quantum

[ kwon-tuhm ]

noun

, plural quan·ta [kwon, -t, uh].

1. quantity or amount:

   the least quantum of evidence.

2. a particular amount.
3. a share or portion.
4. a large quantity; bulk.
5. Physics.
   1. the smallest quantity of radiant energy, equal to Planck's constant times the frequency of the associated radiation.
   2. the fundamental unit of a quantized physical magnitude, as angular momentum.

adjective

1. sudden and significant:

   a quantum increase in productivity.

quantum

/ ˈkwɒntəm /

noun

1. physics
   1. the smallest quantity of some physical property, such as energy, that a system can possess according to the quantum theory
   2. a particle with such a unit of energy
2. amount or quantity, esp a specific amount
3. often used with a negative the least possible amount that can suffice

   there is not a quantum of evidence for your accusation

4. something that can be quantified or measured
5. modifier loosely, sudden, spectacular, or vitally important

   a quantum improvement

quantum

/ kwŏn′təm /

, Plural quanta

1. A discrete, indivisible manifestation of a physical property, such as a force or angular momentum. Some quanta take the form of elementary particles; for example, the quantum of electromagnetic radiation is the photon, while the quanta of the weak force are the W and Z particles.
2. See also quantum state

Word History and Origins

Origin of quantum¹

1610–20; noun use of neuter of Latin quantus how much

Word History and Origins

Origin of quantum¹

C17: from Latin quantus (adj) how much

Example Sentences

“Saying that matter interactions all come from the metric of classical spacetime means, at least naïvely, that quantum spacetime — whatever that means empirically — does not really have any role, or that the foundational questions in quantum theory are simply irrelevant in quantum theory of gravity and matter,” Minic said.

From Salon

Matter is quantum as we know, and if matter comes from the spacetime metric then, what happens to the observed distinction between quantum and classical correlations - for example quantum probabilities interfere, classical do not.”

From Salon

“Now, the authors say that spacetime coordinates are matrices, but what does that mean for the experimentally tested Standard Model whose quantum fields live in classical spacetime?”

From Salon

While the authors argue that spacetime coordinates are matrices, Minic said “I do not see any deep consequences of that statement! What happens to quantum correlations in that matrix valued spacetime? Do they satisfy the quantum Bell bound? How is the quantum probability computed? Is the Born rule still valid? Are there any new testable predictions?”

From Salon

The Born rule bridges the math of quantum theory to the outcomes of experiments, which makes the field a legitimate scientific discipline in the first place.

From Salon