On a fundamental level, even purely empty space is still filled with quantum fields, which affect the value of the zero-point energy of space. Until we know how to perform this calculation, we must either make an assumption about the value we arrive at or admit that we do not know how to perform this calculation. (Credit: NASA/CXC/M.Weiss)
The very word “quantum” makes people’s imaginations run wild. But chances are you’ve fallen for at least one of these myths.
For centuries, the laws of physics seemed completely deterministic. If you knew where every particle was, how fast it was moving, and what the forces were between them at any one instant…
