns out that all the happenings in the subatomic world can be accurately expressed in terms of probabilities. A particle can be described by a mathematical equation, which is essentially a waveform. Where the wave peaks, that’s where the particle has the greatest chance of being. It seems that our reality at its smallest levels is indeed built on nothing more elaborate than the rolling of dice.(From the Physics series...entire series can be browsed here: [link] )
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Comments: 32
So beautiful.So clear.The dice.On the topic of this book.
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inspiring! great execution.
it's nice to hear the words "... world can be accurately expressed in terms of probabilities". it is so close I know. then again, the most precise statement the probability theory might say is the "almost sure". and once you get anything being almost sure, you deny any other possibility! so, it seems we will have to get comfortable with the variable world. no unifying theory, no single rule to cover all the physics ...
still, this does not take anything from the beauty of the string theory...
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I like it
However, under the dice is a description dealing with the density of an electron trapped inside a well - which doesnt exactelly correlate to dice...
But I do like the idea of Clear dice - gives it a slightly different look.
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The dice are more of a reference to Einstein's favorite bash against quantum mechanics ("God doesn't play dice.")
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omg!!!
this is awsomely simple yet simply awsome!!!!!
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Wow, this is so beautiful (I'm a fan of photography with text in the background). The only thing that irks me is the little dark spot where the page ended.
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Have you read the Hhitchhiker Guide to the Galaxy from Dougla Adams? I think you should(:
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It's all in the details - this composition is wonderful in that you have the lucky number 7 showing on the dice roll when referring to probablity detailed in the book. Also the diagram/graph with the wavy line give the impression of movement to the dice - so that this picture has the illusion of being dynamic when it is static.
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Once again, innovative concept and fabulous perspective. I like the grey hues that predominate in this picture. Also, the referrence to Einstein's statement was very clever!
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I so love dice and these are so stylish.
Nice one again, your concepts are so strong now.
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I have always had a love for your conceptual photos, Arthur, but it's rare that one strikes me as so...arguable. Whereas I love the simplicity and the technique in this particular photo--as well as The Downfall of Simultaneity. But on the concept behind it, I have to raise a few questions:
Whereas probability can be described in terms of mathematical relationships such that, say, a six-sided die has a 1/6 chance of coming up on three, it is bound by the laws of that equation. It is no more possible for that die to wind up on a seven as it is for the electron contained within the nearest orbital of an atom to appear in the seventh orbital without the direct input of energy in order to increase its action potential.
The make-up of the universe may be prone to fluctuation, but it is bound by common things that we accept as "laws"--things like gravity and atomic force and electromagnetic forces, all of which are held solely in the realms of mathematics. Quantum mathematics doesn't deal with uncertainty nearly so much as it deals with defining the limits of the universe. Everything is bound in such a way that it is given to function. Even the waveform you mention is just that--a form, a defined pattern with a given wavelength and frequency that is not going to change. Cesium will always release light at the same wavelength, which is different from Heliums release and so on.
But I must rest at that point. I think the true beauty in this image is in the fact that probability is bound, that its simplicity and minimalism have yet to be broken by randomness, even though entropy takes everything to a less ordered state. Ironically, how ordered is this picture, perfectly composed with intent, that it comes about to say "This is random!"
It is beautiful.
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I'm not exactly sure of what your questions are, though I will address a couple of points...
What we perceive as "laws" exist because of the probabilty inherent in subatomic particles. Essentially, the universe is bound by probabilities...we observe phenomenon at a large scale becasue of the summation of those probabilities. The make up of the universe isn't prone to fluctuation, rather the makeup of the universe exists becauase of fluctuation. In fact, without the inherent randomness introduced at the quantum level, it's very likely that matter in the early stages of the Big Bang would not have been distributed in clumps, but rather uniformly, and so we would have a pretty dull, lifeless, homogeneous universe.
It's not that an electron in a certain orbital can't appear in another one. It's that the probability of that happening is extremely low, and that at any given point you are more likely to observe that electron in its most common orbital. But just because a transition isn't likely, it doesn't mean it won't happen. An example of this is quantum tunneling. Let's say you have a particle that is confined to a fixed space (physicists call it a well) by a certain force; in effect, the energy of this well is greater than the total energy of the particle. Thus, by the classical model, the particle should not be able to escape. However, in quantum mechanics, the particle is described by a mathematical equation which translates into a wave function. If this wave function is mapped across the space of the well, the edges of the wave extend beyond the walls of the well....essentially, showing that the particle has a non-zero probability of appearing outside of the well. So while it's extremely unlikely the particle will cross the barrier, on a large scale it does indeed happen, and we've even learned to exploit the phenomenon with inventions like the scanning tunneling microscope, which basically relies on the tunneling of electrons to construction a highly magnified picture of an object's surface.
It's also important to realize that when talking about a quantum mechanical wave equation, this is a mathematical construct that represents probability, not an actual electromagnetic wave. Though, it's true that all matter is also a wave, but that's another topic...
Hopefully I'm making sense? Anyways, always happy to engage in a discussion
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Great description,......thanks for sharing your wisdom
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I'm also a fan of the use of clear die (plural is di? die? sp?)... Anyways. It's a beautiful series.
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One die. Plural is dice.
Thanks.
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lol. thanks. I knew I had something wrong. I actually typed dice before the bracketed questioning, but the c didn't show up I guess.
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I wonder why the dice are shwoing 7
Three for the Holy Trinity and Four for the Horsemen of the Apocalypse perhaps?!
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Because the most common number to roll on a pair of dice is 7...a representation of the peak of the probability wave
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Really? Huh, I did not know that ... then again, I have never even gambled
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haha just wanted to say. go to the casino and then u know why u should never say 7
long time no see hope all is good
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Alright, maybe I will go into a casino and say 7, like a mantra 
I'm doing good, thanks, you?
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everything looks very good here, from the concept to the focus, never overlooking the b&w look... it adds a lot to the "book feeling"
great piece my friend!!!!
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Great! except for the little black in the bottom left corner...
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Interesting and neat photo 
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