Quantum Mechanics

Definition

Quantum mechanics is a branch of physics dealing with phenomena on a very small scale such as atoms and subatomic particles.

Analogy

Imagine if you were playing Minecraft but instead of regular blocks you had super tiny blocks that could sometimes act like waves instead of solid objects. That's kind of what quantum mechanics is all about - it's studying those weird little "blocks" at the heart of everything around us.

Related terms

Particle Physics: This field studies the nature of particles that constitute matter and radiation. In our Minecraft analogy, this would be studying each individual block type in detail.

Wave-Particle Duality: A concept in quantum mechanics stating that every particle has both wave-like and particle-like properties. Like how water can be both a liquid and a gas, particles can also have dual states.

Quantum Field Theory: This is the theoretical framework for constructing quantum mechanical models of subatomic particles in particle physics. It's like creating the rulebook for how our Minecraft blocks should behave.