Quantum Randomness Explained
Can something be truly random?
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Quarky is writing this for you...
Your turn!
Question 1 of 2Why does a rolled dice feel random to us?
The story
Quarky flips a coin over and over, trying to guess the next result. In the everyday world, if you knew exactly how a coin was flipped, you could predict it. But in the quantum world, some things are truly unpredictable, even if you know everything about them. Quarky sends a photon toward a special mirror and it either bounces or passes through, and nothing decides beforehand which one happens. That is real randomness.
What you'll learn
- Everyday randomness comes from missing information
- Quantum events can be random with no hidden answer
- Scientists use quantum randomness to make secret codes
- Probability tells us the chances, not the exact result
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