The Fundamental Why

7 | The Spooky Action of Quantum Entanglement

What if two particles could stay connected—even across light-years? Can this enable faster-than-light communication?  Are particles truly separate—or never independent at all? In Part 3 of our Quantum Mechanics series, we dive into quantum entanglement—one of the strangest ideas in physics. We break down how entangled particles share a single state, challenge locality, and led Einstein to call it “spooky action at a distance.” **Many thanks to Han, a master's student at the University of Alberta, for joining us today for our discussion! 🙏 Subscribe to our YouTube channel for the full video version of this podcast (same name).

6 | Is Reality Undecided? Quantum Superposition & The Uncertainty Principle (Part 2)

🎙 Episode 6: Quantum Superposition & The Uncertainty Principle Last episode, quantum mechanics broke classical physics. Today, we ask something more unsettling: What did it replace it with? In Part 2 of our quantum series, we explore: 🌀 Superposition: can something exist in multiple states at once? ⚛ The Uncertainty Principle: is reality fundamentally limited? 🧠 Free will, determinism, and whether randomness means freedom Is the world fuzzy, or are we? We move beyond equations and ask whether possibilities themselves are real. A huge thank you to our guest Fannie Zhao for sharing her insights from experimental condensed matter physics and quantum materials research, and for reminding us that physics isn’t something to fear, but something to explore.

5 | From Classical to Quantum: The New World

🔮 Welcome to Part 1 of our Quantum Mechanics Mini-Series! Imagine believing physics was finished — that the universe was a perfect, predictable clockwork machine… until everything broke. Today, we dive into the moment science flipped upside down. This is The Fundamental Why, and in this episode, we unravel how quantum mechanics shattered classical certainty and opened the door to one of the biggest questions ever asked: Do we truly have free will? 🎙️ Guest Speaker: Khanjan We’re joined by Khanjan, a university student specializing in quantum physics. He shares how he got into this field, his background, and why quantum mechanics continues to challenge our deepest assumptions about reality. 🧠 EPISODE BREAKDOWN 1. Introduction We set the stage with the downfall of Newtonian determinism — the idea that the entire universe could be predicted if we just knew the initial conditions. From classical laws to the cracks in the system, we explore how physics went from certainty to strangeness. 2. The Birth of Quantum Mechanics We walk through: • Newton’s clockwork universe → Perfect predictability, cause-and-effect, the illusion of free will • UV Catastrophe → Why classical physics failed dramatically • Blackbody radiation and why objects emit EM radiation • Photoelectric Effect → Why dim purple light knocks out electrons but bright red doesn’t • Planck’s quantum breakthrough → Energy in quanta, not smooth waves • Einstein’s photons → Wave-particle duality begins • Definition of Quantum Mechanics → A probabilistic framework describing the microscopic world 3. Philosophical Implications We explore three major interpretations and what they say about free will: • Copenhagen Interpretation → Reality isn’t real until observed • Hidden Variable Theory → “God does not play dice” — Einstein’s determinism • Many-Worlds Interpretation → Infinite branching universes where all outcomes happen These theories raise a central question: If the quantum world is probabilistic, are we more free—or just more random? 4. Open Discussion We debate the strangest, most counterintuitive aspects of quantum physics and challenge each other with the big question: Does quantum indeterminacy give humans more agency… or simply remove predictability? 📌 WRAP-UP & NEXT EPISODE TEASER We recap the journey: Newton → cracks in classical physics → quantum leap → free will vs. determinism. Listener Question: 👉 Do you think quantum mechanics gives us free will—or just changes the kind of uncertainty we have? A) Yes, it gives us freedom B) No, it’s just randomness C) It’s more complicated… Huge thank you to our guest, Khanjan, for joining us! Special thanks to our editor, Alman Hashmi, for bringing this episode to life with stunning visuals and seamless audio! Next time, we dive deeper into the quantum rabbit hole: superposition, entanglement, and wave-function collapse. 👍 Like, comment, and subscribe for Part 2 — coming soon!

4 | The Multiverse

What if every choice you ever made—and didn't make—created a new reality? A universe where you missed that train, took that job, or never existed at all. This isn't just science fiction; it's a possibility that emerges from our deepest theories of the cosmos. In this episode of The Fundamental Why, hosts Saahil and Cary are joined by a special surprise guest, John Wang, to journey through the mind-bending concept of the multiverse. We break down physicist Max Tegmark's four distinct levels of parallel universes, from the statistically inevitable (doppelgängers living in a universe just like ours) to the truly bizarre (realities where the laws of physics are completely different). Join us as we explore: 🌌 Level I: The Quilted Multiverse - Are there infinite copies of you out there? 💥 Level II: Bubble Universes - Did our Big Bang create just one universe in a cosmic foam? 🔬 Level III: The Quantum Many-Worlds - Does every decision split reality? 🔢 Level IV: The Mathematical Universe - Is our reality just one possible equation? But we don't stop at the physics. We dive headfirst into the profound philosophical questions: If infinite versions of you exist, what does that mean for your identity? Does free will still matter? And does the multiverse violate the principle of Occam's Razor? Let us know your answer to our final question in the comments: Would you want to know about the lives of your parallel selves?

3 | The End of the Universe

How does the universe meet its end? Will it drift into a frozen void, collapse in on itself, or be torn apart by dark energy? In the 3rd episode of The Fundamental Why, Cary and Saahil explore both physics and philosophy: from heat death, the Big Crunch, Big Rip, and vacuum decay to cosmic nihilism, eternal recurrence, and determinism. Can we even know how it ends—and does that knowledge even give meaning to existence? Join us as we close the loop from the birth of the cosmos to its ultimate destiny.