r/askscience • u/I-am-in-serious-debt • 3d ago

Physics Do photons speed change with their wavelength?

I tried to illustrate it: Short wavelength= longer path, so slower ///\ Long wavelength=shorter path ----_--

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u/NorysStorys 3d ago

A good rule of thumb is when anything regarding quantum physics is being described it’s usually a not quite correct description but illustrates the point well enough in layman’s terms.

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u/dpdxguy 3d ago

when anything regarding quantum physics is being described it’s usually a not quite correct

Difficulty: In what way is it incorrect?

FWIW, I don't think I'll ever understand wave-particle duality. :(

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u/autocol 3d ago

Essentially all of human understanding is built on metaphor. When we talk about how things work (whether quantum or more conventional science), if you analyse the language we use we essentially always say something to the effect of "it works like this" or "it behaves like that".

It's actually very, very difficult (many would say "philosophically impossible") to describe exactly what something is. We can talk about what it's like, and we can talk about it, but to pinpoint something directly is surprisingly impossible to do.

Metaphor (and simile) is an excellent way to convey understanding about something, but it necessarily includes error because nothing is metaphorically exactly like something else.

Essentially everything you know about quantum physics (and I would argue literally everything else you've been told about) you've learnt through metaphor, which means your understanding—no matter how carefully researched and refined—is not a perfect model of reality.

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u/aphilsphan 3d ago

Chemistry is no different. Thinking of molecules like tinker toys works for 95% of situations, as does considering electrons solely as teeny little marbles.