The Quantum Universe

Written by Isla Madden

Quantum physics demands a fundamental shift in how we perceive reality, challenging the notion of an objective world and forcing us to reconsider traditional ideas of cause and effect. Classical physics provides a framework for predicting the behavior of macroscopic objects and celestial bodies, assuming that positions, velocities, and motions are determined by initial conditions. Like the notion of Schrodinger's Cat—who’s fate remains uncertain until an observation is made—quantum physics reveals a Universe governed by probabilities, where outcomes cannot be predicted with absolute certainty.

Theories such as Newtonian mechanics, Maxwell’s electromagnetism, and the laws of thermodynamics, operate in a world of continuity and predictability. Within classical frameworks, time and space are treated as absolute, and energy behaves as a continuous quantity, flowing without inherent discretization. At the subatomic level, however, particles like electrons and photons defy these rules, existing in probabilistic states, with energy quantized into discrete levels, exhibiting behaviors such as superposition and tunneling, and following statistical patterns that can only be described through the formalism of quantum mechanics.

In this microscopic realm, observation itself becomes an active participant in shaping reality. The double-slit experiment shows that particles behave as waves across multiple possibilities until an observer interacts with them, highlighting a Universe that is simultaneously fluid and constrained by the very act of perception. The observer effect demonstrates that the act of measurement collapses a particle’s wave function, forcing it from a superposition of multiple potential states into a single outcome. Schrödinger’s cat, a thought experiment, illustrates this principle vividly: a cat sealed in a box exists in a liminal state of both life and death until observed, reflecting how measurement is inseparable from existence.

This uncertainty calls into question the nature of empirical proof and truth. Classical physics relies on observation grounded in experience: Newton’s apple exemplifies how we understand forces by witnessing tangible phenomena. Yet in a quantum world, the observer is never neutral, and reality itself becomes intertwined with perception. The empirical sciences often strive for objectivity; however, our awareness is inevitably filtered through subjective lenses shaped by individual biases. Some truths may appear universal, like a thermometer reading 11°C or the shared perception that the sky is blue, but subjective experience always colors interpretation, leaving room for multiple, equally valid perceptions of a single state.

Amid uncertainty, interpretation plays a vital role, bridging a gap between the stimuli and the response. As subjective observers of our Universe, our experience is not determined by the event—it is our perception of phenomena which shapes our reality. Quantum physics reveals that certainty has boundaries, where observation shapes reality in a Universe that is at once knowable, unknowable, and infinitely fascinating.