All 5 Uses
quantum
in
There There, by Tommy Orange
(Auto-generated)
- Were we at one time not something else entirely, Homo sapiens, single-celled organisms, space dust, unidentifiable pre-bang quantum theory?†
p. 11.5quantum theory = the scientific framework explaining behavior at the atomic and subatomic scale
- I wrote my thesis on the inevitable influence of blood quantum policies on modern Native identity, and the literature written by mixed-blood Native authors that influenced identity in Native cultures.†
p. 71.9quantum = tiny, indivisible packet of energy or matter
- We are Alaskan Native Indians, Native Hawaiians, and European expatriate Indians, Indians from eight different tribes with quarter-blood quantum requirements and so not federally recognized Indian kinds of Indians.†
p. 136.7
- Native blood quantum was introduced in 1705 at the Virginia Colony.†
p. 137.1
- Blood quantum and tribal membership qualifications have since been turned over to individual tribes to decide.†
p. 137.2 *
Definitions:
-
(1)
(quantum) smallest “packet” or chunk of energy or matter that something can have in modern physicsIn quantum physics, energy and matter don't flow smoothly like water but come in tiny, indivisible chunks called quanta. An object can only gain or lose energy in specific amounts—just enough to jump from one allowed energy level to another. During a "quantum jump," the object doesn't gradually move between levels; it simply vanishes from one level and appears at another, as if teleporting.
Science has revealed that the universe behaves very differently at extreme scales than it does in our everyday lives. At incredibly small scales (atoms and smaller), quantum physics rules. At incredibly large scales (planets, stars, and galaxies) or extreme speeds, Einstein's theories of special and general relativity take over. - (2) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)