• Kaput@lemmy.world
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    1 hour ago

    Any good link for a simple explanation on how there cant be smaller length?

    • Lambda@lemmy.ca
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      32 minutes ago

      I’ve never found a good link, and I’m not certain that I know best, but I can try to explain it to you.

      First: an understanding of the Pauli exclusion principle. Often people ask “Why can’t there be 3 electrons in that orbital, there’s plenty of space?” The thing is that the electrons are completely¹ defined by just 4 numbers: spin (±½), shell (positive integer), subshell (integer from 0 to shell-1) and magnetic (integer form -subshell to +subshell). Why there can’t be more than 2 electrons in the 1st shell is that you can chose spin from (±½), shell is 1, subshell has to be 0, magnetic has to be 0. Its like asking “Why can’t there be 3 integers between 0 and 3, there’s plenty of space?” and the answer is that whatever integer you come up with will be one of the 2 already known (1, 2).

      Similarly, as I understand it, the fundamental laws of physics don’t distinguish between “things” closer than 1 Planck length apart. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the universe operates on a 1 Planck length grid, just that any two “things” separated by less than a Planck length are indistinguishable from one new “thing” with different properties.

      I’m fairly confident in the PEP description, the Planck length one I’m less 100% sure about, but its how I understand it at least.

      ¹assuming a universe comprised of only a single hydrogen atom, otherwise the states of everything else in the universe can perterb the state functions and things can get messy, but usually not enough to merge shells.

      • Kaput@lemmy.world
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        58 seconds ago

        Thank you for trying, your explanation is not nearly dumb enough. I feel like the match girl smelling the roast while having a bite of stale bread. There is knowledge I just can smell but not taste. The one thing I got though that clarified a bit is that Planck lengths is not a statement that space, the 3 dimensions, is quantized but rather that it’s mathematically insignificant when trying to distinguish two particules separated by Less than that length.

  • Hacksaw@lemmy.ca
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    15 hours ago

    Max Planck: I also just discovered the shortest amount of time something can last any ideas what I should name it?

    Marie Planck: Planck time

    Max Planck: :'(