this post was submitted on 20 Dec 2025
28 points (93.8% liked)

Ask Science

13997 readers
2 users here now

Ask a science question, get a science answer.


Community Rules


Rule 1: Be respectful and inclusive.Treat others with respect, and maintain a positive atmosphere.


Rule 2: No harassment, hate speech, bigotry, or trolling.Avoid any form of harassment, hate speech, bigotry, or offensive behavior.


Rule 3: Engage in constructive discussions.Contribute to meaningful and constructive discussions that enhance scientific understanding.


Rule 4: No AI-generated answers.Strictly prohibit the use of AI-generated answers. Providing answers generated by AI systems is not allowed and may result in a ban.


Rule 5: Follow guidelines and moderators' instructions.Adhere to community guidelines and comply with instructions given by moderators.


Rule 6: Use appropriate language and tone.Communicate using suitable language and maintain a professional and respectful tone.


Rule 7: Report violations.Report any violations of the community rules to the moderators for appropriate action.


Rule 8: Foster a continuous learning environment.Encourage a continuous learning environment where members can share knowledge and engage in scientific discussions.


Rule 9: Source required for answers.Provide credible sources for answers. Failure to include a source may result in the removal of the answer to ensure information reliability.


By adhering to these rules, we create a welcoming and informative environment where science-related questions receive accurate and credible answers. Thank you for your cooperation in making the Ask Science community a valuable resource for scientific knowledge.

We retain the discretion to modify the rules as we deem necessary.


founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

I am not a boy because my parents observed my penis at the 12 week echo. I am a boy because the sperm cell that made me, carried the right chromosome. It was decided at fertilization. Even if my parents never observed me, I would still be a boy.

The experiment described in the Veritasium video splits a particle in an electron and a proton. They must have opposite spin and that is measured at the time of observation. Than there's a whole discussion about faster than light communication, but if the spin is given at the moment of creation, both will have the opposite spin from the start. It can still be random and measurements will still have a 25% failure rate.

What am I missing? Can the spin change between creation and measurement?

What happens if a particle doesn't get observed, does it not have spin?

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] CanadaPlus 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Haven't seen the video, but can probably still answer the question.

Basically, if the experiment is set up right, it's not the obvious number you'd expect. It's as if they're passing notes to beat the measurements. (Although not enough to transmit novel information, which is another QM misconception)

If you want to understand it rigorously, this section of this article might help. Jargon is the only real thing that I can see that would be a barrier.