The Book of All Things: Born for Joy

192.

The simple and melancholic song "Light" brought the entire venue to a standstill. As Li Zichun sang softly, everyone swayed their hands from side to side, and the glow sticks on site seemed to be immersed in the tide of light like seaweed.

The audience listened quietly to his singing, captivated by the charm of the song.

Li Zichun sang a simple song, his whole being bathed in the light shining down from above, flickering and dreamlike, much like a prince waiting for redemption.

After he finished singing, there was a brief pause in the audience. Qingqing caught a ribbon falling from the sky and said with a smile, "The theme of this show is called 'Light' because it is actually a term from physics."

"A light source emits light because electrons in the light source gain extra energy."

"Light has always been considered the smallest substance. Although it is a very special substance, it can be said that exploring the nature of light is equivalent to exploring the nature of matter."

"Why am I telling you all this? Because we're going to do a small experiment here."

As Li Zichun spoke, a series of props were brought out on set.

Li Zichun was about to conduct the famous scientific experiment—the double-slit experiment. The reason he was doing this was precisely because it seemed that no such exploration had yet taken place at that time.

People have become so accustomed to the existence of light that they take it for granted. From drilling fires from charcoal to producing light with electricity, the invention of light bulbs and a series of other light-emitting products have led the public to believe they understand and master light. But is that really the case?

Humans are able to dispel the darkness of night and see objects because of light; they can also see the world and all things in the daytime because of light.

If humans cannot see the light, how can they describe the earth, water, wind, and fire using only their senses?

This is precisely the double-slit experiment by British physician and physicist Thomas Young. The experiment is actually quite simple: place a candle in front of a piece of paper with a small hole, thus creating a point light source (a light source emanating from a single point). Place another piece of paper behind it, but this second piece has two parallel slits. Light shining through the small hole passes through the two slits and is projected onto a screen, forming a series of alternating bright and dark fringes—the well-known double-slit interference fringes.

Scientists have used experiments to capture a scenario where light particles and waves coexist.

"Similarly, this means that light has both wave and particle properties. In other words, light can propagate forward like a wave, but at other times it also exhibits particle characteristics. Therefore, I call light 'wave-particle duality'."

Li Zichun naturally couldn't perform this experiment live at the concert. He simply demonstrated the double-slit experiment, which was praised as "one of the most beautiful experiments in physics." He continued slowly, "If you want to see more, you can log on to the official research institute of Lin's Science Laboratory online. Be prepared."

The reason we need to be mentally prepared is because this experiment is so terrifying that it falls into the realm of quantum science.

This experiment is famous precisely because of its horror.

The terror of the double-slit experiment lies in its challenge to our fundamental understanding of objective reality and causality. In classical physics, we believe that matter possesses definite and measurable properties, such as position, velocity, and energy. We also believe that there are definite and predictable causal relationships between matter, such as Newton's Third Law: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. These understandings form the basis of our knowledge of the laws governing the world.

However, in quantum mechanics, these understandings are overturned. First, an isolated object cannot be perceived, and any attempt to observe it is physical, requiring interaction with it. This means that the act of observation itself changes the observed object, and we must emphasize and clarify that the tool chosen for observation determines the properties of the object, not the choice of tool that determines which properties we "can see."

An isolated object cannot be perceived, and any attempt to observe it is physical and requires interaction with it.

Secondly, we cannot completely control the behavior of matter; we can only use probability and statistics to describe possible outcomes.

Quantum measurement leads to the even stranger fact that it tells us the form in which things exist depends on the means by which we know them, and that means can even be chosen afterward.

Our gaze, however, alters the object itself.

This may sound idealistic, but it's the truth. People's perspectives interact with and change the things around them.

Celebrities enjoy the attention of those around them, so they naturally pay attention to their words and actions, and subconsciously avoid doing certain things to maintain their image. Ordinary people, who also want to be noticed by celebrities, naturally take them as role models and try to emulate their clothing, appearance, words and actions. It's the same principle.

Li Zichun didn't give everyone much time to think, after all, this was a concert, not a philosophical discussion. Although everyone was a little confused by the experiment just now, the stage formed by the intersecting light waves was beautiful enough, so no one had any objections.

Li Zichun steered the conversation back on track, smiling as he said, "A good relationship is never about draining each other in the name of love, but about growing together and becoming each other's light. I'd like to dedicate a song to everyone, 'The Light That Falls in Life.'"

Li Zichun slowly sang "The Light That Falls in Life" along with the music:

You are a ray of light that fell into my world, rushing towards me, and all things grow.

The night sky is slowly lit up, and the glow falls on your hands.

The evening breeze unfolds the story, secretly brewing for you.

Feel the heat of your tears, they possess immense power.

Words seemed to sprout wings and flutter around my ears.

I can't resist anything about you.

Never stop imagining the future.

I will arrive on time, fearless in the face of adversity.

You are a ray of light that fell into my world.

All things grow as they rush toward me.

Your gentleness is so radiant, and it has fulfilled my wish.

You are a ray of light shining in my life; every little thing about you fills me with longing.

With you, clear skies are commonplace.

Where you are is my only direction.

......"

PS: Data is from the internet.

"The Light That Falls in Life" is a song with lyrics by Jing Yao, music by Er San Wu, arrangement by Hou Jianghao and Liu Xingyu, and sung by Yin Ximian. It was released on November 19, 2021, and included in the album of the same name, "The Light That Falls in Life".