Elementary (school) Quantum Mechanics

Here's the second essay.  See previous post for Chapter One.

Elementary Quantum Mechanics:  Chapter 2   The Pauli Exclusion Principle

 According to the Pauli Exclusion Principle no two fermions (particles like electrons, protons and neutrons) can occupy the same state at the same time.  One of them must move to another energy level or space, or switch from positive to negative spin or vice-versa. This is one of the most important principles in elementary particle physics.  This effect can be observed any day in any elementary school.  The set-up for the experiment is simple:  Ask a class of children to line up.  Here are some typical results which affirm the exclusion principle.

           As twenty-five 8-year-olds leave their desks (seats, spots on the floor, rug, bleachers) and head for ‘the line’ they begin to judge their distance from a particular point (not point-particles—I’ll tie that in to string theory later), and their maximum speed towards it.  Like electrons seeking the lowest energy level possible, over 60% of the students are headed for the point which they perceive as the front of the line.  An observer who is a futbol (soccer) lover may notice the various high elbows, stepovers, and hip-swinging shielding tactics employed.  One who loves the gridiron will surely notice the twists, leaps, and head-down motion of a running back. Wrestling fans will surely see a few take-downs, reverses, and even an occasional pin. 

            The students who pile up at the ‘first’ spot in line, like electrons piling up in energy shells, obey the exclusion principle.  That is why as the never-static line begins to snake out of the room, those students still in the same ‘spots’ must acquire opposite spin (so they are not the same).  Spin is easy for second graders, and is only ever interrupted by an adjacent student stepping on the spinner’s untied shoestring which often causes a domino effect   (The odds of one untied shoe in a line of 25 students has been proven to be 16:50.  Such a high percentage may surprise a layman, but teachers realize that it is only lower than 25:50 because some students wear sandals.)

            As the line moves towards its destination it is likely to encounter other lines which may proceed in the same direction or move in an opposite one, but students in any one line have a predicted effect on another line.  Any encounter with another line may induce ferromagnetism, “in which the exclusion effect results in exchange energy that induces neighboring electron spins to align,” (Wikipedia.org).  This effect is best observed outside multi-purpose rooms when classes are backed up waiting for an assembly or other attraction.

 Because, as the teacher, I am in charge, I have tried many different initial line-up conditions; but, in a bizarre, reverse ‘butterfly effect’ (the butterfly effect is from chaos theory, not physics—yes, some people actually study chaos), they all end with the inevitable pile-up and spins.  If I understood elementary quantum mechanics better, I might be better able to deal with line-ups, but when it comes to things like the Pauli Exclusion Principle, societal expectations of self-esteem curriculum induce me to just make sure I don’t leave anyone out. 

 Facts:  The Pauli Exclusion Principle is real, as are chaos theory, domino effect, butterfly effect and side effects of reading this.  As to the statistics quoted, 35% of statistics are made up.