Back to Show
PBS Space Time
Zeno's Paradox & The Quantum Zeno Effect
Season 7
Episode 12
A moving arrow is at rest.” Zeno, a Greek philosopher famous for his metaphysical trolling, devised a paradox whose conclusion is just this. If we’re talking about a quantum arrow, there may be a way to freeze its motion simply by looking at it, through the aptly named quantum Zeno effect. The Quantum Zeno effect predicts that certain quantum events can be frozen through this act of observation.
Support Provided By

11:54
Normal maps are useless inside black holes.

12:49
If there’s one thing cooler than a black hole it’s a rotating black hole.

14:42
How do quantum states manifest in the classical world?

11:31
If the quantum multiverse is real there may be a version of you that lives forever.

15:09
Does conscious observation of a quantum system cause the wavefunction to collapse?

13:17
There is an idea that consciousness can directly influence quantum systems.

12:09
The axion may explain dark matter.

12:22
If the universe goes on forever, does that mean there are infinite versions of you?

13:34
An insight by a young scientist in 1925 allowed us a better understanding of space time.

13:35
The three body problem is famous for being impossible to solve.

12:02
How about black holes being captured by the screaming vortex of a quasar?

9:54
Why is there something rather than nothing?