Topic: book1

What's the real shape of an electron?

In Millie's stories, electrons look like little spheres with a funny pointy hat. But in real life, nobody knows what they really look like because they’re so tiny that we can’t see them. Some scientists think they might be like tiny spheres, others think they’re like little clouds, and some say they...…
in questions
What's the real shape of an electron?

What's an electron made of?

An electron is so tiny that we can't see it, even with the best microscopes. If you check out the article What is an elementary particle?, you'll learn that an electron isn’t made of smaller pieces — it’s one of the smallest building blocks of everything, called an elementary particle. In B...…
in questions
What's an electron made of?

Wave-particle duality

In the realm of particles, many phenomena are profoundly different from anything we experience in our everyday world. For instance, it seems obvious to us that a tennis ball and an ocean wave are two entirely different things. We’re also absolutely sure that ocean waves will never turn into tennis b...…
in quantum concepts
Wave-particle duality

Heisenberg's uncertainty principle

In the article on wave-particle duality, we explained that the world of particles is filled with strange phenomena that differ significantly from our everyday experiences. For instance, in our daily lives, it's normal to measure the speed of a car while simultaneously knowing its precise position...…
in quantum concepts
Heisenberg's uncertainty principle

Wave function

In Book 1 Millie wonders about the location of the electron that transformed into a wave. The answer she receives is: "Probably not far, but it could be anywhere." The word probably was not chosen by chance. In fact, it is impossible to know exactly where the electron is. But we can ask: "wh...…
in quantum concepts
Wave function

Empty space in atoms

In the article about the discovery of the electron, we read that the atom is more empty than full. The nucleus is ten thousand times smaller than the atom, and the electrons are very far apart. This is why, when Millie first arrives in the world of particles (book number 1), she feels complete...…
in quantum concepts
Empty space in atoms

Schroedinger's cat

Schrödinger's cat is the most well-known thought experiment in quantum physics. A thought experiment is like an imagination game! It’s when you use your imagination to think about a situation, even if you can’t actually do it in real life. Schrödinger used it to illustrate the strange world of qua...…
in history
Schroedinger's cat

Electron's spin - Part 1

In Book 1, Millie is intrigued by the electrons’ pointy "hats" and curiously asks about them. She soon discovers that these aren’t hats at all, but a built-in feature of electrons known as spin. Spin is an intrinsic property of electrons and all quantum particles. An intrinsic property is a ch...…
in quantum concepts
Electron's spin - Part 1