B Double slit and wave particle duality

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The double slit experiment illustrates that particles, such as electrons, exhibit wavelike behavior when observed over many measurements, but each individual measurement reveals particle-like locality. This distinction emphasizes that while the probability of an electron's location behaves like a wave, the electron itself does not act as a wave during measurement. Bohmian mechanics effectively explains this phenomenon by differentiating between the guiding wave and the particles. Ultimately, the complexities of quantum mechanics suggest that definitive explanations may be elusive, reinforcing that "it's quantum mechanics" is often the simplest answer. Understanding these behaviors is crucial for grasping the principles of wave-particle duality.
Isaac0427
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rootone said:
There is no measurement method in which they display both wavelike and point like behavior simultaneously.
Just for my knowledge, not to confuse the OP, why would you say, for example, the double slit experiment does not show both of these properties in one measurement method?

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Isaac0427 said:
Just for my knowledge, not to confuse the OP, why would you say, for example, the double slit experiment does not show both of these properties in one measurement method?
The usual double slit experiment very clearly demonstrates wavelike behaviour with light.
I guess you might see point like behaviour at extremely low frequencies though I'm not sure if it that would be too low to actually measure anything.
 
rootone said:
The usual double slit experiment very clearly demonstrates wavelike behaviour with light.
When the experiment is run with electrons, though, you get wavelike behavior from a large number of single-electron measurements over time, but particlelike locality with each single-electron measurement.
 
Isaac0427 said:
When the experiment is run with electrons, though, you get wavelike behavior from a large number of single-electron measurements over time
You get wave-like behavior in the probability of an electron landing at any particular location. That's not the same thing as saying that the electrons themselves are behaving like waves.

Bohemian mechanics works just fine to explain the double-slit experiment, and it clearly distinguishes between the wave and the electrons; the wave steers the electrons to produce the observed many-electron patterns.
 
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Nugatory said:
You get wave-like behavior in the probability of an electron landing at any particular location. That's not the same thing as saying that the electrons themselves are behaving like waves.

Bohemian mechanics works just fine to explain the double-slit experiment, and it clearly distinguishes between the wave and the electrons; the wave steers the electrons to produce the observed many-electron patterns.
But we are just chasing the same old cart down the road if we think we need to justify ourselves to make these things fit every person who wants to know what's 'really' going on. "It's quantum mechanics" is the only answer.
 
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Theoretical physicist C.N. Yang died at the age of 103 years on October 18, 2025. He is the Yang in Yang-Mills theory, which he and his collaborators devised in 1953, which is a generic quantum field theory that is used by scientists to study amplitudes (i.e. vector probabilities) that are foundational in all Standard Model processes and most quantum gravity theories. He also won a Nobel prize in 1957 for his work on CP violation. (I didn't see the post in General Discussions at PF on his...

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