Quantum weirdness encompasses the aspects of quantum mechanics that challenge and defy human physical intuition. Human physical intuition is based on macroscopic physical phenomena as are experienced in everyday life, which can mostly be adequately described by the Newtonian mechanics of classical physics. Early 20th-century models of atomic physics, such as the Rutherford–Bohr model, represented subatomic particles as little balls occupying well-defined spatial positions, but it was soon found that the physics needed at a subatomic scale, which became known as "quantum mechanics", implies many aspects for which the models of classical physics are inadequate. These aspects include:
quantum entanglement; quantum nonlocality, referred to by Einstein as "spooky action at a distance"; see also EPR paradox; quantum superposition, presented in dramatic form in the thought experiment known as Schrödinger's cat; the uncertainty principle; wave–particle duality; the probabilistic nature of wave function collapse, decried by Einstein, saying, "God does not play dice".
See also Bell's theorem Interpretations of quantum mechanics Quantum tunneling Renninger negative-result experiment Wheeler's delayed-choice experiment
References
Further reading Book reviews Siegfried, Tom (6 January 2019). "'Beyond Weird' and 'What Is Real?' try to make sense of quantum weirdness". Science News. Boyle, Alan (January 9, 2023). "Sci-fi author and scientist team up to write a novel about consciousness and quantum weirdness". GeekWire. Articles Gardner, Martin (October 1982). "Quantum Weirdness". Discover: 69–75. Cho, Adrian (13 September 2005). "Outracing Quantum Weirdness". Science. Boyd, R. W.; Chan, Kam Wai Clifford; O'Sullivan, Malcolm N. (28 September 2007). "Physics. Quantum weirdness in the lab". Science. 317 (5846): 1874–5. doi:10.1126/science.1148947. PMID 17901320. d'Espagnat, Bernard (20 March 2009). "Quantum weirdness: What We Call 'Reality' is Just a State of Mind". The Guardian. Musser, George (19 January 2016). "Quantum Weirdness Now a Matter of Time". Quanta Magazine. Ananthaswamy, Anil (19 February 2016). "Quantum weirdness may hide an orderly reality after all". New Scientist. Wolchover, Natalie (7 February 2017). "Experiment Reaffirms Quantum Weirdness". Quanta Magazine. Wolchover, Natalie (11 October 2018). "Famous Experiment Dooms Alternative to Quantum Weirdness". Quanta Magazine. Schnabel, Roman (29 January 2020). "'Quantum Weirdness' in Exploitation by the International Gravitational-Wave Observatory Network". Annalen der Physik. 532 (3) 1900508. arXiv:1909.13723. doi:10.1002/andp.201900508.