View synonyms for quantum mechanics

quantum mechanics

noun

, Physics.

a theory of the mechanics of atoms, molecules, and other physical systems that are subject to the uncertainty principle. : QM

quantum mechanics

functioning as singular the branch of mechanics, based on the quantum theory used for interpreting the behaviour of elementary particles and atoms, which do not obey Newtonian mechanics

quantum mechanics

A fundamental theory of matter and energy that explains facts that previous physical theories were unable to account for, in particular the fact that energy is absorbed and released in small, discrete quantities (quanta), and that all matter displays both wavelike and particlelike properties, especially when viewed at atomic and subatomic scales. Quantum mechanics suggests that the behavior of matter and energy is inherently probabilistic and that the effect of the observer on the physical system being observed must be understood as a part of that system.
Also called quantum physics quantum theory
Compare classical physicsSee also probability wave

quantum mechanics

The branch of physics that deals with the behavior of matter at the level of the atom , the nucleus , and the elementary particle . At this level, energy , mass , momentum , and other quantities do not vary continuously, as they do in the large-scale world, but come in discrete units, or quanta . ( See Bohr atom and photon .)

First recorded in 1920–25

He majored in mathematical physics, studying mind-bending theories of quantum mechanics and partial differential equations.

Each type of atom and molecule has its own unique spectrum, according to the rules of quantum mechanics.

He went off into a happy mist of quantum mechanics, oscillation theory, and periodic functions of a complex variable.

The man had used a simplified quantum mechanics without correction for relativistic effects.

April 19, 2024tortuous

[tawr-choo-uhs ]

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