ELI5: What Are Quantum Materials and Why Are They a Big Deal?
Let's identify a content idea based on the common confusions around quantum topics.
Recurring Problem/Question Area: A lot of people are still scratching their heads about what "quantum" really means, how it differs from classical physics, and why these tiny-scale phenomena matter for bigger applications or understanding the universe. The "ELI5" format is frequently requested for various quantum concepts. While the example here focuses on "quantum materials," other core quantum concepts also spark similar confusion.
Content Idea with Potential to Go Viral:
- Content Idea: ELI5: Quantum Entanglement (and why Einstein called it 'spooky action at a distance')
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Explanation:
- Start with a simple analogy, like two special coins that are flipped. If one comes up heads, the other instantly becomes tails, even if they're miles apart. But unlike regular coins, their state isn't determined until one is observed.
- Explain that entanglement links two or more particles so that their fates are intertwined, no matter how far apart they are. Measuring a property of one particle instantly influences the properties of the other(s).
- Clarify common misconceptions: it doesn't allow for faster-than-light communication of arbitrary information, but it does confirm a correlated state.
- Briefly touch on its significance: it's foundational to quantum computing, quantum cryptography, and teleportation (of information/states, not matter as in sci-fi).
- Emphasize the "weirdness" that makes it fascinating and distinct from our everyday experiences.
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Why it could be popular:
- "Quantum Entanglement" is another buzzword, like "quantum materials," that people hear but don't fully grasp.
- The "spooky action at a distance" quote from Einstein adds an element of intrigue and historical context.
- It taps into the inherent human curiosity about the counter-intuitive and seemingly paradoxical nature of reality at the quantum level.
- It has direct implications for futuristic technologies (quantum computing, secure communication), making it relevant.
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Target Audience:
- General public with a curiosity for science.
- Students looking for intuitive explanations beyond textbook jargon.
- Sci-fi fans who encounter the term and want to understand its real-world basis.
- Anyone who has heard the term "quantum entanglement" and wonders what it truly means.
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Origin Reddit Post
r/explainlikeimfive
ELI5: what is quantum material, what constitutes something being quantum, and what makes quantum research significant?
Posted by u/rayyxx•05/30/2025
I’ve tried to read about it online, but I feel like I keep running into another thing I don’t quite get - so I turn to you guys! Thanks in advance
Top Comments
u/fang_xianfu
"Quantum" really just means "very very small". So quantum mechanics means "very very small mechanics", or "the way very very small stuff works".
Why does it matter how very very small stuff
u/wasting_more_time2
Really depends on the context of your question, but "quantum" really just means the smallest discrete unit of something. For example, electrons can only exist at certain energy levels. The co
u/TheXypris
Quantum involves the really really small, like smaller than atoms small
At those scales things don't work like that do at more normal scales
To sum up one of the most complicated area of re
u/TheXypris
Quantum involves the really really small, like smaller than atoms small
At those scales things don't work like that do at more normal scales
To sum up one of the most complicated area of re
u/Magsays
Do you know how it relates to string theory? And/or consciousness?
u/jamcdonald120
Quantum means some minimum amount. think quantity. You have some quantity of money, and money comes in dollars, so dollars is the quantum of money.
Quantum physics says "ok, I have some qu
u/TheDefected
"Quantum" means two things, one is a small "bit" of something, and a lot of the quantum science stuff is the science of small "bits"
The important bit is that everything is made of "pixels".
u/itsatumbleweed
Scientific models are funny- they are explanations for what we can observe empirically. There's a saying "no model is correct, but some are useful". That is to say, the model is a pretty accu
u/melanthius
Everything is quantum, but it doesn't always matter.
Quantum basically means things can have only very specific properties like energy level and electrical charge.
Once objects get large
u/jepperepper
get a physics book, physics 101. learn it, learn to do problems.
then get a book on newtonian mechanics, the lagrangian and the hamiltonian. that's the next step toward understanding quantu
u/jamcdonald120
no relation to consciousness.
string theory is just a mathematical way to unify the small and big scale of physics, but it is so generic anything can be explained by it and nothing predicted
u/Cats_Dont_Wear_Socks
Well...it depends.
If we're talking about matter, the quantum scale is simply the smallest individual unit of something.
