More Quantum Physics In Your Daily Lives

I pointed to an article a while back about the stuff we use everyday that came into being because of our understanding of quantum mechanics (basically, all of our modern electronics). Now, Chad Orzel has done the same thing in his article on Forbes, telling you how you actually start your mornings by relying on the validity of QM.

The tiny scale of all the best demonstrations of quantum physics can lead people to think that this is all basically meaningless, arcane technical stuff that only nerds in white lab coats need to worry about. This is deeply wrong, partly because I don’t know any physicists who wear white lab coats, but more importantly because quantum phenomena are at the heart of many basic technologies that we use every day.

In fact, I can’t start my morning without quantum mechanics, in the form of my bedside alarm clock.

You may read the rest of his arguments in the article.

I will also add something that I've mentioned before. The presence of quantum effects may be more prominent than what most are aware of, if we go by the evidence for the existence of superconductivity. As stated by Carver Mead, it is the clearest demonstration of QM effects at the macro scale. Yet, a lot of people simply do not recognize it for what it is.

Zz.