Best Of: Questioning Quantum Mechanics

1A

NPR

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4.4 • 4.3K Ratings

🗓️ 4 July 2025

⏱️ 38 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Unless you're a physicist, you've probably only encountered quantum mechanics on TV.

And even when it was explained, you might've still been a little confused.

The field of quantum mechanics was created a century ago. Today, scientists are using it to create methods of communication that can't be hacked, higher quality digital images, and to develop medications.

But many of us don't even understand what quantum mechanics is — or how it's deepening our understanding of the universe.

For today's installment of our series, "The Scientific Method," we answer your quantum-related questions.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	The House of Representatives has approved a White House request to claw back two years of previously approved funding for public media.
0:08.0	The recisions package now moves on to the Senate.
0:11.2	This move poses a serious threat to local stations and public media as we know it.
0:16.6	Please take a stand for public media today at go-acpr.org.
0:22.6	Thank you.
0:27.6	Unless you're a physicist, you've probably only encountered quantum mechanics on television.
0:37.1	Oh, man, another quantum fissure?
0:39.0	This is like the third one this month.
0:40.8	Boo, interdimensional portal.
0:42.5	They have been appearing with statistically abnormal regularity.
0:45.7	Someone has to close the spacetime potholes
0:47.9	or who knows what kind of parallel universe stuff
0:50.1	could drift into our dimension.
0:51.8	And even when it was explained by one of the characters,
1:11.2	you might have still been a little confused. Guys, I think we found ourselves a quantum leap. What the hell's a quantum leap? Oh, a great show from the Coke-fueled era of 80s television where Scott Bacula would leap into other people's bodies, but he didn't know it unless he saw his reflection. I, I feel like whoever's Zaptus here is probably listening.
1:27.8	And who's that? Who Zaptus? I don't know. Ziggy? They don't, they never really clarified on quantum leave. They just, they just accepted it. What? The field of quantum mechanics was created a hundred years ago this year. Today, scientists are using it to create methods of communication that can't be hacked, higher quality images on our phone and TV screens, and to develop medications more quickly. But many of us don't
1:34.3	even understand what quantum mechanics is, or how it's deepening our understanding of the universe.
1:39.7	For this installment of our series, the scientific method, we answer all your quantum-related questions.
1:45.6	We meet our panel after the break. I'm Jen White. You're listening to the 1A podcast, where we get
1:50.4	to the heart of the story. Stay with us. We've got a lot to get to.
1:58.1	You know those things you shout at the radio or maybe even at this very NPR podcast?
2:03.8	On NPR's Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, we actually say those things on the radio and on the podcast.
	...

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