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1. Introduction

One normally makes a distinction between quantum mechanics and quantum physics. Quantum physics is concerned with those processes that involve discrete energies, and quanta (such as photons). Quantum Mechanics concerns the study of a specific part of quantum physics, those quantum phenomena described by Schrödinger's equation.

Quantum physics plays a rôle on small (atomic and subatomic) scales (say length scales of the order of 10-9m) and below. You can see whether an expression has a quantum-physical origin as soon as it contains Planck's constant in one of its two guises

h = 6.626 . 10-34Js,  
$\displaystyle \hbar$ = h/2$\displaystyle \pi$ = 1.055 . 10-34Js. (1.1)

Here we shall shortly review some of the standard examples for the break-down classical physics, which can be described by introducing quantum principles.

 

© 1998 Niels Walet, UMIST
Email Niels.Walet@umist.ac.uk