If we're talking about the _properties_ of matter, to be quantized
u/justins_dad
The short answer is “very small.” Quantum mechanics studies physics at a very tiny scale, smaller than molecules. Things behave weirdly at that size and quantum research is unlocking all sort
u/jepperepper
thiis is what i'd tell a 5 year old too.
a 5 year old can't understand quantum physics. only people who do the work can undertand it.
good luck though, i hope someone does the work for you
u/justins_dad
The short answer is “very small.” Quantum mechanics studies physics at a very tiny scale, smaller than molecules. Things behave weirdly at that size and quantum research is unlocking all sort
u/eposseeker
It's in very bad taste to discuss the intersection of quantum mechanics and epistemology without formal education in BOTH quantum physics and philosophy.
The main reason is we don't have a
u/wasting_more_time2
Really depends on the context of your question, but "quantum" really just means the smallest discrete unit of something. For example, electrons can only exist at certain energy levels. The co
u/Cats_Dont_Wear_Socks
Well...it depends.
If we're talking about matter, the quantum scale is simply the smallest individual unit of something.
If we're talking about the _properties_ of matter, to be quantized
u/TheDefected
"Quantum" means two things, one is a small "bit" of something, and a lot of the quantum science stuff is the science of small "bits"
The important bit is that everything is made of "pixels".
u/Magsays
Do you know how it relates to string theory? And/or consciousness?
u/Squossifrage
Quantum means things that are so small they behave by different rules than normal-sized "objects" do.
u/thebruce
String theory a mathematical, theoretical framework that tries to unite General Relativity (gravity, basically) and Quantum physics (ie. the standard model or particle physics).
Consciousnes
u/frogglesmash
How is it defunct? Is it no longer being researched?
u/melanthius
Everything is quantum, but it doesn't always matter.
Quantum basically means things can have only very specific properties like energy level and electrical charge.
Once objects get large
u/rayyxx
No disrespect, but no thanks. This isn’t the type of material I do well with learning from a book. I learn much better from people speaking in my terms. In fact my dude, it’s why I posted it
u/Magsays
I’ve been interested in consciousness for a while now, and philosophy in general. I’ve found one can only get so far without understanding some foundational concepts of reality so I’m trying
u/fang_xianfu
"Quantum" really just means "very very small". So quantum mechanics means "very very small mechanics", or "the way very very small stuff works".
Why does it matter how very very small stuff
u/thebruce
String theory a mathematical, theoretical framework that tries to unite General Relativity (gravity, basically) and Quantum physics (ie. the standard model or particle physics).
Consciousnes
u/pcalau12i_
The term "quantum" is actually used in quantum mechanics to refer to the fact that energy comes in discrete quanta. I mean, that quanta is small but it's more about the discreteness than the
u/jepperepper
get a physics book, physics 101. learn it, learn to do problems.
then get a book on newtonian mechanics, the lagrangian and the hamiltonian. that's the next step toward understanding quantu
u/Cats_Dont_Wear_Socks
String theory is defunct. Look up non-locality.
u/itsatumbleweed
Scientific models are funny- they are explanations for what we can observe empirically. There's a saying "no model is correct, but some are useful". That is to say, the model is a pretty accu
u/jamcdonald120
no relation to consciousness.
string theory is just a mathematical way to unify the small and big scale of physics, but it is so generic anything can be explained by it and nothing predicted
u/Cats_Dont_Wear_Socks
String theory is defunct. Look up non-locality.
u/nalk1710
What you mean with it allows the sun to shine? How does this relate to tunneling?
u/wasting_more_time2
The sun isn't hot enough to fuse protons in its own. Protons tunnel into a nearby nucleus and fuse, releasing energy
u/pcalau12i_
The term "quantum" is actually used in quantum mechanics to refer to the fact that energy comes in discrete quanta. I mean, that quanta is small but it's more about the discreteness than the
u/EmergencyCucumber905
> think that quantum effects may be responsible for consciousness
That's tame compared to what Penrose thinks. Scott Aaronson does a good job explaining the number of speculations: [https
u/jamcdonald120
Quantum means some minimum amount. think quantity. You have some quantity of money, and money comes in dollars, so dollars is the quantum of money.
Quantum physics says "ok, I have some qu