High-res THE PRINCIPLE OF LEAST ACTION This is a fancy way of saying that nature is lazy. Things happen in the way that requires least effort, which is why, among other things, light travels in straight lines. In fact,particles, and light, travel by the path which takes the least time. This explains why an angled light ray bends towards the perpendicular when it passes from air into glass, through which it moves more slowly (this reduces the amount of glass it has to pass through).The principle is especially important in quantum theory. At first sight quantum theory seems to imply that a particle such as an electron can go by any path from A to B, even if that means going to Mars and back.This would make it impossible to operate things like computers, which depend on electrons being well behaved. But the great physicist Richard Feynman proved that all ‘indirect’ routes interfere with each other, leaving only one viable path - the quickest. - dailymail

THE PRINCIPLE OF LEAST ACTION

This is a fancy way of saying that nature is lazy. Things happen in the way that requires least effort, which is why, among other things, light travels in straight lines. In fact,particles, and light, travel by the path which takes the least time. This explains why an angled light ray bends towards the perpendicular when it passes from air into glass, through which it moves more slowly (this reduces the amount of glass it has to pass through).The principle is especially important in quantum theory. At first sight quantum theory seems to imply that a particle such as an electron can go by any path from A to B, even if that means going to Mars and back.This would make it impossible to operate things like computers, which depend on electrons being well behaved. But the great physicist Richard Feynman proved that all ‘indirect’ routes interfere with each other, leaving only one viable path - the quickest.

- dailymail

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  1. blueblirds reblogged this from brooklynmutt
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    my personal favorites,...Feynman. We also share...same...
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