Osiris: 1 revision: Discworld import 2

2012-09-24T00:09:55Z

1 revision: Discworld import 2

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Old Dickens: removing that which the Ultimate Authority hath deemed ineligible for inclusion in the wiki

2010-10-22T23:57:31Z

removing that which the Ultimate Authority hath deemed ineligible for inclusion in the wiki

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The [[Discworld (world)|Discworld]], of course, operates on magic. [[Magic]] flies the [[Great A'Tuin|Turtle]], spins the Disc and reclaims the [[Rimfall]]; it's natural and normal and unremarkable. What sometimes perplexes people is the odd way in which things sometimes happen without apparent magical influence. These inexplicable phenomena are given the collective name '''quantum'''. The [[Wizards]] have created a model universe in which everything is governed by quantum, and there is no internal magical influence and no [[Narrativium]].

[[Archchancellor]] [[Mustrum Ridcully]] uses the term dismissively as a catch-all phrase summing up all he finds distasteful and annoying in this new-fangled magic they're "discovering" and "inventing" in the [[High Energy Magic Building]] at [[Unseen University]]. "Hooray," he mutters, sourly, "here comes another bloody quantum..."

==Annotation==

In physics, a quantum (plural: quanta) is the minimum unit of any physical entity involved in an interaction. An example of an entity that is quantized is the energy transfer of elementary particles of matter (called fermions) and of photons and other bosons. The word comes from the Latin "quantus", for "how much". Behind this, one finds the fundamental notion that a physical property may be "quantized", referred to as "quantization". This means that the magnitude can take on only certain discrete numerical values, rather than any value, at least within a range. There is a related term of quantum number.

A photon, for example, is a single quantum of light, and may thus be referred to as a "light quantum". The energy of an electron bound to an atom (at rest) is said to be quantized, which results in the stability of atoms, and of matter in general.

As incorporated into the theory of quantum mechanics, this is regarded by physicists as part of the fundamental framework for understanding and describing nature at the infinitesimal level, for the very practical reason that it works. It is "in the nature of things", not a more or less arbitrary human preference.

[[Category:Discworld concepts]]

Quantum - Revision history

Osiris: 1 revision: Discworld import 2

Old Dickens: removing that which the Ultimate Authority hath deemed ineligible for inclusion in the wiki