To a physicist, sure. To the lay public, observe means you’re watching it. If you’re looking away, you’re not observing. When in reality, it doesn’t matter who’s looking, if the particle is interacting with other particles, it’s being “observed”.
It also implies a person observing, and physics was happening for billions of years before there was anything remotely fitting the description “observer”
I mean the word’s common meaning. I understand the physics use of the word is not the same as the common word, that’s my point. The use of the word has caused enormous confusion with even some physicists claiming that human observers matter (presumably to reinforce religious beliefs)
I’d like to nominate Observer Effect for the Worst and Most Confusingly Named Thing Ever award.
Funny meme though.
“Observe” implies interaction with a photon.
To a physicist, sure. To the lay public, observe means you’re watching it. If you’re looking away, you’re not observing. When in reality, it doesn’t matter who’s looking, if the particle is interacting with other particles, it’s being “observed”.
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It also implies a person observing, and physics was happening for billions of years before there was anything remotely fitting the description “observer”
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I mean the word’s common meaning. I understand the physics use of the word is not the same as the common word, that’s my point. The use of the word has caused enormous confusion with even some physicists claiming that human observers matter (presumably to reinforce religious beliefs)
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