Funny Things Happen When Space And Time Vanish

Funny Things Happen When Space And Time Vanish

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Of the many mysteries of modern physics, few compare to “nonlocality” in quantum physics. Nonlocality means that far away objects can influence one another instantaneously (or, at least, much faster than the speed of light). It is as if space and time didn’t exist!

“Influence” may not be the right word here; in fact, we don’t have a good word for it given that words are devices we create to express experiences anchored in our sensorial perception of reality.

When a ball hits the goal or a raindrop falls, we know there is a local cause: the kick, the heavy raincloud. In the quantum world, the world of electrons and photons, effects can occur without a local cause, something I explored here a few weeks back.