So can someone who understands quantum theory higher level than a simple idiot like myself confirm if this actually holds to real quantum physics, or is it just words?
Wave function collapse is a totally real thing, yeah.
Most quantum stuff doesn’t apply to our every day, macro lives.
Except seeing Santa. If you see him, run.
Don’t stop running.
He’s faster than a deer, and you need a head start. ;)
As an expert scientician with a degree in science, I can tell you in my educated opinion that Santa’s Quantum Superposition Theory is the best explanation for how I got a Zartan action figure in 1985 without ever telling my mom and dad I wanted one.
To a degree, yes. As was mentioned elsewhere there is a thing called Wave Function Collapse, which occurs when a measurement is taken of a quantum system and forces the system from superposition (multiple states at once) into a single state. A measurement could be seeing it, scanning it, bumping into it, etc (not human conscious observation, that’s an old and weird interpretation and not relevant nowadays).
Before (and after as well) you actually collapse the wave function you can perform meaningful math using the quantum particles. The one way I’m familiar with is for computer calculations, which is what quantum computers are aiming for. This is basically done by canceling out certain possibilities to only allow the wave function to collapse into ways that give meaningful mathematic results.
As such, this is barely relatable to a quantum Santa which uses this nature to perform meaningful present sharing actions simultaneously using quantum superposition of a quantum system that is spread out over a very large area. Of course, basic quantum mechanics becomes statistically the same as normal physics (i.e. 10 quadrillion particles average out to one normal human), so Santa would need to be a reality bender to allow for such small chances to occur to allow a human sized being to affect a huge area… but whatever.
Sort of. Disclaimer, I’m not a quantum scientist, but I like to think I have a level of understanding.
First off, observation does not change outcomes. It’s the tools that do that. Quantum mechanics often involve particles so small that bouncing a photon will create disruption, and you need photons to observe, so that’s why.
Secondly, if superposition holds in the same way as Schrödinger’s Box, then when you see the presents under your tree, that’d still collapse the probabilities.
Thirdly, and this is headcanon, but superposition isn’t actually something being in multiple conflicting states at once. Rather, when you don’t know what state something’s in, you can determine the probability of each state. The way I see it, they just use “it’s 70% A and 30% B” as a shorthand for “there’s a 70% chance that it’s A and a 30% chance that it’s B so we’re going to calculate both of them until we know.” When you observe the outcome (and this isn’t talking about the cases where you disrupt it with photon action,) you are able to determine from that whether it was A or B, and the probabilities collapse.
So Santa Claus will visit one lucky household, but don’t look under your tree, because chances are it wasn’t yours!
Yes, but no.
A quantum Santa could deliver presents to every house simultaneously if nothing observed his passage. On the other hand, at some point the wave function will collapse, like say when people check what presents are under the tree. When the wave function collapses, the probabilities all go away and there’s a single answer, so he could deliver presents to one and only one house.
