Books etc

Do electrons spin?

Electron spin makes us picture electrons as if they "spin" like a tiny toy top spinning on a table. But here’s the thing: electrons don’t spin like that at all! In the article Electron's spin - Part 1, we discovered that scientists once thought electrons might be spinning, so they gave this spe...…
in questions
Do electrons spin?

Is Millie a real pussycat?

Click here to see some photos.
in questions
Is Millie a real pussycat?

Why do Millie meet electrons first?

Electrons were discovered before other elementary particles. Joseph John Thomson demonstrated their existence in 1897, and for this, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1906. To learn more, read the story of the discovery of the electron.
in questions
Why do Millie meet electrons first?

Do electrons always have the spinny top?

In the article Electron's Spin - Part 1, we discovered that the electrons’ pointy "hats" aren’t really hats at all, but rather a built-in feature of electrons known as spin. It's like your nose — you can’t take it off because it’s part of your face. Millie discovered it in Book 1. Do you rem...…
in questions
Do electrons always have the spinny top?

What do "psi" and "collapse" mean?

Just as "Millie, micro, nano, and pico" are Millie’s magic words to shrink smaller and smaller, "Psi" and "Collapse" are the electron’s special words for switching between its wave and particle forms. If you’ve read the article Millie, micro, nano, and pico, you already know these words...…
in questions
What do "psi" and "collapse" mean?

What are Bosonville and Fermioncity?

The article on elementary particles explains that there are two types of particles: bosons and fermions. This explains why Millie’s adventures begin at the border between the territory of the bosons, Bosonville, and that of the fermions, Fermioncity. In Millie’s adventures, fermions live in Fe...…
in questions
What are Bosonville and Fermioncity?

Diffraction

When waves move toward the shore, they usually go in a straight line. But what if there’s something in the way, like a big rock sticking out of the water or an opening in a wall like in the image above? Instead of just stopping, some of the waves go around the rock or though the opening and spread...…
in macroscopic concepts
Diffraction

Double-slit experiment

The double-slit experiment was invented in 1801 by Thomas Young to study the nature of light. Young was convinced that light behaved like a wave, while other scientists, such as Isaac Newton, preferred to think of it as composed of corpuscles (= light particles). Young decided to pass a beam o...…
in history
Double-slit experiment