Re:The human genome is, at long last, complete
by analog31 on Saturday April 02, 2022 @07:04PM
(#30892465)
Science has a long history of giving things arbitrary or whimsical names, and regretting it. Consider "real" and "imaginary" numbers. Or names that have different technical and popular definitions, such as "introversion."
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Re:The human genome is, at long last, complete
by XorNot on Saturday April 02, 2022 @08:30PM
(#30892995)
Imaginary isn't exactly wrong though. Imaginary co-ordinate results in quantum mechanics correspond to non-physical observations - they "exist" but are unobserved until something squares them into reality.
Same with AC power transfer - the imaginary power doesn't drive the load, but it's quite real because I^2*R turns the term into a real power for resistive losses.
Re:The human genome is, at long last, complete
by MichaelBurge on Saturday April 02, 2022 @09:15PM
(#30893298)
> Imaginary co-ordinate results in quantum mechanics correspond to non-physical observations - they "exist" but are unobserved until something squares them into reality.
This sounds wrong for three reasons:
1. You can multiply any vector of qubits representing a quantum state by any complex number and it's the same state.
2. Measurement is always with respect to a basis. A result can be measured with 0% probability in one basis, 50% in another, 100% in another.
3. It doesn't take into account interference, so it's missing the whole point of how quantum differs from regular probabilities.