#also I kinda hate the phrase 'if you think you understand quantum mechanics. you don't' for the same reason

[klavierpanda]

Yet another case of pop science warping the impression of physics in a negative way: spin in quantum mechanics.

I've spent this afternoon reading the relevant notes for my quantum mechanics lectures next week which are about spin. And actually it's not this allusive thing that makes no sense like it's so often portrayed as. Yes, it required a lot of work to get to this point but going through the maths and the motivation it actually makes a tonne of sense.

Seeing the maths and formalities behind quantum mechanics makes all the weird properties seem more intuitive. Yeah, they're bloody weird because we don't experience them on the macroscopic scale and so don't have much of a feel for them. And don't get me wrong, them being present as weird gives QM it's charm and certainly got me interested which is the whole purpose of pop science. But I feel like the way quantum mechanics is presented makes it seem very inaccessible and I feel like there is a way to present is in a more accessible way without requiring all of the maths.

I guess what I'm trying to say is I wish we would talk about the weirdness of quantum mechanics as a cool quirk more so than a barrier to understanding it.